Phala is a

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

term that means “fruit” of one's actions in

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

and

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

. 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> In Hindu literature, a phalashruti is a meritorious verse that describes the benefits of listening to a given text and details its greatness. 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/

samādhi Statue of a meditating Rishikesh.html" ;"title="Shiva, Rishikesh">Shiva, Rishikesh ''Samādhi'' (Pali and ), in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, is a state of meditative consciousness. In many Indian religious traditions, the cultivati ...

) #

Out-of-body experience An out-of-body experience (OBE or sometimes OOBE) is a phenomenon in which a person perceives the world as if from a location outside their physical body. An OBE is a form of autoscopy (literally "seeing self"), although this term is more common ...

(Manomaya) # Clairaudience (dibba-sota) # Intuition and mental telepathy (ceto-pariya-ñána) # Recollection of past lives (Patisandhi) #

Clairvoyance Clairvoyance (; ) is the claimed ability to acquire information that would be considered impossible to get through scientifically proven sensations, thus classified as extrasensory perception, or "sixth sense". Any person who is claimed to h ...

(dibba-cakkhu) # End of anxiety & mental agitation ( nirvāna)

Comparison to Christianity

The fruit (phala) of Buddhism and Hinduism are comparable the

charism In Christianity, a spiritual gift or charism (plural: charisms or charismata; in Greek language, Greek singular: wikt:χάρισμα, χάρισμα ''charisma'', plural: χαρίσματα ''charismata'') is an extraordinary power given by the ...

s of

Charismatic Christianity Charismatic Christianity is a form of Christianity that emphasizes the work of the Holy Spirit in Christianity, Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts as an everyday part of a believer's life. It has a global presence in the Christian community. Practit ...

which are known as the "sign-gifts” of the

Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit, otherwise known as the Holy Ghost, is a concept within the Abrahamic religions. In Judaism, the Holy Spirit is understood as the divine quality or force of God manifesting in the world, particularly in acts of prophecy, creati ...

, which are the charisms of prophesy, healing, and

speaking in tongues Speaking in tongues, also known as glossolalia, is an activity or 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 voc ...

, as described in St Paul's Epistle,

1 Corinthians The First Epistle to the Corinthians () 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-author, Sosthenes, and is addressed to the Christian church in Anc ...

, Chapters 12 and 14 and elsewhere.

References

Sources

* * * * * {{Buddhism topics Hindu philosophical concepts Buddhist philosophical concepts Karma in Buddhism