What is Wisdom (प्रज्ञा)? Wisdom is the most important factor out of three. It is very very important to understand what wisdom is in Buddha's teaching. Wisdom has the leading role in Buddha's teaching. Wisdom has a vast meaning but mostly the knowledge that comes through personal experience is called wisdom. प्रत्यक्ष ज्ञान -प्रज्ञा‍. Wisdom (प्रज्ञा) is divided into three categories: 1. श्रुतमयी प्रज्ञा- Knowledge that is gained through listening, reading, seeing etc. 2. चिन्तनमयी प्रज्ञा- Knowledge that comes through one’s own intellectual analysis. 3. भावनामयी प्रज्ञा- Knowledge that comes through one’s own experience. श्रुतमयी प्रज्ञा is not that powerful. You know many things (useful) from books, from TV, from Movies, from your friends, teachers and relatives. You don’t give importance to them and you forget them after sometime. This type of knowledge will not be helpful to you. This is very weak knowledge. For example: You are reading my posting and you are learning about Buddhism. This knowledge is called श्रुतमयी प्रज्ञा. This is the first step of knowledge. Most of the religious fundamentalists who have learned their scriptures by heart, and most of the learned people in the world lie in this category. These are bookish people, nothing more than a machine computer. They have a lot of recorded knowledge. चिन्तनमयी प्रज्ञा is stronger. Once you hear or see or read, this time, you give importance to what you have heard, seen or read. You analyze it. You ask questions to yourself. Can this be true? Is this logical? Is this rational? If your intellect says this seems logical and rational, you accept it. This is intellectual understanding or intellectual knowledge. This is second stage of knowledge which comes through intellectual analysis. For example: You are reading my postings and analyzing it. Can this be true? Is this rational? Is this logical? With your intellectual analysis if you understand; if you get convinced, such knowledge is called चिन्तनमयी प्रज्ञा. This type of knowledge is powerful than the first one; it may be helpful to you but it will not be able to rescue you when you are in danger. Instead it is dangerous; it might help to inflate your ego and kill you from inside. This is intellectual knowledge. Most of the intellectual people in the world lie in this category. भावनामयी प्रज्ञा is the strongest knowledge. It will come to rescue you whenever you are in danger. It will always serve you as your servant. It is the knowledge that comes through your own experience. This is the final stage of the knowledge. After understanding things intellectually, you decide to experience it. You decide to test it. You decide to examine it. And whatever you learn through your own experience, will be highly powerful knowledge. नेपालीमा उखान छ – पढेर भन्दा परेर (experience) जनिन्छ। परेर जानिने ज्ञान नै - भावनामयी प्रज्ञा हो। For example: After learning Buddha’s teaching from my postings and having convinced through your intellectual analysis, if you decide to practice and convinced through your own practice. That knowledge is called - भावनामयी प्रज्ञा. श्रुतमयी प्रज्ञा is the knowledge in words चिन्तनमयी प्रज्ञा is the knowledge in intellect and भावनामयी प्रज्ञा is the knowledge in action. Knowledge always starts from श्रुत, listening, reading, watching. Wise people take it to next level चिन्तन, intellectual analysis and understanding. Wiser people take it to final level भावना, practice, experience.