Abhijñā (Sanskrit: अभिज्ञा; Pali pronunciation: abhiññā; Standard Tibetan: མངོན་ཤེས mngon shes ་; Chinese: 六通/(六)神通) 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, are 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)