Styāna (Sanskrit; Tibetan phonetic: ''mukpa'') or thīna (

Pali Pāli (, IAST: pāl̤i) is a Classical languages of India, classical Middle Indo-Aryan languages, Middle Indo-Aryan language of the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pali Canon, Pāli Can ...

) is a

Buddhist 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 ...

term that is translated as "sloth", "lethargy", "gloominess", etc. In the Mahayana tradition, ''styāna'' is defined as a mental factor that causes the mind to be withdrawn, unclear, and unable to focus.Guenther (1975), Kindle Locations 944-945.Kunsang (2004), p. 29. ''Thīna'' is defined as sluggishness or dullness of mind, characterized by a lack of driving power. In the Theravada tradition, ''thīna'' is said to occur in conjunction with middha (''torpor''), which is defined as a morbid state that is characterized by unwieldiness, lack of energy, and opposition to wholesome activity.Bhikkhu Bodhi (2003), p. 84
/ref> The two mental factors in conjunction are expressed as thīna-middha (''sloth-torpor''). Styāna or thīna is identified as: * One of the

five hindrances In the Buddhist tradition, the five hindrances (; Pali: ') are identified as mental factors that hinder progress in meditation and in daily life. In the Theravada tradition, these factors are identified specifically as obstacles to the jhānas ...

to meditation practice (in combination with middha, i.e. as ''sloth-torpor'') * One of the fourteen unwholesome mental factors within the Theravada Abhidharma teachings * Closely related to the Sanskrit term kausīdya (spiritual sloth), that is identified as one of the twenty secondary unwholesome factors within the Mahayana Abhidharma teachings

Definitions

Theravada

Bhikkhu Bodhi explains: The

Atthasālinī Atthasālinī (Pali), also known as Dhammasaṅgaṇī-aṭṭhakathā, is a Buddhist text composed by Buddhaghosa in the Theravada Abhidharma tradition. The title has been translated as "The Expositor"van Gorkom (2009)Preface or "Providing the Me ...

(II, Book I, Part IX, Chapter II, 255) states about sloth and torpor: “Absence of striving, difficulty through inability, is the meaning.” We then read the following definitions of sloth and torpor: Nina van Gorkom explains:

Mahayana

The

Abhidharma-samuccaya The Abhidharma-samuccaya (Sanskrit; ; English: "Compendium of Abhidharma") is a Buddhist text composed by Asaṅga. The ''Abhidharma-samuccaya'' is a systematic account of Abhidharma. According to J. W. de Jong it is also "one of the most impor ...

states: :What is gloominess' It is the way in which the mind cannot function properly and is associated with moha. Its function is to aid all basic and proximate emotions. Mipham Rinpoche states: :Lethargy belongs to the category of delusion. It means to be withdrawn, mentally incapable, and unable to focus on an object because of heaviness of body and mind. It forms the support for the disturbing emotions. Alexander Berzin explains: :Foggymindedness (rmugs-pa) is a part of naivety ( moha). It is a heavy feeling of body and mind that makes the mind unclear, unserviceable, and incapable either of giving rise to a cognitive appearance of its object or of apprehending the object correctly. When the mind actually becomes unclear, due to foggymindedness, this is mental dullness (bying-ba).Berzin (2006)

References

{{reflist

Sources

* Berzin, Alexander (2006)
''Primary Minds and the 51 Mental Factors''
* Bhikkhu Bodhi (2003), ''A Comprehensive Manual of Abhidhamma'', Pariyatti Publishing * Guenther, Herbert V. & Leslie S. Kawamura (1975), ''Mind in Buddhist Psychology: A Translation of Ye-shes rgyal-mtshan's "The Necklace of Clear Understanding"'' Dharma Publishing. Kindle Edition. * Kunsang, Erik Pema (translator) (2004). ''Gateway to Knowledge, Vol. 1''. North Atlantic Books. * Nina van Gorkom (2010)
''Cetasikas''
Zolag

Definitions

Theravada

Mahayana

See also

References

Sources

Further reading