Toh 25The Hundred and Eight Names of the Perfection of Wisdom

Exposition: The Sutra of the One Hundred and Eight Names of Prajnaparamita

Background

This sutra belongs to the Prajnaparamita Sutra collection, the core scriptural system of Mahayana Buddhadharma, especially deeply transmitted in the Northern Tibetan tradition. Prajnaparamita (Perfect Wisdom) is a name indicating the dharmakaya of the Buddha, the capacity of cognition that is the source of bodhisattvas on the path of practice.

The sutra "The One Hundred and Eight Names of Prajnaparamita" (Prajnaparamitanamastashataka) is concise yet profoundly meaningful. It belongs to the line of catalog texts that help people gather and remember symbolic names of Perfect Wisdom. In the Northern Tibetan tradition, these names are not merely appellations, but expressions of the different qualities and functions of supreme wisdom.

Main Content

This sutra lists one hundred and eight names (nama) of Prajnaparamita. These names reflect the many-dimensional aspects of Perfect Wisdom:

Some names directly indicate its transcendent qualities: "the signless," "the inconceivable," "the incomparable"; these descriptions show that Prajnaparamita goes beyond the categories of ordinary thought. Other names emphasize the power of liberation: "that which leads to liberation," "that which ends suffering," "the true sign." Another group describes its sovereign nature: "the unbound," "the unobstructed," "the independent," indicating that Perfect Wisdom is completely liberated from dependence.

Names such as "Mother of all bodhisattvas" and "Mother of all Buddhas" emphasize the generative role of Prajnaparamita in the attainment of bodhi. Other names point the way: "the unstained," "the clear," "the luminous"; they describe its pure and lucid nature.