Vitarka-vicāra
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In Buddhism, vitarka (वितर्क; Pali: 𑀯𑀺𑀢𑀓𑁆𑀓, romanized: vitakka; Tibetan: རྟོག་པ།, Wylie: rtog pa, THL: tokpa), "applied thought,"[2](initial) inquiry,"[3][4] and vicāra (विचार and 𑀯𑀺𑀘𑀸𑀭; Tibetan: དཔྱོད་པ།, Wylie: dpyod pa, THL: chöpa), "investigating what has been focused on by vitakka,[5] are qualities or elements of the first dhyāna or jhāna.
Translations of Vitarka | |
---|---|
English | thought[1] applied thought[2] inquiry[3] initial inquiry[4] applied attention[2] initial mental application[5] initial intellectual investigative intent[5] reflection[1] |
Sanskrit | वितर्क |
Pali | 𑀯𑀺𑀢𑀓𑁆𑀓 |
Chinese | 尋 (T) / 寻 (S) |
Japanese | 尋 (Rōmaji: jin) |
Korean | 심 (RR: sim) |
Tibetan | རྟོག་པ། (Wylie: rtog pa; THL: tokpa) |
Thai | วิตก (RTGS: witok) |
Glossary of Buddhism |
Translations of Vicāra | |
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English | examination[1] investigation[3][4] subsequent discursive reasoning and thought[5] investigating what has been focused on by vitakka[5] |
Sanskrit | vicāra, विचार |
Pali | vicāra, 𑀯𑀺𑀘𑀸𑀭 |
Chinese | 伺 (T) / 伺 (S) |
Japanese | 伺 (Rōmaji: shi) |
Korean | 사 (RR: sa) |
Tibetan | དཔྱོད་པ། (Wylie: dpyod pa; THL: chöpa) |
Thai | วิจาร (RTGS: wichan) |
Glossary of Buddhism |
In the Pali canon, Vitakka-vicāra form one expression, which refers to directing one's thought or attention on an object (vitarka) and investigating it (vicāra),[6][7][8][9][10] "breaking it down into its functional components" to understand it [and] distinguishing the multitude of conditioning factors implicated in a phenomenal event."[11]
The later Theravada commentarial tradition, as represented by Buddhaghosa's Visuddhimagga, interprets vitarka and vicāra as the initial and sustained application of attention to a meditational object, which culminates in the stilling of the mind. According to Fox and Bucknell vitarka-vicāra may also refer to "the normal process of discursive thought," which is quieted through absorption in the second jhāna.[12][13]