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prajna, knowledge * [sometimes contrasted to ye shes as intellectual knowledge vs [religious] wisdom, but sometimes = shes rab pha rol phyin and contrasted w shes yon giving a similar meaning w shes rab = wisdom] [IW]
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[[prajna]], knowledge * [sometimes contrasted to [[ye shes]] as intellectual knowledge vs [religious] wisdom, but sometimes = [[shes rab pha rol phyin]] and contrasted w [[shes yon]] giving a similar meaning w [[shes rab]] = wisdom] [IW]


prajna, (-, absolute, sublime) wisdom, intelligence, (-, transcendent, analytical) knowledge, (-, appreciative) discrimination, discriminating awareness, appreciative understanding, SA ye shes kyi rtsal, understand (3 kinds are thos, bsam, bsgoms), (3 kinds are gnas lnga rig pa kun rdzob, gnas lugs rig pa don dam, sems can gyi don bya tshul), 1 of 10 stobs bcu, 1 of bslab pa gsum, appreciative discernment, wisdom that discriminates, sublime knowing, insight [JV]
*[[Discriminative Awareness]] [GD]


prajna, intelligence, knowledge, discrimination, [wisdom]. insight, [[shag rog]] roommate. [[shes rab chung ba]] those who have limited knowledge. Discrimination, as one of the five object determining mental states, superior knowledge [in most contexts] - superior intelligence, or intelligence [when referring to the 51 mental factors] - wisdom [when taken as synonymous with yeshe]. Syn [[ye shes]]; superior knowledge [in most contexts]. - superior intelligence, or intelligence [when referring to the 51 mental factors]. - wisdom [when taken as synonymous with yeshe]; Wisdom, discriminating wisdom, [prajna]; bden don gtan la 'bebs]] rang dang spyi'i mtshan nyid rnam par 'byed pa'o]] discriminative awareness. recognition, intelligence, to be aware of, come to understand, to know, to grasp, master, to learn, can, be able to, to realize; discriminative awareness; Discrimination, as one of the five object determining mental states. knowledge. one of the [[pha drug]] the six paramitas. discriminative awareness. insight, intelligence. [[shes rab chung ba]] those who have limited knowledge. prajna, [wisdom]. Syn [[ye shes]] wisdom. superior knowledge [in most contexts]. - superior intelligence, or intelligence [when referring to the 51 mental factors] - wisdom [when taken as synonymous with yeshe]. transcendent knowledge [RY]
prajna, (-, absolute, sublime) wisdom, intelligence, (-, transcendent, analytical) knowledge, (-, appreciative) discrimination, discriminating awareness, appreciative understanding, SA [[ye shes kyi rtsal]], understand (3 kinds are [[thos]], [[bsam]], [[bsgoms]]), (3 kinds are [[gnas lnga]] [[rig pa]] [[kun rdzob]], [[gnas lugs]] [[rig pa]] [[don dam]], [[sems can gyi don]] [[bya tshul]]), 1 of 10 [[stobs bcu]], 1 of [[bslab pa gsum]], appreciative discernment, wisdom that discriminates, sublime knowing, insight [JV]
 
prajna, intelligence, knowledge, discrimination, [wisdom]. insight, [[shag rog]] roommate. [[shes rab chung ba]] those who have limited knowledge. Discrimination, as one of the five object determining mental states, superior knowledge [in most contexts] - superior intelligence, or intelligence [when referring to the 51 mental factors] - wisdom [when taken as synonymous with yeshe]. Syn [[ye shes]]; superior knowledge [in most contexts]. - superior intelligence, or intelligence [when referring to the 51 mental factors]. - wisdom [when taken as synonymous with yeshe]; Wisdom, discriminating wisdom, [[prajna]]; [[bden don]] [[gtan la 'bebs]] [[rang]] [[dang]] [[spyi'i mtshan nyid]] [[rnam par 'byed pa]]'o; [[discriminative awareness]]. [[recognition]], intelligence, to be aware of, come to understand, to know, to grasp, master, to learn, can, be able to, to realize; discriminative awareness; Discrimination, as one of the five object determining mental states. knowledge. one of the [[pha drug]] the [[six paramitas]]. discriminative awareness. insight, intelligence. [[shes rab chung ba]] those who have limited knowledge. [[prajna]], [[wisdom]]. Syn [[ye shes]] wisdom. superior knowledge [in most contexts]. - superior intelligence, or intelligence [when referring to the 51 mental factors] - wisdom [when taken as synonymous with yeshe]. [[transcendent knowledge]] [RY]


