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oṃ āḥ dhīḥ hūṃ svāhā ||1||
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oṃ namo bhagavatyai ārya-prajñāpāramitāyai ||2||
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Prajñāpāramitā (般若波罗蜜多) is a goddess of Wisdom. She is closely associated with the Perfection of Wisdom tradition, and indeed her name is usually translated as "Perfection of Wisdom". The Perfection of Wisdom tradition is one of the two great philosophical traditions of Mahāyana Buddhism. It is closely associated with Nagārjuna who is said to have retrieved the texts from the Nagas. Prajñāpāramitā is the personification of the prajñā. Vessantara calls her "the book that became a goddess", and the tradition itself refers to her as the "Mother of all the Buddhas".
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There are several forms of Prajñāpāramitā although she is always portrayed as a mature woman, with full breasts. In this four armed form her two main arms are held in the meditation mudra. The upper right arm is lightly holding a vajra, while the upper left arm holds the Aṣṭasahaśrika Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra (般若经) - the Perfection of Wisdom in 8000 lines.
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Because of interest in the Heart Sūtra mantra, which is also known as the "Prajñāpāramitā mantra", above mantras are often overlooked. People are often surprised to discover that Prajñāpāramitā has her own mantra.
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The text mentioned above, the Aṣṭasahaśrika Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra (般若经), along with its verse summary the Ratnaguṇasaṁcayagāthā, is the earliest of the Perfection of Wisdom text. It was first translated into Chinese in 179 CE, which puts it amongst the the first Buddhist texts to be translated in China. The Aṣṭasahaśrika is the archetypal Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra.
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