Phala is a
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the la ...
term that means “fruit” of one's actions in
Hinduism and
Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...
. In Buddhism, the following types of ''phala'' are identified:
* ''Ariya-phala'' also refers to the fruition of following the Buddhist path.
* ''Maha-phala'' refers the ''great fruits'' of the contemplative life.
Within Hinduism
In Hinduism, the term ''phala'' is translated as fruition, results, effects.
[Yoga Sutras 2.35-2.45]
/ref>
The Yoga-Sûtra of Patañjali (verse 2.36) states:[
: As truthfulness (satya) is achieved, the fruits of actions naturally result according to the will of the Yogi. (satya pratisthayam kriya phala ashrayatvam)
]
Within Buddhism
Within Buddhism, the term ''phala'' is used to refer to the fruition or results of actions according to the doctrine of karmic action and result.
Alternate translations
The term ''phala'' is translated as:
* fruit (Harvey, 1990, p. 39; Keown, 2000, loc 810-813)
* fruition
* effect (Ven. D. Mahinda Thera)
Ariya-phala
The term ''Ariya phala'' is used to refer specifically to the fruition of following the Buddhist path. The fruition for each of the four levels of the path is identified as follows:A Glossary of Pali and Buddhist Terms
/ref>
# ''Sota patti phala'', fruition of stream entry
# ''Sakadagamiphala'', fruition of once returning
# ''Anagami phala'', fruition of non returning
# ''Arahatta phala'', fruition of the worthy one or perfected one
Maha-phala
The term ''Maha-phala'' refers to the ten "Great fruits" of the contemplative life. According to the ''Samaññaphala Sutta'', the 10 “Great fruits” (DN 2) are:
/ref>
# Equanimity (upekkha)
# Fearlessness (nibbhaya)
# Freedom from unhappiness & suffering (Asukhacaadukkha)
# Meditative Absorption (jhana
In the oldest texts of Buddhism, ''dhyāna'' () or ''jhāna'' () is a component of the training of the mind ('' bhavana''), commonly translated as meditation, to withdraw the mind from the automatic responses to sense-impressions, "burn up" th ...
/samādhi
''Samadhi'' (Pali and sa, समाधि), in Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism and yogic schools, is a state of meditative consciousness. In Buddhism, it is the last of the eight elements of the Noble Eightfold Path. In the Ashtanga Yog ...
)
# Out-of-body experience
An out-of-body experience (OBE or sometimes OOBE) is a phenomenon in which a person perceives the world from a location outside their physical body. An OBE is a form of autoscopy (literally "seeing self"), although this term is more commonly us ...
(Manomaya)
# Clairaudience (dibba-sota)
# Intuition and mental telepathy (ceto-pariya-ñána)
# Recollection of past lives (Patisandhi)
# Clairvoyance
Clairvoyance (; ) is the magical ability to gain information about an object, person, location, or physical event through extrasensory perception. Any person who is claimed to have such ability is said to be a clairvoyant () ("one who sees cl ...
(dibba-cakkhu)
# End of anxiety & mental agitation ( nirvāna)
Comparison to Christianity
The fruit (phala) of Buddhism and Hinduism are comparable the charism
A spiritual gift or charism (plural: charisms or charismata; in Greek singular: χάρισμα
''charisma'', plural: χαρίσματα ''charismata'') is an extraordinary power given by the Holy Spirit."Spiritual gifts". ''A Dictionary of the ...
s of Charismatic Christianity
Charismatic Christianity (also known as Spirit-filled Christianity by its supporters) is a form of Christianity that emphasizes the work of the Holy Spirit, spiritual gifts, and modern-day miracles as an everyday part of a believer's life. Practi ...
which are known as the "sign-gifts” of the Holy Spirit
In Judaism, the Holy Spirit is the divine force, quality, and influence of God over the Universe or over his creatures. In Nicene Christianity, the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost is the third person of the Trinity. In Islam, the Holy Spirit acts as ...
, which are the charisms of prophesy, healing, and speaking in tongues
Speaking in tongues, also known as glossolalia, is a practice in which people utter words or speech-like sounds, often thought by believers to be languages unknown to the speaker. One definition used by linguists is the fluid vocalizing of sp ...
, as described in St Paul
Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...
's Epistle, 1 Corinthians
The First Epistle to the Corinthians ( grc, Α΄ ᾽Επιστολὴ πρὸς Κορινθίους) is one of the Pauline epistles, part of the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The epistle is attributed to Paul the Apostle and a co-autho ...
, Chapters 12 and 14 and elsewhere.
References
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{{Buddhism topics
Hindu philosophical concepts
Buddhist philosophical concepts
Karma in Buddhism