Styāna (Sanskrit; Tibetan phonetic: ''mukpa'') is a
Buddhist
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 ...
term that is translated as "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 In the Mahayana tradition, ''styāna'' is defined as a mental factor that causes the mind to be withdrawn, unclear, and unable to focus.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.]
Styāna is identified as one of the
twenty secondary unwholesome factors within the Mahayana Abhidharma teachings
Definitions
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 importan ...
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 It means to be withdrawn, mentally incapable, and unable to focus on an object because of heaviness of body and mind.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)]
See also
* Mental factors (Buddhism)
Mental factors ( sa, चैतसिक, caitasika or ''chitta samskara'' ; pi, cetasika; Tibetan: སེམས་བྱུང ''sems byung''), in Buddhism, are identified within the teachings of the Abhidhamma (Buddhist psychology). They are ...
* Kleshas (Buddhism)
Kleshas ( sa, क्लेश, kleśa; pi, किलेस ''kilesa''; bo, ཉོན་མོངས། ''nyon mongs''), in Buddhism, are mental states that cloud the mind and manifest in unwholesome actions. ''Kleshas'' include states of mind su ...
References
{{reflist
Sources
* Berzin, Alexander (2006)
''Primary Minds and the 51 Mental Factors''
* 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.
Further reading
* Bhikkhu Bodhi (2003), ''A Comprehensive Manual of Abhidhamma'', Pariyatti Publishing
Unwholesome factors in Buddhism
Sanskrit words and phrases