One of the early teachings of Buddhism focuses on the topic of wisdom. In Sanskrit, the word prajna, or wisdom, is combined with the word paramita, or perfection, to give the conceptual word prajnaparamita (link is to wiki article rich in information on this topic) which loosely refers to a perfected way of seeing reality, as well as to a body of Buddhist scriptures. Additionally this prajnaparamita is said to give birth to all buddhas, or be, the “mother of all Buddhas.” Prajnaparamita has been depicted as a female deity, exemplified by this famous statue from Java:
Why am I excited about the concept of wisdom as explained in Buddhism? Apparently prajanparamita enables enlightenment. The funny thing is that the term wisdom is ineffable. We really can’t describe it, since it is non-conceptual, non-dual and transcendental. It comes about from not being attached to what we conventionally view as “our world. ”
There were a number of “Wisdom” texts, composed roughly anywhere between 100 BCE to 500 CE. I have read and am somewhat familiar with three of them. If you personally want to delve into it, these are good references. (I love the commentary and quotes in Red Pine’s books.) They are The Perfection of Wisdom in 8000 Lines (Translation by Edward Conze, 1978), The Diamond Sutra (Translation and Commentary by Red Pine, 2001) and the Heart Sutra (Translation and Commentary by Red Pine, 2004). Of all the texts, the Heart Sutra is the shortest, only 36 lines in Red Pine’s translation, and a distillation of the wisdom teachings.
Back to “not being attached to what we conventionally view as our world.” Let’s first take a cursory look at what science knows about the physical world we live in. Broadly speaking there is matter and there is energy, and E=MC2, so really the two basic ingredients of the universe are interchangeable as proportioned by a constant ratio (speed of light squared) . So basically E=M or E-M. Besides consisting of these two ingredients the universe can also be viewed as being chucky-jam full of information. Information includes the laws, rules and the mechanisms that shaped and balanced the fundamental particles created by energy after the big bang (we don’t really know what was there before). Information includes the DNA code (and per-cursors) for sentient life — and we, ourselves, are and use/assimilate information. Essentially, the universe is looking back on itself, through us. We are interactive with our environment.
Now let’s move toward how we (think) we interact with the world. Have you ever been on a virtual ride at Disney world or Universal studios? Seems pretty real. I mean, you sit in a chair and through visuals (light) , sounds (maybe even smells), motion and force you are convinced that you are flying , perhaps, through space or into a black hole. Other examples which one would conclude are illusions would be sitting in a planetarium, engrossed in a movie, or having a vivid dream (dreams use our everyday accumulated sensorial experience as building blocks) . They are simply different states of consciousness and are phenomena, that is an “an object or aspect known through the senses rather than by thought or intuition ” (Merriam Webster). The same dictionary provides a second definition, namely phenomenon are a temporal or spatiotemporal objects of sensory experience as distinguished from a noumenon. A noumenon, (in Kantian philosophy) is a thing as it is in itself, as distinct from a thing as it is knowable by the senses through phenomenal attributes. Now, here is where we take a different road. While prajnaparamita is not something very explainable (it is practiced), some other concepts, namely the five skandhas, or aggregates, and emptiness can be more easily worked with and play an integral role in helping explain the subject.
To be clear, it is a great misconception that Buddhism denies existence. As His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama has said, “The existence of things and events is not in dispute; it is the manner in which they exist that must be clarified.”
In chapter 3 of the Diamond Sutra the Buddha says that “…no one can be called a bodhisattva [a Buddha who defers final rest in order to help others] who creates the perception of a self or who creates the perception of a being, a life or a soul.” The key words are “creates a perception of…” In commentary, the Chinese Buddhist scholar, Ting Fu-pao, explains that perception of a self refers to the mistaken apprehension of something that focuses within and controls the five skandhas and that a perception of a being refers to the mistaken apprehension that the combination of skandhas creates a separate entity.
