jñāna
(Sanskrit; Pāli, ñāṇa). General term meaning knowledge, particularly in the context of the understanding of doctrines. In terms of Buddhist epistemology, tradition (anuśrava) is not by itself a valid form of knowledge, nor are sense-perception or reason reliable means of knowledge until the distorting influence of unwholesome mental factors such as the three roots of evil (akuśala-mūla) have been eliminated. Once this has been achieved, one who reflects with right attention (yoniśo manasikāra) will perceive with the proper mode of cognitive awareness and see things ‘as they really are’ (yathābhūta). In later Mahāyāna sources jñāna comes to mean ‘non-conceptualizing’ or ‘non-dual’ awareness, and is sometimes used synonymously for enlightenment (bodhi) itself. Based on the Buddhabhūmi Sūtra and Yogācāra doctrines, the basic Buddha awareness of enlightenment is subdivided according to the function into the five awarenesses (pañca-jñāna).
