Panna
In Pali, paññā, often translated as “wisdom,” is derived from the verbal root ñā, meaning “to know,” preceded by the prefix pa, which merely gives the root meaning a more dynamic nuance. So paññā means knowing or understanding, not as a possession, but as an action: the act of knowing, the act of understanding, the act of discerning.
The Nikayas take paññā not only as a point of doctrine but as a rich theme for imagery. One text speak of paññā respectively as a light and a knife. It is the supreme light because it illuminates the true nature of things (The three characteristics) and dispels the darkness of ignorance. It is a knife—a sharp butcher’s knife—because it cuts through the tangled mass of the defilements and thereby opens the way to liberation.
References
- Bodhi, Bhikkhu. (2005). In the Buddha’s Words An Anthology of Discourses From the Pali Canon Chapter IX. SHINING THE LIGHT OF WISDOM (Location 5200). Somerville, MA: Wisdom Publications.
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