Basically, the concept of emptiness or in Sanskrit, sunyata, means that nothing exists as a sole separate self; all phenomenon are dependent on their existence or non-existence on each other. This includes ourselves. We are not a sole separate self, but merely an aggregate or receiving device of the five skandhas of form, feeling, perception, mental formation and consciousness. Clearly there is something that we can perceive as energy, matter or information (all above our pay grade as to origins). But the point is that just like in a virtual reality ride, movie, or dream, attaching to and making a separate “self” or “being” is just another virtual reality scheme and according to Buddhist teaching not the ultimate real thing — especially since the joys in our lives, that we are attached to, and that we will eventually lose, will cause a lot of pain for us.
The Heart Sutra starts out (one translation) that an Enlightened One “…when deeply practicing prajna-paramita clearly saw that all five aggregates are empty and thus relieved all suffering.” In the Ratna or verse version of the Perfection of Wisdom in 8000 Lines at the get-go in Chapter 1 we are told that “No Wisdom can we get hold of, no highest perfection, no Bodhisattva, no thought of enlightenment either. When told of this, if not bewildered and in no way anxious, A Bodhisattva courses in the Well-Gone’s wisdom.” Further in the same chapter it states that “as dharmic facts, existence and non-existence are both not real, A Bodhisattva goes forth when wisely he knows this.” This points to emptiness of emptiness and in fact no place to stand.
The Heart Sutra, Red Pine’s translation, lines 22 – 24 read “Bodhisattvas take refuge in prajnaparamita and live without walls of the mind. Without walls of the mind and thus without fears.” Chinese scholar Li Wen-hui comments (Diamond Sutra, pg 182): “The mind not attached to anything is prajna.” This takes us to the famous line in the Heart Sutra: “Form does not differ from emptiness, emptiness does not differ from form. Form itself is emptiness, emptiness itself form.” All of the Wisdom sutras use dialectical logic of the kind similar to “A is not A, therefore we call it ‘A’.” And how does one achieve or attain enlightenment, something that cannot be achieved or attained and literally leaves us with no place to stand? Back to the mother of all Buddhas.
One way to look at Prajna is as intuitive insight. This insight is the light that gives birth to all Buddhas and apparently is available to all beings. I really like the concept of prajna, albeit just a concept in my mind, since it represents a positive and hopeful source for everyone. It’s probably the closest thing to a god in Buddhist circles.
And how does one practice prajnaparamita? As Red Pine points out in his commentary on the Heart Sutra “…Buddhism is better understood as a skill or an art to be practiced rather than as information or knowledge to be learned or amassed.” In this sense, “walking the walk” includes practice of the paramitas, in the Mahayana tradition boiled down to six; namely generosity, morality, forbearance, vigor, meditation and lastly wisdom. It is said that wisdom keeps us moving in the right direction. A beginner on the path starts as just a human being, composed of the “earth,” with all the faults and delusions. It’s just plain hard work replacing bad habits with good ones and staying focused on what there is without the mind running away with “it.” And at the end of the path we are still human beings.
From the Diamond Sutra: ” ‘Tathagata,’ Subhuti, is another name for the end of dharmas. ‘Tathagata,’ Subhuti, is another name for what never begins. And how so? No beginning, Subhuti is the highest truth. ” The Diamond Sutra is packed with some amazing statements in order to point toward a non-dual and unconditioned true reality that evolves in a natural and organic manner as we “practice” wisdom or prjana. This true reality has been called the real body of the Buddha or the dharma-kaya. It is likened to infinite space and yet no space, all-knowledge and yet no knowledge, and to both infinite space and no space and both all-knowledge and no knowledge. My guess is that it was there before the big bang, even if “before” has no ultimate meaning.
Finally, by saying that our common perception of the world is an illusion is in no way meant to be disrespectful of the beauty, goodness, kindness, courage, love and compassion that we find scattered in the world, as rose petals on water. This is a mystery. I think those aspects of our existence are a reflection of prajna as well. If that is the case, then fear of losing ourselves by turning in the direction of wisdom should lessen.
Little Known Mystic 
It’s nothing but wisdom. Thank you 😊
LikeLike