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citta
citta (Skt.; Pāli). Mind; in early Buddhism and present-day Theravāda, citta is regarded as virtually synonymous with vijñāna (consciousness) and manas (intellect) but in later schools of Buddhism it is distinguished from those two. It is defined as the cognitive ground underlying the dynamic system of psychological operations (caitta). According to many schools, the mind in its natural state is intrinsically luminous (citta-prakṛti-prabhāsvara), free from all attachments and conceptualizing, and thus is empty in nature (śūnya). In this latter sense, some Mahāyāna and tantric authorities understand citta as equivalent to bodhicitta, and hold that when the natural state of mind is obscured by the false split into a perceiving subject and perceived objects, the everyday mind, which is a fragmentation of its natural state, arises.
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DAMIEN KEOWN. "citta." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 12 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. DAMIEN KEOWN. "citta." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (February 12, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O108-citta.html DAMIEN KEOWN. "citta." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Retrieved February 12, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O108-citta.html |
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Citta
Citta (Skt., ‘that which has been seen’, i.e. belonging to consciousness, cf. CIT). In Hinduism, the reflective and thus conscious mind; in Buddhism, an equivalent to manas (reflective mind) and vijñāna (continuing consciousness). It belongs to all beings above the level of plant life. The nature of citta received particular analysis and emphasis in Vijñanavāda (also known as Yogacāra)—so much so that the school is also known as Cittamātra, Mind only.
In Abhidhamma, the analysis differentiates 121 types of citta, each of which may be combined with any one of fifty-two cetasikas (the accompanying qualities of experience), thus producing the extremely large variety of mental events. |
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JOHN BOWKER. "Citta." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 12 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN BOWKER. "Citta." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (February 12, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Citta.html JOHN BOWKER. "Citta." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved February 12, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Citta.html |
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