Śrutamayīprajñā

śrutamayīprajñā (P. sutamayāpaññā; thos pa las byung ba'i shes rab, ཐོས་པ་ལས་བྱུང་བའི་ཤེས་རབ་; wenhui; J. mon'e; K. munhye 聞慧). The first type of wisdom (prajna) developed within the threefold training of learning, reflection and meditation; the other two types are the wisdom of contemplation (cintāmayīprajñā) and the wisdom of meditation (bhāvanāmayīprajñā).

The term śrutamayīprajñā is translated variously as:

• "wisdom generated through learning (listening and studying)"
• "knowledge resulting from learning/listening/studying"
• "the wisdom of listening/hearing"
• "the wisdom of studying"

It refers to the wisdom (prajna) that is developed through listening to dharma teachings or studying dharma texts (śruta). This is the first stage in the development of wisdom; it is followed by the stages of reflection and meditation.

Dzogchen Ponlop states:

In the Buddhist path, we accumulate knowledge in three ways: through study, contemplation, and meditation. First, we gain intellectual knowledge, then we personalize it through reflecting on it, and then we go beyond that to a whole new state of knowing—one that’s free from reliance on reference points. That’s the nature of our journey.

Contemporary writer Andy Karr identifies five things to avoid when engaged in listening or studying:

1. "Don't listen or study like a politician," meaning don't cling to your own point of view. Here Karr is referring to not avoiding or rejecting teachings that offend your ego. Or as Karr puts it, don't use the teachings for "self-confirmation."
2. "Don't listen or study like a movie critic," meaning don't focus on the style of the teaching, but focus on the meaning of what they are saying.
3. "Don't listen or study like a consumer." Karr describes this problem as "picking and choosing among teachings and teachers [in the same way as] you would choose detergent at a supermarket."
4. "Don't listen or study like an orphan," meaning don't feel that you are unworthy, or that you will never be able to understand the teachings.
5. "Don't listen like a dharma groupie," meaning don't just be infatuated with the teacher and forget about the message.

Sources

• Buswell, Robert E.; Lopez, Donald S. (2014), The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism, Princeton University 
• Dzogchen Ponlop (2010), Rebel Buddha: A Guide to a Revolution of Mind, Shambhala 
• Karr, Andy (2007), Contemplating Reality, Shambhala Publications 

External links

• thos_pa_las_byung_ba'i_shes_rab, Rangjung Yeshe Wiki
• Three wisdom tools, Rigpa Shedra Wiki