critical acumen [in debate] [ggd] [RY]
critical acumen [in debate] [ggd] [RY]


Prajna. Knowledge or intelligence. In particular, the 'knowledge of realizing egolessness.' [RY]
[[Prajna]]. Knowledge or intelligence. In particular, the 'knowledge of realizing [[egolessness]].' [RY]


the practice of wisdom [RY]
the practice of wisdom [RY]
Line 17: Line 21:
insight, knowledge [thd]
insight, knowledge [thd]


gnosis (as defined as intuitive or discriminative apprehension or understanding of spiritual truths or aspects of ultimate reality) [ESZ]
Wisdom ([[shes rab]], [[ye shes]]): 1) the ability to discern correctly, the understanding of emptiness and 2) the primordial and non-dual knowing aspect of the nature of the mind. [MR]
 
Skt. ''prajñā''. 1) discerning insight, analytical insight, deep insight, discriminating insight, critical insight; 2) full knowing, full knowledge, full understanding. [[Erick Tsiknopoulos]]
 
== Discussion ==
 
Shes rab or prajna is one of the universal mental factors that are concurrent with all cognitions. It is characterized in the sutras as fully distinguishing dharma from non-dharma—or in other words, to discriminate what is from what is not. According to the Great Vehicle, when it is free of the three spheres of knower, knowing, and known, then it becomes transcendent prajna.
 
The prefix pra- in the Sanskrit word means first, full, prime, and so forth. The root jna means to know. Thus the meaning is the prime knowing, or full knowing. The Tibetan word combines the verb shes (to know) with the adjective rab (best or complete). Although Tibetan lamas and texts generally describe the word to mean the "supreme knowing," to literally translate it in that way would not make sense in many contexts, which is why I prefer the translation full knowing. The Sanskrit word prajna seems second best: English speakers do not really understand what it means. Although the usage of "full knowing" is unfamiliar, at least people can have a somewhat organic sense of the meaning.
 
The word prajna is often also translated as discrimination, particularly when it refers to the non-transcendent mental factors. However, it does not sound right to refer to Transcendent Discrimination, and so translators use other translations for it in that context. This use of two translations for one dharma is dangerous: according to the texts on logic, there must be a one-to-one relationship of characterististics to characterized phenomenon. Since both the mental factor prajna and transcendent prajna are characterised in the sutras as "fully distinguishing dharma from not-dharma," the same translation should be used for both, else the relation of characterised and characteristic would be confused.
 
The word is also sometimes translated as "knowledge," but this implies the object that is known, whereas the actual word refers to the subject that knows, which is why it should be translated as "knowing."
 
The transcendent full knowing is also sometimes called transcendent wisdom, or the perfection of wisdom. Wisdom, however, is often used as a translation for jnana, or ye shes, so it is preferable to use a translation for prajna that maintains the distinctions between prajna and jnana. [[DKC]]
 


  [[Category:Tibetan Dictionary]] [[Category:rydic2003]] [[Category:sha]]
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ཤེས་རབ་
shes rab


