Abhijna

thumb|right|Gautama Buddha depicted in Greco-Buddhist style, demonstrating control over the fire and water elements. 3rd century CE, [[Gandhara (modern eastern Afghanistan).]]

Abhijñā (; Pali pronunciation: abhiññā; mngon shes; ; ) is a Buddhist term generally translated as "direct knowledge", "higher knowledge" or "supernormal knowledge." In Buddhism, such special knowledge is obtained through virtuous living and meditation. The attainment of the four jhanas, or meditative absorptions, is considered a prerequisite for their attainment. In terms of specifically enumerated knowledges, these include mundane extra-sensory abilities (such as seeing past lives and various supranormal powers like levitation) as well as the supramundane, meaning the extinction of all mental intoxicants (āsava).