Pāguññatā (Pali) is a
Buddhist
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
term translated as "proficiency", and it is the basis for the following pair of
mental factors
Mental factors ( sa, चैतसिक, caitasika or ''chitta samskara'' ; pi, cetasika; Tibetan: སེམས་བྱུང ''sems byung''), in Buddhism, are identified within the teachings of the Abhidhamma (Buddhist psychology). They are d ...
within the Theravada Abhidharma teachings:
* ''Kāya-pāguññatā'' - proficiency of mental body (or proficiency of cetisakas)
* ''Citta-pāguññatā'' - proficiency of consciousness (or proficiency of citta)
These two mental factors have the characteristic of healthiness of the mental body and consciousness, respectively.
Definition
Bhikkhu Bodhi states:
:The twofold proficiency has the characteristic of healthiness of the mental body and consciousness, respectively. Its function is to crush unhealthiness of the mental body and consciousness. It is manifested as absence of disability. Its proximate cause is the mental body and consciousness. It should be regarded as opposed to lack of faith, etc., which cause unhealthiness of the mental body and consciousness.
Nina van Gorkom explains:
:According to the ''Dhammasangani'' (par 48, 49) this pair of cetasikas consists in fitness, competence and efficiency. ''Pāguññatā'' is fitness, competence or efficiency in the performance of kusala.
:The ''
Atthasālinī
Atthasālinī (Pali) is a Buddhist text composed by Buddhaghosa in the Theravada Abhidharma tradition. The title has been translated as "The Expositor"van Gorkom (2009)Preface or "Providing the Meaning". In the ''Atthasālinī'', Buddhaghosa expla ...
'' (I, Book I, Part IV, Chapter I, 131) explains that proficiency of cetasikas and of citta suppress mental illness and that they are the opponents of the corruptions, such as diffidence, which cause mental illness.
:When the citta is akusala citta, there is diffidence, lack of confidence in kusala and then there is mental sickness. Mental proficiency assists the kusala citta and then citta and cetasikas are healthy and skilful so that they can perform their functions in the most efficient way.
See also
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Mental factors (Buddhism)
*
Samadhi (Buddhism)
References
Sources
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{{Buddhism topics
Buddhist meditation
Wholesome factors in Buddhism
Pali words and phrases