Indian philosophy Indian philosophy refers to philosophical traditions of the Indian subcontinent. A traditional Hindu classification divides āstika and nāstika schools of philosophy, depending on one of three alternate criteria: whether it believes the Veda ...

and

religions Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, ...

, ' ( sa, ज्ञान}, ) is "knowledge". The idea of ''jñāna'' centers on a cognitive event which is recognized when experienced. It is knowledge inseparable from the total experience of reality, especially a total or divine reality (

Brahman In Hinduism, ''Brahman'' ( sa, ब्रह्मन्) connotes the highest universal principle, the ultimate reality in the universe.P. T. Raju (2006), ''Idealistic Thought of India'', Routledge, , page 426 and Conclusion chapter part X ...

). The root ज्ञा- '' jñā-'' is cognate to English '' know'', as well as to the Greek γνώ- (as in γνῶσις ''

gnosis Gnosis is the common Greek noun for knowledge ( γνῶσις, ''gnōsis'', f.). The term was used among various Hellenistic religions and philosophies in the Greco-Roman world. It is best known for its implication within Gnosticism, where it ...

'') and Lithuanian žinoti. Its antonym is अज्ञान ''ajñāna'' "ignorance".

In Buddhism

Tibetan Buddhism Tibetan Buddhism (also referred to as Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, Lamaism, Lamaistic Buddhism, Himalayan Buddhism, and Northern Buddhism) is the form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet and Bhutan, where it is the dominant religion. It is also in majo ...

, ''jñāna'' (Tibetan: ''ye shes'') refers to pure awareness that is free of conceptual encumbrances, and is contrasted with '' vijñana'', which is a moment of 'divided knowing'. Entrance to, and progression through the ten stages of ''jñana (''Bodhisattva bhumi''s)'', will lead one to complete enlightenment and

nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lamp Richard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colomb ...

. In

Theravada ''Theravāda'' () ( si, ථේරවාදය, my, ထေရဝါဒ, th, เถรวาท, km, ថេរវាទ, lo, ເຖຣະວາດ, pi, , ) is the most commonly accepted name of Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school ...

Buddhism there are various ''vipassana''-''ñanas'' or "insight knowledges" on the path of insight into the true nature of reality.The Progress of Insight: (Visuddhiñana-katha), by The Venerable Mahasi Sayadaw, translated from the Pali with Notes by Nyanaponika Thera (1994; 33pp./99KB) As a person meditates these ''ñanas'' or "knowledges" will be experienced in order. The experience of each may be brief or may last for years and the subjective intensity of each is variable. Each ''ñana'' could also be considered a ''jhāna'' although many are not stable and the mind has no way to remain embedded in the experience. Experiencing all the ''ñanas'' will lead to the first of the Four stages of enlightenment then the cycle will start over at a subtler level.

In Hinduism

Vedanta

Prajñānam Brahma (प्रज्ञानम् ब्रह्म), one of the

Mahāvākyas The Mahāvākyas (''sing.:'' mahāvākyam, महावाक्यम्; ''plural:'' mahāvākyāni, महावाक्यानि) are "The Great Sayings" of the Upanishads, as characterized by the Advaita school of Vedanta with mahā ...

, roughly means "Insight is Brahman" or "Brahman is Insight".

Yoga

Jñāna yoga (ज्ञान योग, Yoga of Knowledge) is one of the three main paths (मार्ग, '' margas''), which are supposed to lead towards ''

moksha ''Moksha'' (; sa, मोक्ष, '), also called ''vimoksha'', ''vimukti'' and ''mukti'', is a term in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism for various forms of emancipation, enlightenment, liberation, and release. In its soteriologic ...

'' (मोक्ष, liberation) from material miseries. The other two main paths are

Karma yoga Karma yoga ( sa, कर्म योग), also called Karma marga, is one of the four classical spiritual paths in Hinduism, one based on the " yoga of action", the others being Jnana yoga (path of knowledge), Rāja yoga (path of meditat ...

and

Bhakti Yoga Bhakti yoga ( sa, भक्ति योग), also called Bhakti marga (, literally the path of ''Bhakti''), is a spiritual path or spiritual practice within Hinduism focused on loving devotion towards any personal deity.Karen Pechelis (2014 ...

Rāja yoga In Sanskrit texts, ''Rāja yoga'' (; राजयोग) was both the goal of yoga and a method to attain it. The term also became a modern name for the practice of yoga in the 19th-century when Swami Vivekananda gave his interpretation of ...

(राजयोग, classical yoga) which includes several yogas, is also said to lead to ''moksha''. It is said that each path is meant for a different temperament of personality.

In Jainism

According to the Jain texts like

Tattvārthsūtra ''Tattvārthasūtra'', meaning "On the Nature '' ''artha">nowiki/>''artha''.html" ;"title="artha.html" ;"title="nowiki/>''artha">nowiki/>''artha''">artha.html" ;"title="nowiki/>''artha">nowiki/>''artha''of Reality 'tattva'' (also known as ...

and Sarvārthasiddhi, knowledge is of five kinds : * Mati Jñāna (Sensory Knowledge) * Śruta Jñāna (Scriptural Knowledge) * Avadhi Jñāna (Clairvoyance) * Manah prayāya Jñāna (Telepathy) * Kevala Jnana (Omniscience)

In Sikhism

''Gyan'' or ''Gian'' refers to spiritual knowledge. Learned people are often referred to as "Giani". It is mentioned throughout the

Guru Granth Sahib The Guru Granth Sahib ( pa, ਗੁਰੂ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ਸਾਹਿਬ, ) is the central holy religious scripture of Sikhism, regarded by Sikhs as the final, sovereign and Guru Maneyo Granth, eternal Guru following the lineage of the Sikh gur ...

Notes

References

Sources

* Anna Dallapiccola, ''Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend'' () * *

External links

Jnana definition and other relevant text

What Is Jnana?
(Jiva Institute) {{Buddhism topics Hindu philosophical concepts Knowledge Spiritual faculties Metaphilosophy Vedanta Yoga concepts Buddhist philosophical concepts Sanskrit words and phrases