ཤེས་རབ། | Glossary of Terms

The mental factor responsible for ascertaining specific qualities of a given object, such as its characteristics or whether or not it should be taken up or rejected.

The sixth of the six perfections, it refers to the profound understanding of the emptiness of all phenomena, the realization of ultimate reality.

Transcendent awareness; the mind that sees the ultimate truth. One of the six perfections of bodhisattvas.

In general, this is the mental factor of discerning the specific qualities of a given object and whether it should be accepted or rejected. As the sixth of the six perfections, it refers to the profound understanding of the emptiness of all phenomena, the realization of ultimate reality.

Transcendent awareness; the mind that sees the ultimate truth. One of the six perfections of bodhisattvas.

Direct gnosis without conceptuality or mental elaboration.

In general, this is the mental factor of discerning the specific qualities of a given object and whether it should be accepted or rejected. As the sixth of the six perfections, it refers to the profound understanding of the emptiness of all phenomena, the realization of ultimate reality.

The sixth of the six perfections.

The sixth of the six perfections, it refers to the profound understanding of the emptiness of all phenomena, the realization of ultimate reality. It is also one of the five faculties.

As the sixth of the six perfections, it refers to the profound understanding of the emptiness of all phenomena, the realization of ultimate reality‍—also sometimes rendered as wisdom. In other contexts it refers to the mental factor responsible for ascertaining specific qualities of a given object, such as its characteristics or whether it should be taken up or rejected.

As the sixth of the six perfections, it refers to the profound understanding of the emptiness of all phenomena, the realization of ultimate reality. In other contexts it refers to the mental factor responsible for ascertaining specific qualities of a given object, such as its characteristics or whether it should be taken up or rejected.

The sixth of the six perfections, it refers to the profound understanding of the emptiness of all phenomena, the realization of ultimate reality. It is also one of the five powers.

One of the six perfections; one of the five abilities; one of the five powers.

One of the six or ten perfections.

The mental factor responsible for ascertaining the specific qualities of a given object, such as its specific qualities or whether or not it should be taken up or rejected.

The sixth of the six perfections.

The sixth of the six perfections. In the context of this sūtra, this term can also denote insight in general.

The mental factor or power that discerns phenomena.

The sixth of the six perfections, it refers to the profound understanding of the emptiness of all phenomena, the realization of ultimate reality. It is also one of the five powers.

Transcendent or discriminating awareness; the mind that sees the ultimate truth. One of the six perfections of the bodhisattva.

This term here refers to the knowledge or wisdom gained through study, contemplation, and meditation.

(When referring to the female consort it is left untranslated: “prajñā.”)

Direct cognition of reality; represented by and refers to the female consort in sexual yoga.

The sixth of the six perfections, it refers to the profound understanding of the emptiness of all phenomena, the realization of ultimate reality.

In the context‌ of the transcendent perfections, wisdom is the sixth of the six transcendent perfections.

The translation of prajñā (shes rab) by “wisdom” here defers to the precedent established by Edward Conze in his writings. It has a certain poetic resonance which more accurate renderings‍—“discernment,” “discriminative awareness,” or “intelligence”‍—unfortunately lack. It should be remembered that in Abhidharma, prajñā is classed as one of the five object-determining mental states (pañca­viṣaya­niyata, yul nges lnga), alongside “will,” “resolve,” “mindfulness,” and “meditative stability.” Following A­saṅga’s Abhi­dharma­sam­uccaya, Jamgon Kongtrul (TOK, Book 6, Pt. 2, p. 498), defines prajñā as “the discriminative awareness that analyzes specific and general characteristics.” Therefore “wisdom” in this context is to be understood in the cognitive or analytical Germanic sense of witan or weis (Dayal 1932: 136) and not as an abstract “body of knowledge,” or in any aloof and mysterious theosophical sense. Nor indeed is there any association with the Greek sophia.

Also translated here as “discriminative awareness.”

The sixth of the six perfections (Skt. pāramitā); the precise discernment of all things.

The sixth of the six perfections.

The wisdom that comes from understanding emptiness and realizing ultimate reality. Sixth of the six or ten perfections.

A mind that sees the ultimate truth directly.

Transcendent or discriminating awareness; the mind that sees the ultimate truth. One of the six perfections of the bodhisattva.

Transcendent or discriminating awareness; the mind that sees the ultimate truth. One of the six perfections of the bodhisattva.

The term prajñā is formed by adding the prefix pra, usually understood as meaning “excellent,” to the root jñā, meaning “to know,” “to know of,” “to understand,” “to cognize,” “to be aware of,” etc. Prajñā is used in more mundane contexts as referring to something very akin to “wisdom,” while in a Buddhist context it is often defined as dharma-pravicaya, the classification or analysis of entities, predicated upon a recognition of their specific nature. It is thus also a synonym of abhidharma and of “insight” or “clear sight” (vipaśyanā).

The mental factor that discerns phenomena.

In specific contexts, it refers also to the female partner in sexual yoga.

The sixth of the six perfections, it refers to the profound understanding of the emptiness of all phenomena, the realization of ultimate reality.

The sixth of the six perfections, it refers to the profound understanding of the emptiness of all phenomena, the realization of ultimate reality.

The sixth of the six perfections, it refers to the profound understanding of the emptiness of all phenomena, the realization of ultimate reality.

One of the six perfections.

In this text shes rab seems to mean primarily knowledge (defined as insight and understanding one has gained through studying and experience), specifically knowledge of the teachings of the Buddha in general, and of karmic cause and effect in particular (Cf. Edgerton, BHSD, s.v. prajñā: “(Skt., and Pāli paññā), knowledge: three kinds, śrutamayī, cintāmayī, and bhāvanāmayī”, i.e., knowledge consisting in listening to the teachings, reflecting on them, and meditation (cultivating or internalizing the teachings). Also translated here as “knowledge of the Dharma.”

See also UT22084-072-039-104.

As the sixth of the six perfections, it refers to the profound understanding of the emptiness of all phenomena, the realization of ultimate reality. In other contexts, it refers to the mental factor responsible for ascertaining specific qualities of a given object, such as its characteristics or whether it should be taken up or rejected.

Also translated here as “wisdom.” See glossary entry.

See entry “knowledge” and also UT22084-072-039-104.

(When not referring to the female consort it is translated here as “insight.”)