Encyclopedia.com > Dictionaries, Thesauruses, Pictures, and Press Releases > The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions > January 1997

Vipassanā

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions | 1997 | 700+ words | Copyright

Vipassanā (Pāli), vipaśyanā (Skt., ‘see clearly’, ‘penetrate an object thoroughly’). Insight into the truths of impermanence (anicca), suffering (dukkha), and no-self (anātman); the form of meditation which has the personal apprehension of these specific truths of Buddhism as its object. Together with tranquillity (samatha) it represents the twofold dimension to Buddhist meditational practice. But it is superior to the latter because it is concerned with that aspect of meditation which is distinctively Buddhist, and because it alone produces the form of understanding, prajña, through which liberation takes place. It is the central focus of meditational training in Theravāda Buddhist centres.

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

JOHN BOWKER. "Vipassanā." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JOHN BOWKER. "Vipassanā." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Vipassan.html

JOHN BOWKER. "Vipassanā." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Vipassan.html

Learn more about citation styles

Find thousands of answers for hundreds of subjects at Answers Encyclopedia .

All answers verified by trusted sources at Encyclopedia.com

Try Answers Encyclopedia now!

For students and teachers!

Encyclopedia.com provides students and teachers facts, information, and biographies from verified, citable sources, including:

Encyclopedia.com provides students and teachers facts, information, and biographies from verified, citable sources, including: