ABSTRACT
The recurrent issue in this study has been the question of how, and why, an abstruse, recondite, and frequently very slippery philosophical concept, prajna, is visually represented. I have argued that through the use of what I have called resonant iconography, Buddhists during the Pala period represented, and made available, prajna. That is, Buddhists during this period employed a variety of biographical episodes, hand gestures, and symbols - all of which have a range of possible associations - not only to convey the importance of prajna, but also to give the participants in such images the opportunity to partake of the Buddha's wisdom. So, for instance, Pala-period silpins focused on the enlightenment and first sermon of Sakyamuni as moments when prajna was paramount; they focused on mudras that, likewise, in the context of these scenes signify prajna; and they also employed a variety of symbols, such as the dharmacakra and the pustaka, to represent prajna.
