Prajñpramit

Prajñāpāramitā, often transliterated Prajñāparamita, meaning "perfection of wisdom," is a central theme and body of Mahayana Buddhist literature. It presents the realization of śūnyatā, or emptiness, as the basis of deep insight into the nature of all phenomena and the attainment of wisdom that frees beings from suffering. The Prajñāpāramitā sutras are not a single text but a corpus of scriptures composed in ancient Indian Buddhist schools and later translated into Chinese, Tibetan, and other languages.

In the Mahayana framework, the perfection of wisdom is cultivated by practicing the six paramitas: generosity, ethics, patience, diligence, meditative concentration, and wisdom. The literature emphasizes the emptiness of all dharmas, the non-duality of samsara and nirvana, and the bodhisattva path of awakening for the benefit of all beings, often describing skillful means (upāya) as essential to guiding others without clinging to conventional truths.

Notable texts include the long Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra (The Perfection of Wisdom in 8,000 Lines), the widely studied Heart Sutra (Prajñāpāramitā Hṛdaya), and the Diamond Sutra (Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra). There are numerous other versions ranging from concise sutras to extended discourses, dated roughly from the 1st century BCE to the 2nd century CE.

Historically, the Prajñāpāramitā literature is associated with the Indian Madhyamaka tradition and scholars such as Nagarjuna. It exerted a major influence on East Asian Buddhism (Chinese and Japanese schools) and Tibetan thought, shaping doctrines on emptiness, epistemology, and the bodhisattva path.