TURKU, Finland --
Prajna Paramita is Sanskrit for "reaching the shore of wisdom." The ancient text states, "Matters are formless, neither created nor destroyed, neither impure nor pure, neither increasing nor decreasing." Which I find somewhat analogous to to the
First Law of Thermodynamics: energy is convertible into other forms, but is neither created nor destroyed, its totality stays conserved and constant. Note that
matter and
energy are different in classical physics, but are equivalent in view of Einstein's
Special Theory of Relativity. Also note that unlike the Theravadin canon, Mahayana treatises are less literal and more open to interpretations. I understand
dharma in this context as "the core of matters" or "the essence of entities." Other translations of
dharma include entity, element, form, phenomenon, character, constituent factor, etc. It is not to be confused with Dharma ("the Teaching", "the Way", "the Truth",
"the Life"). For Hindus, Dharma means "the Law."
