Manoviṣaya
| Six sense objects |
|---|
| Five sense objects |
| Sixth sense object |
manoviṣaya (T. yid kyi yul; ཡིད་ཀྱི་ཡུལ་) refers to "whatever is exclusively an object for the mind itself and does not depend on sense fields."[1] This term is translated as "mental objects," "mental field," etc.[2]
The manoviṣaya are identified as one of the six sense objects. The manoviṣaya are distinguished from the first five of the six sense objects, in that the first five sense objects belong to rupa-skandha (the aggregate of form), and the manoviṣaya include mental objects such as mental states, thoughts, memories, etc.
The manoviṣaya are also identified as:
- one of the twelve ayatanas
- one of the eighteen dhatus
- a sub-category of objects of cognition (viṣaya)
Mental objects (manoviṣaya) are often referred to as "dharma" in Buddhist texts. For example, Vasubandhu identified the term manoviṣaya as one of the ten referents for the term "dharma".[3]
Mental objects (manoviṣaya) are also referred to as dharma-dhatu in the Abhidharma tradition.
Types of manoviṣaya (mental objects)
According to the Abhidharma-kosa
The Abhidharma-kosa identifies seven types of manoviṣaya (mental objects):[4]
| Type of mental object (manoviṣaya) | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| sensation (vedanā) | Mental states | Conditioned things |
| perception (saṃjñā) | ||
| formation (saṃskāra ) | ||
| imperceptible form (avijñaptirūpa) | one aspect of the aggregate of form | |
| analytical cessation (pratisaṃkhyānirodha) | types of cessation | Unconditioned things |
| non-analytical cessation (apratisaṃkhyānirodha) | ||
| space (ākāśa) | space | |
According to the Abhidharma-samuccaya
The Abhidharma-samuccaya identifies sixteen types of manoviṣaya (mental objects):[4]
| Type of mental object (manoviṣaya) | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| sensation (vedanā) | mental states | Conditioned things |
| perception (saṃjñā) | ||
| formation (saṃskāra ) | ||
| imperceptible form (avijñaptirūpa) | types of form that are mental objects | |
| Deduced forms | ||
| Spatial forms | ||
| Imagined forms | ||
| Mastered forms | ||
| suchness of virtue | types of suchness | Unconditioned things |
| suchness of non-virtue | ||
| suchness of the neutral | ||
| serentity of non-perception (asaṃjñāsamāpatti) | types of serenity | |
| serenity of cessation (nirodhasāmapatti) | ||
| cessation due to discrimination (pratisaṃkhyānirodha) | types of cessation | |
| cessation not due to discrimination analytical cessation (apratisaṃkhyānirodha) | ||
| space (ākāśa) | space | |
Notes
- ↑ Goodman 2020, Chapter 1.
- ↑
yid_kyi_yul, Rangjung Yeshe Wiki
- ↑ Goodman 2020, s.v. Dharma as Referents: Ten Referents by Vasubandhu.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Mipham Rinpoche 2004, s.v. Chapter 2: The Elements.
Sources
Goodman, Steven D. (2020), The Buddhist Psychology of Awakening: An In-Depth Guide to the Abhidharma (Apple Books ed.), Shambhala Publications- Mipham Rinpoche (2004), Gateway to Knowledge, vol. I, translated by Kunsang, Erik Pema, Rangjung Yeshe Publications
External links
- yid_kyi_yul, Rangjung Yeshe Wiki
Ten meanings of Dharma, Rigpa Shedra Wiki