Buddhism emphasizes the teaching of wisdom. Wisdom is the ability to distinguish between right and wrong, or good and evil. With wisdom, suf-fering can be extinguished, and finally enlighten-ment gained to become a Buddha. Without wis-dom, no matter how much merit one has, he still cannot attain ultimate liberation. Therefore, when we learn the teachings of Buddha, not only is it important for us to accumulate merit, the attain-ment of wisdom is even more important.

The nature of wisdom as mentioned in Bud-dhism differs from that mentioned in the con-ventional world. The latter means intellectual wisdom, which may sometimes turn human being thoughts into something evil, while the wisdom in Buddhism means prajna{1}.i It is the truth that applies universally to all dharmas. It is like a torch of wisdom that guides us towards the path of righteousness. In order to attain this kind of wis-dom, one must learn and practice the teachings of the Dharma in sequence, and progress from the introductory to the advanced level. There are different ways to attain prajna wisdom, one is wisdom gained by listening to exposition of the Dharma. It is called srutamayi prajna{2}. The second way is by contemplating the truth. It is called cintamayi prajna{3}. The third is by culti-vation. It is called bhavanamayi prajna{4}.

1.Wisdom gained by listening to exposition of the Dharma

This kind of wisdom is attained from the Trip-itaka and Twelve Canons{5} or virtuous friends{6}. In other words, through listening to the Dharma or reading the sutra, the meanings of the texts guides the reader into the state of enlighten-ment and inspires in-depth understanding and faith in the Dharma, thereby attaining untainted wisdom. Since this wisdom is attained through the act of listening, it is called wisdom gained by listening to exposition of Dharma, or srutamayi prajna.


【Key Words】

{1}般若 prajna
{2}聞慧 srutamayi prajna
{3}思慧 cintamayi prajna
{4}修慧 bhavanamayi prajna
{5}十二分教 Twelve Canons
{6}善知識 virtuous friends