page_title: Prajñā (Buddhism)
hierarchical_section_title: Prajñā (Buddhism)
caption_attribution_description: Exhibit in the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri. This artwork is old enough so that it is in the public domain, and the museum permitted photography without restriction. I took this photograph and release it into the public domain.
context_page_description: Prajñā or paññā, is a Buddhist term often translated as "wisdom", "intelligence", or "understanding". It is described in Buddhist commentaries as the understanding of the true nature of phenomena. In the context of Buddhist meditation, it is the ability to understand the three characteristics of all things: anicca, dukkha, and anattā. Mahāyāna texts describe it as the understanding of śūnyatā. It is part of the Threefold Training in Buddhism, and is one of the ten pāramīs of Theravada Buddhism and one of the six Mahāyāna pāramitās.
context_section_description: Prajñā (Sanskrit) or paññā (Pāli), is a Buddhist term often translated as "wisdom", "intelligence", or "understanding". It is described in Buddhist commentaries as the understanding of the true nature of phenomena. In the context of Buddhist meditation, it is the ability to understand the three characteristics of all things: anicca (impermanence), dukkha (dissatisfaction or suffering), and anattā (non-self). Mahāyāna texts describe it as the understanding of śūnyatā (Skt; Eng: emptiness). It is part of the Threefold Training in Buddhism, and is one of the ten pāramīs of Theravada Buddhism and one of the six Mahāyāna pāramitās.
caption: Mañjuśrī, the bodhisattva of wisdom. China, 9th–10th century
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