Robin Beck: Buddhist Words that Mean Mind

March 31, 2006

Buddhist Words that Mean Mind

Mind & Consciousnesses
Five Skandhas
Eight or Nine Consciousnesses
Ki to Revitalization

There are many different Buddhist terms for mind. I was told that some of these terms seem to have had distinctive meaning in the earlier strata of the Pali Canon ; then tend to become synonyms later on.

Mana, Mano, Manas {Sino-Japanese mana -- a transliteration.}: These all seem to denote the brain and mind. While manas & mano are really grammatical shifts, they are sometimes used to denote the 6th & 7th vijnanas respectively; while mana means the brain itself?

Vinnana/Vijnana {Sino-Japanese shiki}: Translated as Consciousness, seems to denote the mental processes of discriminating and generalizing, discernment, if you will. I think it properly applies to the first six consciousnessness and at least part of the 7th.

Citta {Sino-Japanese Xin/Shin} : Translated as mind, heart, & soul. I equate it with Alaya {conditioned citta} and Amala {unconditioned citta}.

Cittuppada: literally, means genesis of citta.

Alaya: The Warehouse or Storehouse mind. Sanskrit: alayavijnana, Tibetan: kun gzhi rnam shes; Japanese: araya-shiki; the eighth and the most fundamental of the eight consciousnesses established in the doctrine of the Yogacara school of Buddhism.Store consciousness accumulates all potential energy for the mental and physical manifestation of one's existence, and supplies the substance to all existences. It also receives impressions from all functions of the other consciousnesses and retains them as potential energy for their further manifestations and activities. Since it serves as the basis for the production of the other seven consciousness (called the "evolving" or "transforming" consciousnesses), it is also known as the base consciousness (mūla-vijnana) or causal consciousness. Since it serves as the container for all experiential impressions (termed metaphorically as bija or "seeds") it is also called the seed consciousness or container consciousness. -- Wikipedia.org

Amala: Immaculate or Purified Alaya acquired by the Tathagata through merit. In some schemes, a separate pure consciousnesses that is always there, but is obscured by fundamental delusion at the core of alaya.

Ceta: Volition, will, impulse(?), intention (?). This appears to be an aspect of citta associated with sankhara/samskara.

Cetasika: Translated as mental things, mental factors, mental concomitants. There are 52 of these puppies.

Vedana: One of the Five Aggregates (khandhas /skandas). Raw sensation. Translated poorly as feelings. The response to contact between the Six Faculties {shad-indriya} and form/color, sound, odor, flavor, texture, events/patterns.

Sanna/samjna: As one of the Five Aggregates (khandhas /skandas). Perception & recognition of form/color, sound, odor, flavor, texture, events/patterns. Eidolon; an unsubstantial image. Also, in Jainism, instincts or appetite.

Sankhara/samskara: Formation. As one of the Five Aggregates (khandhas /skandas); impulses, intentions, mental formation, mental states, emotions, volition, fabrications. As the 2nd link {out of 12} of dependent origination; karma formations, compositional action.

Sankappa: Intention, motive.

Sati/Smtri {Sino-Japanese Nen}: Attention, mindfulness, mind, thought-moment, determination.

Nama: Name, as in Name & Form {nama-rupa}.