The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (1848 page)

BOOK: The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions
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Praj
pati
(Skt., ‘Lord of creatures/creation’). A conceptual development in the late Vedic period of Hinduism drawing together the many manifested forces of nature into a single source of creation, and often, therefore, made synonymous with
Indra
and
S
vitr
. In relation to the thirty-three gods of the classical system, Praj
pati was reckoned the thirty-fourth, embracing and including the others.
Prajña
(Skt., ‘wisdom’, ‘consciousness’).
1
In Hinduism, the competence of
tman
to realize itself for what it is, and thus to abide in this state as in a dreamless sleep.
2
In Buddhism (P
li,
pañña
; Jap.,
hannya
), prajña is the third heading of the three into which the eightfold path is divided (see
A
ANGIKA-M
RGA
)—i.e. right thought and right view constitute wisdom. In Mah
y
na, prajña is the direct awareness of
nyat
(emptiness of self) in the case of all appearance. See further
PERFECTION OF WISDOM LITERATURE
;
N
G
RJUNA
.

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