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84000 Glossary

  1. 'phags pa shes rab
    Phakpa Sherab
  2. dmigs pa med pa'i shes rab
    Non-referential wisdom
  3. rdo rje lta bu'i ting nge 'dzin skad cig gcig dang ldan pa'i shes rab
    Wisdom that is instantaneously endowed with the adamantine meditative stability
  4. rngog blo ldan shes rab
    Ngok Loden Sherab
  5. shes rab
    Discernment, Discriminative awareness, Insight, Transcendent awareness, Wisdom
  6. shes rab 'byung gnas blo gros
    Prajñākaramati
  7. shes rab 'chal ba
    Stupidity
  8. shes rab brtsegs
    Prajñākūta, Prajñākūṭa
  9. shes rab go cha
    Prajñāvarman
  10. shes rab kyi dbang
    Wisdom empowerment
  11. shes rab kyi dbang po
    Faculty of wisdom
  12. shes rab kyi mig
    Eye of wisdom
  13. shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin ma
    Perfection of Wisdom, Prajñāpāramitā
  14. shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa
    Perfection of wisdom, Prajñāpāramitā, Transcendent perfection of wisdom
  15. shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa'i mdo
    Prajñāpāramitāsūtra
  16. shes rab kyi phung po
    Aggregate of wisdom
  17. shes rab kyi stobs
    Power of wisdom
  18. shes rab ma
    Prajñā
  19. shes rab nyams pa med pa
    They do not degenerate in their wisdom
  20. shes rab pha rol tu phyin pa
    Prajñāpāramitā
  21. shes rab sgron ma grangs med pa'i 'od kyi me tog gi dpal
    Prajñāpradīpāsaṃkhyeyaprabhāketuśrī
  22. skad cig cig dang ldan pa'i shes rab
    Instantaneous wisdom


English Glossaries

Rangjung Yeshe Dictionary Rangjung Yeshe Tibetan-English Dharma Dictionary 3.0 <br> by Erik Pema Kunsang (2003)

No direct match.

492 total match(es)
Hopkins Glossary 2015 The Uma Institute for Tibetan Studies Tibetan-Sanskrit-English Dictionary (Version: June 2015) <br> Jeffrey Hopkins, Editor. <br> Paul Hackett, Contributor and Technical Editor. <br> Contributors: Nathaniel Garson, William Magee, Andres Montano, John Powers, Craig Preston, Joe Wilson, Jongbok Yi <br> A PDF version of this dictionary is available for download at: www.uma-tibet.org

[know-highest]; wisdom

679 total match(es)
Hopkins Definitions 2015 The Uma Institute for Tibetan Studies Tibetan-Sanskrit-English Dictionary (Version: June 2015) <br> Jeffrey Hopkins, Editor. <br> Paul Hackett, Contributor and Technical Editor. <br> Contributors: Nathaniel Garson, William Magee, Andres Montano, John Powers, Craig Preston, Joe Wilson, Jongbok Yi <br> A PDF version of this dictionary is available for download at: www.uma-tibet.org

No direct match.

23 total match(es)
Hopkins Divisions 2015 The Uma Institute for Tibetan Studies Tibetan-Sanskrit-English Dictionary (Version: June 2015) <br> Jeffrey Hopkins, Editor. <br> Paul Hackett, Contributor and Technical Editor. <br> Contributors: Nathaniel Garson, William Magee, Andres Montano, John Powers, Craig Preston, Joe Wilson, Jongbok Yi <br> A PDF version of this dictionary is available for download at: www.uma-tibet.org

No direct match.

15 total match(es)
Hopkins Others' English 2015 The Uma Institute for Tibetan Studies Tibetan-Sanskrit-English Dictionary (Version: June 2015) <br> Jeffrey Hopkins, Editor. <br> Paul Hackett, Contributor and Technical Editor. <br> Contributors: Nathaniel Garson, William Magee, Andres Montano, John Powers, Craig Preston, Joe Wilson, Jongbok Yi <br> A PDF version of this dictionary is available for download at: www.uma-tibet.org

insight; understanding; knowledge

189 total match(es)
Hopkins Synonyms 1992 note No direct match. 0 total match(es)
Tsepak Rigdzin note [prajña]/ Wisdom. Discriminative awareness that understands what is to be cultivated and what is to be abandoned. 9 total match(es)
Richard Barron's glossary Richard Barron's glossary. <br> © Copyright 2002 by Turquoise Dragon Media Services. <br> Source: Rangjung Yeshe Tibetan-English Dharma Dictionary 3.0 (2003)

sublime knowing/ wisdom; transcendent knowledge

154 total match(es)


