[Buddha-l] A vocabulary question for Stephen and Lance (or anyone else)

[Richard Hayes]

On Monday November 6 2006 09:58, Stephen Hodge wrote: 

> Visuddhimati wrote:
> > It might be interesting to explore what the word is that has been
> > translated as wisdom.
>
> Praj~naa -- which is not "wisdom".

Stephen,how do you usually translate praj~naa? I have seen it glossed as 
ni"scaya, which I have no idea how best to translate. It sometimes seems to 
be the case that ni"scaya is something like strong conviction, but at other 
times it seems to connote ascertainment. 

I take it that one can have a strong conviction that P but P be false. But if 
one ascertains that P, then P must be true. (I gather that "ascertain" 
carries the same implications as "know". That is,one cannot be said to know 
something that is in fact false.) So which is ni"scaya (and therefore 
praj~naa)? Does anyone here have any knowledge (or strong convictions) about 
how these terms are used by Indian Buddhists?


-- 
Richard Hayes
Department of Philosophy
University of New Mexico