Vikṣepa (Sanskrit; Tibetan phonetic: ''nampar yengwa'') 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 ...

and

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

term that is translated as "distraction", "mental wandering", etc. In the Mahayana tradition, ''vikṣepa'' is defined as the mental motion or wandering towards an object which causes the inability to remain one-pointedly on a virtuous objective.Kunsang (2004), p. 29.Guenther (1975), Kindle Locations 986-987. Vikṣepa is identified as: * One of the twenty secondary unwholesome factors within the Mahayana Abhidharma teachings * One of the attributes of Maya in

advaita ''Advaita Vedanta'' (; sa, अद्वैत वेदान्त, ) is a Hindu sādhanā, a path of spiritual discipline and experience, and the oldest extant tradition of the orthodox Hindu school Vedānta. The term ''Advaita'' (l ...

vedanta.

Adi Sankara Adi Shankara ("first Shankara," to distinguish him from other Shankaras)(8th cent. CE), also called Adi Shankaracharya ( sa, आदि शङ्कर, आदि शङ्कराचार्य, Ādi Śaṅkarācāryaḥ, lit=First Shank ...

mentions in his Viveka Choodamani (verse 113) that Vikshepa is an effect of Rajo Guna.

Definitions

Mipham Rinpoche states: :Distraction 'vikṣepa''belongs to the categories of the

three poisons The three poisons (Sanskrit: ''triviṣa''; Tibetan: ''dug gsum'') or the three unwholesome roots (Sanskrit: ''akuśala-mūla''; Pāli: ''akusala-mūla''), in Buddhism, refer to the three root kleshas: '' Moha'' (delusion, confusion), ''Raga'' ...

. It is the mental motion or wandering towards an object which causes the inability to remain one-pointedly on a virtuous objective. It can be defined as distraction towards the outer, towards the inner, and towards status. The

Abhidharma-samuccaya The Abhidharma-samuccaya (Sanskrit; ; English: "Compendium of Abhidharma") is a Buddhist text composed by Asaṅga. The ''Abhidharma-samuccaya'' is a systematic account of Abhidharma. According to J. W. de Jong it is also "one of the most import ...

states: :What is desultoriness? It is to be it scatter-brain and belongs to the categories of passion-lust (''

raga A ''raga'' or ''raag'' (; also ''raaga'' or ''ragam''; ) is a melodic framework for improvisation in Indian classical music akin to a musical mode, melodic mode. The ''rāga'' is a unique and central feature of the classical Indian music tradit ...

''), aversion-hatred (''

dvesha __NOTOC__ Dvesha (Sanskrit: द्वेष, IAST: ''dveṣa''; Pali: दोस, ''dosa''; Tibetan: ''zhe sdang'') is a Buddhist and Hindu term that is translated as "hate, aversion".;; Quote: The attainment of freedom from the three poisons of lu ...

''), and bewilderment-erring ('' moha''). Its function is to obstruct one from becoming free of passion-lust (''raga''). Alexander Berzin explains: :Mental wandering (rnam-par g.yeng-ba) is a part of longing desire (''raga''), hostility (''dvesha''), or naivety (''moha''). It is the subsidiary awareness that, due to any of the poisonous emotions, causes our mind to be distracted from its object of focus. If we are distracted due to longing desire, the object of our desire need not be something we are already familiar with, as in the case of flightiness of mind.Berzin (2006)

References

{{Reflist, 2

Sources

* Berzin, Alexander (2006)
''Primary Minds and the 51 Mental Factors''
* Guenther, Herbert V. & Leslie S. Kawamura (1975), ''Mind in Buddhist Psychology: A Translation of Ye-shes rgyal-mtshan's "The Necklace of Clear Understanding"'' Dharma Publishing. Kindle Edition. * Kunsang, Erik Pema (translator) (2004). ''Gateway to Knowledge, Vol. 1''. North Atlantic Books. * Nina van Gorkom (2010)
''Cetasikas''
Zolag

External links

Mahayana tradition:
Ranjung Yeshe wiki entry for ''rnam par g.yeng ba''
Unwholesome factors in Buddhism Sanskrit words and phrases

Definitions

See also

References

Sources

External links