Wisdom
Wisdom. Wisdom is a part of all of the paramitas. It is the ground they stand on, so to speak. To be wise is to be charitable, disciplined, patient, determined, mindful, and the result is the development of wisdom. Wisdom comes with time. It cannot be hurried, though we are all wise within our own understanding each moment. This sense will evolve as we take each step of our lives. We will become wise when we see our Truth, our failures, our successes, our efforts, and so on as just what they are, impermanent moments of our being. Letting go of these is the fruit of our wisdom.
Wisdom (paññā) is the ability to make intelligent decisions and draw correct conclusions based on experience and Knowledge. Wisdom is an ability of the mind and thus the state of the mind will have an influence on the ability to be wise. Freeing the mind from prejudices and preconceived ideas, developing awareness and having an uncluttered and tranquil mind all assist in the development of wisdom. The Buddha also asserted that there is a close connection between ethical behaviour and wisdom: ‘Wisdom is purified by virtue and virtue is purified by wisdom. Where one is so is the other. The virtuous person has wisdom and the wise person has virtue. The combination of virtue and wisdom is called the highest thing in the World.’ (D.I,124).
Source
Wisdom translates two different Sanskrit and Tibetan terms:
- (Skt. prajñā; Tib. ཤེས་རབ་, sherab; Wyl. shes rab), the sixth of the six paramitas, defined as the precise discernment of all things and events.
- (Skt. jñāna; Tib. ཡེ་ཤེས་, yeshe; Wyl. ye shes), which is sometimes translated as primordial wisdom. One of the two accumulations.
Prajña/Sherab
Etymology
Ringu Tulku Rinpoche says:
- "Sherab consists of the syllable ཤེས་ shé, which means ‘knowing’ and རབ་ rab which means ‘excellent’ or ‘best’. So it is the best knowledge, the best form of knowing. It is knowing correctly, clearly and fully."
Definition
Patrul Rinpoche says:
- "Wisdom is identified as the recognition during the formal meditation session that all phenomena are empty, and the knowledge during the post-meditation phase that all phenomena are unreal, like a magical illusion or a dream."
Subdivisions
Chökyi Drakpa says:
- "Through the wisdom that comes from hearing, you are able to recognize the disturbing emotions. Then, through the wisdom that comes from reflection, you are able to overcome the disturbing emotions temporarily. And finally, through the wisdom that comes through meditation, you conquer completely the enemy of negative emotions and obtain the confidence of knowing inexpressible and inconceivable reality with the wisdom of discriminating awareness."
Jñana/Yeshe
Ringu Tulku Rinpoche says:
- "In the word ཡེ་ཤེས་, yeshe, ཡེ་, yé is short for ཡེ་ནས་, yé né, which means ‘right from the beginning’ or ‘primordially’. Some people translate it as ‘pristine’ or 'pure', meaning that it is untouched and unstained, and has been there all the time. It is the way it always was. So yeshe is discovered with ཤེས་རབ་, sherab. Yeshe is understood by sherab, or approached by sherab."
The Difference Between Sherab and Yeshe
Ringu Tulku Rinpoche says:
- "The difference between sherab and yeshe is very subtle and slight. But I think we can say that yeshe is the most natural state of our awareness or consciousness, which is unstained, uncontrived and completely ordinary. It is there all the time, but we don’t recognize it. It is sherab that brings about the recognition, but of course they are not two separate things."
Thinley Norbu writes:
- "The Tibetan words sherab and yeshe appear again and again in [the teachings] because they are connected with enlightenment. It is important to give an explanation of these words because of the tendency to materialize and separate them, which is incompatible with the meaning of Dharma, which is to make noncontradiction."
Alternative Translations
For Sherab
- incisive wisdom (Light of Berotsana)
For Prajña
- see primordial wisdom article
Further Reading
- Thinley Norbu, A Cascading Waterfall of Nectar (Boston & London: Shambhala Publication, 2006), pages 158-161.
