Public Dharma glossary
Prajñāpāramitā
Pronunciation: PRUJ-nyaa PAA-ruh-mee-taa
Canonical definition: The perfection of wisdom literature and practice associated with insight into emptiness.
Morphological structure
prajñā (wisdom) + pāramitā (perfection or gone beyond).
Canonical usage
The perfection of wisdom literature and practice associated with insight into emptiness.
Common misunderstanding
It is not intellectual cleverness or detachment from compassion.
Practical significance
Wisdom sees dependent emptiness and supports fearless bodhisattva activity.
Source anchor
Heart Sūtra and Prajñāpāramitā corpus
Continue with established sources
Further reading
Open complete translations and specialist reference material for deeper study.
- The Heart Sūtra · Toh 21
84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha · 84000 translation teamRead a sourced translation and introduction situated in the Tibetan canonical collection.