Jīvitindriya
Jīvitindriya (Sanskrit and Pali) is translated as "life faculty" or "vitality". Jīvitindriya is identified as one of the seven universal mental factors within the Pali Abhidharma tradition. In this context, jīvitindriya is defined as a mental factor that sustains the life of the citta (mind) and other mental factors it accompanies. The characteristic of jīvitindriya is said to be “ceaseless watching”.[1]
Definition
Pali tradtion
Bhikkhu Bodhi states:
- There are two kinds of life faculty, the mental, which vitalizes the associated mental states, and the physical, which vitalizes material phenomena. The mental life faculty alone is intended as a cetasika. It has the characteristic of maintaining the associated mental states, the function of making them occur, manifestation as the establishing of their presence, and its proximate cause is the mental states to be maintained. [2]
Nina von Gorkom states:
- As regards jivitindriya (jivitam means "life", and indriya means "controlling faculty"), this cetasika sustains the life of the citta and cetasikas it accompanies. According to the Atthasalini (part IV, Chapter I, 123, 124) (2 See also Dhammasangani19.) the characteristic of jivitindriya is "ceaseless watching", its function is to maintain the life of the accompanying dhammas, its manifestation the establishment of them, and the proximate cause are the dhamas which have to be sustained.[1]
Sanskrit tradition
Within the Sanskrit Mahayana Buddhist teachings, there are a variety of definitions for jīvitindriya. The Dharmaskandhapadashastra (an early Abhidharma work of the Savastivadin school) defines jīvitindriya as: a faculty that persists, continues, maintains, animates, and operates what we called sentient beings.[3]
Etymology
Jīvitaṃ means “life”, and indriya means “controlling faculty”.
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Gorkom (2010), Vitality (jivitindriya) and Attention (manasikara)
- ↑ Bhikkhu Bodhi 2012, Kindle Locations 2222-2224.
- ↑ Soonil Hwang (2006), p. 80
Sources
- Bhikkhu Bodhi (2012), A Comprehensive Manual of Abhidhamma: The Abhidhammattha Sangaha (Vipassana Meditation and the Buddha's Teachings), Independent Publishers Group Kindle Edition
- Nina van Gorkom (2010),
Cetasikas by Nina van Gorkom
- Soonil Hwang (2006), Metaphor and Literalism in Buddhism: The Doctrinal History of Nirvana, Routledge
External links
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