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 ...

, ''dhamma vicaya'' (

Pali Pali () is a Middle Indo-Aryan liturgical language native to the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pāli Canon'' or '' Tipiṭaka'' as well as the sacred language of '' Theravāda'' Buddh ...

; sa, dharma-) has been variously translated as the "analysis of qualities," "discrimination of ''

dhamma Dharma (; sa, धर्म, dharma, ; pi, dhamma, italic=yes) is a key concept with multiple meanings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and others. Although there is no direct single-word translation for ' ...

s''," "discrimination of states," "investigation of doctrine," and "searching the Truth." The meaning is ambivalent; it implies the investigation of the Buddhist teachings (''dhamma''), but also the application of

discernment Discernment is the ability to obtain sharp perceptions or to judge well (or the activity of so doing). In the case of judgement, discernment can be psychological, moral or aesthetic in nature. Discernment has also been defined in the contexts; sc ...

to body-mind phenomena in order to apply

right effort The Noble Eightfold Path (Pali: ; Sanskrit: ) is an early summary of the path of Buddhist practices leading to Moksha, liberation from samsara, the painful cycle of Rebirth (Buddhism), rebirth, in the form of nirvana. The Eightfold Path cons ...

, giving way to entry into the first ''

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" t ...

''.

Etymology

According to Rupert Gethin, "''Dhamma-vicaya'' means either the 'discrimination of ''dhammas''' or the 'discernment of ''dhamma'''; to discriminate ''dhammas'' is precisely to discern ''dhamma''."

Textual appearances

Seven factors of Awakening

In the

Pali canon The Pāli Canon is the standard collection of scriptures in the Theravada Buddhist tradition, as preserved in the Pāli language. It is the most complete extant early Buddhist canon. It derives mainly from the Tamrashatiya school. During ...

's Sutta Pitaka, this is the second of the

Seven Factors of Awakening In Buddhism, the Seven Factors of Awakening (Pali: ''satta bojjhagā'' or ''satta sambojjhagā''; Skt.: ''sapta bodhyanga'') are: * Mindfulness ('' sati'', Sanskrit ''smrti''). To maintain awareness of reality, in particular the teachings (''d ...

(''satta bojjhagā''). It is preceded by the establishment of

mindfulness Mindfulness is the practice of purposely bringing one's attention to the present-moment experience without evaluation, a skill one develops through meditation or other training. Mindfulness derives from ''sati'', a significant element of Hind ...

(''sati'') and applied with energy/effort ('' viriya'') Together, mindfulness, discernment and effort calm the mind, and give way to the onset of the ''jhanas'', which are characterised by the remaining four factors of awakening, namely rapture ('' piti''), tranquility (''

passaddhi ''Passaddhi'' is a Pali noun (Sanskrit: prasrabhi, Tibetan: ཤིན་ཏུ་སྦྱང་བ་,Tibetan Wylie: shin tu sbyang ba) that has been translated as "calmness", "tranquillity", "repose" and "serenity." The associated verb is ''pa ...

''), unification (''

samadhi ''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 Yo ...

'') and equanimity ('' upekkha''). According to the Samyutta Nikaya, this factor is to be developed by paying continuous careful attention (''yoniso manasikāra bahulīkāro'') to the following states (''dhammā''): wholesome and unwholesome (''kusalā-akusalā''); blameable and blameless (''sāvajjā-anavajjā''); inferior and superior (''hīna-paītā''); and, evil and good (''kaha-sukka''). An alternate explanation in the nikayas is that this factor is aroused by "discriminating that Dhamma with wisdom" (''taṃ dhamma paññāya pavicināti'').

Abhidhamma

The Abhidhamma's Dhammasai even more strongly associates ''dhamma vicaya'' with ''paññā'' (wisdom) in its enumeration of wholesome states (''kusalā dhammā''): :What on that occasion is the faculty of wisdom (''paññindriya'')? :The wisdom which there is on that occasion is understanding, search, research, searching the Truth.... where "searching the Truth" is C.A.F. Rhys Davids' translation of ''dhammavicayo''. In later Abhidhamma texts and in post-

canonical The adjective canonical is applied in many contexts to mean "according to the canon" the standard, rule or primary source that is accepted as authoritative for the body of knowledge or literature in that context. In mathematics, "canonical examp ...

literature (such as those by the 4th-century CE Indian scholar

Vasubandhu Vasubandhu (; Tibetan: དབྱིག་གཉེན་ ; fl. 4th to 5th century CE) was an influential Buddhist monk and scholar from ''Puruṣapura'' in ancient India, modern day Peshawar, Pakistan. He was a philosopher who wrote commentary ...

), ''dhamma vicaya'' refers to the study of ''dhamma'' as physical or mental phenomena that constitute absolute reality (Pali: ''paramattha''; Skt.: ''paramārtha'').For instance, Williams (2007, p. 43) writes: "So, in the non-Mahayana '' Abhidharmakośa Bhāya'' '' prajñā'' is given simply as the discernment of ''dharmas'' (''dharmapravicaya''), those ultimates which mark the terminating point of Abhidharma analysis."

Notes

References

Sources

* * * * . A general on-line search engine for the PED is available at http://dsal.uchicago.edu/dictionaries/pali/. * Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (1995). ''Ananda Sutta: To Ananda (On Mindfulness of Breathing)'' ( SN 54.13). Retrieved 2008-07-07 from "Access to Insight" at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn54/sn54.013.than.html. * * Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (2006). ''

Anapanasati Sutta Ānāpānasati (Pali; Sanskrit ''ānāpānasmṛti''), meaning " mindfulness of breathing" ("sati" means mindfulness; "ānāpāna" refers to inhalation and exhalation), paying attention to the breath. It is the quintessential form of Buddhist ...

: Mindfulness of Breathing'' ( MN 118). Retrieved 2008-07-07 from "Access to Insight" at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.118.than.html. * Williams, Paul (1989; repr. 2007). ''Mahayana Buddhism''. London: Routledge. . {{Buddhism topics Buddhist philosophical concepts