Nirvikalpa-jñāna

nirvikalpa-jñāna (T. rnam par mi rtog pa'i ye she རྣམ་པར་མི་རྟོག་པའི་ཡེ་ཤེས; C. wu fenbie zhi) refers to non-conceptual wisdom or direct knowing. The term describes a key concept in the Yogacara school.

Dan Lusthaus writes:

Yogācārins describe enlightenment as resulting from Overturning the Cognitive Basis (āśraya-parāvṛtti), i.e., overturning the conceptual projections and imaginings which act as the base of our cognitive actions. This overturning transforms the basic mode of cognition from consciousness (vi-jñāna, dis-cernment) into jñāna (direct knowing). The vi- prefix is equivalent to dis- in English - dis-criminate, dis-tinguish, dis-engage, dis-connect - meaning to bifurcate or separate from. Direct knowing was defined as non-conceptual (nirvikalpa-jñāna), i.e., devoid of interpretive overlay.

Alternate translations

Alternate translations for this term are:

• direct knowing (Lusthaus)
• non-conceptual wisdom [RY]
• wisdom of non- thought [stong nyid mngon sum du rtogs pa'i ye shes] [IW]
• non-discursive knowledge [RY]
• non-conceptual wakefulness [RY]

Further reading

• Buswell, Robert E.; Lopez, Donald S. (2014), The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism, Princeton University 
• D’amato, Three Natures, Three Stages: An Interpretation of the Yogācāra Trisvabhāva-Theory.
• King, Richard (1998). "Vijnaptimatrata and the Abhidharma context of early Yogacara". Asian Philosophy. 8 (1): 5–18. 
• rnam_par_mi_rtog_pa'i_ye_shes, Rangjung Yeshe Wiki