Tibetan-Tibetan dictionary

བོད་རྒྱ་ཚིག་མཛོད་ཆེན་མོ། Bod rgya tshig mdzod chen mo <br> 1985, Mi dmangs dpe skrun khang, Beijing.
ཤེས་རབ་
shes rab
&ལཏ༏པྲཛཉཱ༔&གཏ༏་ཡུལ་ངེས་ལྔའི་ནང་གསེས།་རང་ཡུལ་གྱི་བརྟག་བྱའི་དངོས་པོ་ལ་དམིགས་ནས་དེའི་ངོ་བོ་དང་ཁྱད་པར་དང་རང་སྤྱིའི་མཚན་ཉིད་དང་བླང་དོར་ལེགས་པར་འབྱེད་པའི་ཤེས་པ་རབ་ཀྱི་མཐར་སོན་པ་ཐེ་ཚོམ་ཟློག་པའི་བྱེད་ལས་ཅན་ནོ།་དགེ་སྐྱོན་དང་ཡིན་མིན་སོགས་དབྱེ་འབྱེད་ཐུབ་པའི་ཤེས་རབ།་ཤེས་རབ་མྱུར་བ།་ཤེས་རབ་རྣོ་བ།་ཤེས་རབ་ཟབ་པ།་ཤེས་རབ་དཱངས་གསལ་ཅན།་ཤེས་རབ་རྫོགས་རྒྱུ་མེད་པ།་ཤེས་རབ་ཞན་པ།་ཤེས་རབ་གོ་ལོག་ཤེས་རབ་རལ་གྲིས་བཅད་ན་རྨ་མི་འབྱུང།་མང་པོའི་བློ་ཡིས་དཔྱད་ན་དོན་མི་འཕྱུག་མིང་གི་རྣམ་གྲངས་ལ་ཀུན་ཏུ་རིག་ཀུན་ཏུ་ཆུབ།་ཉལ་སློང།་རྣམ་དཔྱོད།་རྣམ་རིག་བྱེད།་སྤོབས་པ།་བློ་གྲོས།་བློ་ཡི་བྱེད་པོ།་ལེགས་རྟོགས་བཅས་སོ།

Click here (or the Tibetan tab) to see more Tibetan language resources  


Tibetan-Sanskrit dictionary

Negi (Tibetan-Sanskrit) Tibetan-Sanskrit dictionary <br> J.S. Negi <br> Dictionary Unit, Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies, Sarnath (January 1993)
shes rab
  • saṃ. prajñā
  1. = blo dhīḥ — blo ni shes rab bo// dhīḥ prajñā tri.bhā.155ka/54; blo ni shes rab bo// matiḥ prajñā ta.pa.308kha/1078; blo gros ni shes rab ste/ chos rab tu rnam par 'byed pa'o// matiḥ prajñā dharmapravicayaḥ abhi.bhā.64kha/187; jñānam — shes rab shes bya rnam spangs shing/ /byed las grol na rnam par ldog// nivartate kriyāmuktā jñānajñeyavivarjitā la.a.159kha/108; thams cad kyi sgo nas brtson 'grusshes rab rnam par 'phel bar byed pa'o// sarvatomukhaṃ vīryam…jñānavivardhakaṃ ca bo.bhū.108kha/139
  2. prakṛṣṭaṃ jñānam — gzhon nu me long gdong ni dri ba zab mo zab mo dag la rang gi shes rab kyis dpyod par byed do// ādarśamukhaḥ kumāro gambhīragambhīrān praśnān svaprajñayā nitīrayati vi.va.198ka/1.71; shes rab ni yon tan dang nyes pa 'byed pa'i rnam pa yin te prajñāyāśca guṇadoṣavivekākāratvāt tri.bhā.162ka/72; gal te snying nas brtags shing shes rab kyis so sor brtags nas spros par 'gyur la sa cedāśayato vicārayitvā prajñayā pratisaṃkhyāyotsahate bo.bhū.85ka/108; chos kun rtogs pa'i ngo bo ni/ /shes rab dharmāvabodharūpā hi prajñā ta.sa.124kha/1077; de la shes rab ces bya ba ni/ chos rab tu rnam par 'byed pa'o// tatra prajñā dharmapravicayaḥ abhi.bhā.27ka/11
  3. ālokanam — de bzhin du gzugs de nyid la shes rab ces pa ni lta ba'o// tathā tasminneva bimbe prajñetyālokanam vi.pra.66ka/4.116;
  • pā. prajñā
  1. pāramitābhedaḥ — sbyin dang tshul khrims bzod brtson 'grus/ /bsam gtan dang ni shes rab thabs/ /smon lam stobs dang ye shes dang/ /'di dag pha rol phyin pa bcu// dānaṃ śīlaṃ kṣamā vīryaṃ dhyānaṃ prajñā upāyatā praṇidhānaṃ balaṃ jñānametāḥ pāramitā daśa ma.ṭī.20kha/154
  2. caitasikabhedaḥ — sems las byung ba'i chos rnams/ reg pashes rab caitasikā dharmāḥ—sparśaḥ… prajñā ma.vyu.1931 (40kha)
  3. = shes bzhin samprajñānam — gsum pa la lnga btang snyoms dang/ /dran dang shes rab bde dang gnas// tṛtīye pañca tūpekṣā smṛtiḥ prajñā sukhaṃ sthitiḥ abhi.ko.24ka/8.8; abhi.bhā.69ka/1140
  4. = dran pa nyer gzhag smṛtyupasthānam — dran pa nyer gzhag shes rab ste// prajñā hi smṛtyupasthitiḥ abhi.ko.21ka/6.68
  5. abhiṣekabhedaḥ — slob dpon gsang ba shes rab dang/ /bzhi pa de yang de bzhin no/ /dbang ni bzhi yi grangs kyis ni/ /dga' ba la sogs rim shes bya// ācārya guhya prajñā ca caturthaṃ tat punastathā ānandāḥ kramaśo jñeyāścatuḥsecanasaṃkhyayā he.ta.17ka/54
  6. yoṣidādyarthe — re zhig btsun mo shes rab yin/ /skyes bu thabs su brjod pa nyid// yoṣit tāvad bhavet prajñā upāyaḥ puruṣaḥ smṛtaḥ he.ta.9kha/28; thabs dang shes rab cho ga yis/ /de nyid rig pas rtag tu mchod// prajñopāyavidhānena pūjayet tattvavatsalaḥ he.ta.6ka/16; de'i phyir shes rab phang bar thabs ni gtso bo ma yin pa ste ataḥ prajñotsaṅge hyupāyo'nunāyakaḥ vi.pra.39ka/4.21; brkyang ma shes rab rang bzhin gyis/ /thabs kyis ro ma yang dag gnas/ /kun 'dar ma ni dbus gnas su/ /gzung dang 'dzin pa rnam par spangs// lalanā prajñāsvabhāvena rasanopāyasaṃsthitā avadhūtī madhyadeśe grāhyagrāhakavarjitā he.ta.2kha/4;

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(Related) Verb Forms

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ཤེས་རབ
prajna, knowledge * [sometimes contrasted to ye shes as intellectual knowledge vs [religious] wisdom, but sometimes = shes rab pha rol phyin and contrasted w shes yon giving a similar meaning w shes rab = wisdom] [IW]

prajna, (-, absolute, sublime) wisdom, intelligence, (-, transcendent, analytical) knowledge, (-, appreciative) discrimination, discriminating awareness, appreciative understanding, SA ye shes kyi rtsal, understand (3 kinds are thos, bsam, bsgoms), (3 kinds are gnas lnga rig pa kun rdzob, gnas lugs rig pa don dam, sems can gyi don bya tshul), 1 of 10 stobs bcu, 1 of bslab pa gsum, appreciative discernment, wisdom that discriminates, sublime knowing, insight [JV]

prajna, intelligence, knowledge, discrimination, [wisdom]. insight, shag rog roommate. shes rab chung ba those who have limited knowledge. Discrimination, as one of the five object determining mental states, superior knowledge [in most contexts] - superior intelligence, or intelligence [when referring to the 51 mental factors] - wisdom [when taken as synonymous with yeshe]. Syn ye shes; superior knowledge [in most contexts]. - superior intelligence, or intelligence [when referring to the 51 mental factors]. - wisdom [when taken as synonymous with yeshe]; Wisdom, discriminating wisdom, prajna; bden don gtan la 'bebs rang dang spyi'i mtshan nyid rnam par 'byed pa'o; discriminative awareness. recognition, intelligence, to be aware of, come to understand, to know, to grasp, master, to learn, can, be able to, to realize; discriminative awareness; Discrimination, as one of the five object determining mental states. knowledge. one of the pha drug the six paramitas. discriminative awareness. insight, intelligence. shes rab chung ba those who have limited knowledge. prajna, wisdom. Syn ye shes wisdom. superior knowledge [in most contexts]. - superior intelligence, or intelligence [when referring to the 51 mental factors] - wisdom [when taken as synonymous with yeshe]. transcendent knowledge [RY]

critical acumen [in debate] [ggd] [RY]

Prajna. Knowledge or intelligence. In particular, the 'knowledge of realizing egolessness.' [RY]

the practice of wisdom [RY]

sublime knowing/ wisdom; transcendent knowledge [RB]

discriminating knowledge [RY]

insight, knowledge [thd]

Wisdom (shes rab, ye shes): 1) the ability to discern correctly, the understanding of emptiness and 2) the primordial and non-dual knowing aspect of the nature of the mind. [MR]

Skt. prajñā. 1) discerning insight, analytical insight, deep insight, discriminating insight, critical insight; 2) full knowing, full knowledge, full understanding. Erick Tsiknopoulos

Discussion

Shes rab or prajna is one of the universal mental factors that are concurrent with all cognitions. It is characterized in the sutras as fully distinguishing dharma from non-dharma—or in other words, to discriminate what is from what is not. According to the Great Vehicle, when it is free of the three spheres of knower, knowing, and known, then it becomes transcendent prajna.

The prefix pra- in the Sanskrit word means first, full, prime, and so forth. The root jna means to know. Thus the meaning is the prime knowing, or full knowing. The Tibetan word combines the verb shes (to know) with the adjective rab (best or complete). Although Tibetan lamas and texts generally describe the word to mean the "supreme knowing," to literally translate it in that way would not make sense in many contexts, which is why I prefer the translation full knowing. The Sanskrit word prajna seems second best: English speakers do not really understand what it means. Although the usage of "full knowing" is unfamiliar, at least people can have a somewhat organic sense of the meaning.

The word prajna is often also translated as discrimination, particularly when it refers to the non-transcendent mental factors. However, it does not sound right to refer to Transcendent Discrimination, and so translators use other translations for it in that context. This use of two translations for one dharma is dangerous: according to the texts on logic, there must be a one-to-one relationship of characterististics to characterized phenomenon. Since both the mental factor prajna and transcendent prajna are characterised in the sutras as "fully distinguishing dharma from not-dharma," the same translation should be used for both, else the relation of characterised and characteristic would be confused.

The word is also sometimes translated as "knowledge," but this implies the object that is known, whereas the actual word refers to the subject that knows, which is why it should be translated as "knowing."

The transcendent full knowing is also sometimes called transcendent wisdom, or the perfection of wisdom. Wisdom, however, is often used as a translation for jnana, or ye shes, so it is preferable to use a translation for prajna that maintains the distinctions between prajna and jnana. DKC