Moha (Buddhism)

Translations of
moha
Englishillusion,
delusion
Sanskritमोह
moha
Pali𑀫𑁄𑀳, moha
Burmeseမောဟ
Chinese癡
(Pinyin: chī)
Indonesiandelusi,
kebodohan batin,
kekeliruan
Japanese痴
(Rōmaji: chi)
Khmerមោហៈ, មោហ៍
(UNGEGN: Moŭhă, Moŭh)
Tibetanགཏི་མུག
(Wylie: gti mug;
THL: timuk)
Thaiโมหะ
VietnameseSi
癡
Glossary of Buddhism

Moha (Sanskrit: मोह; Pali: 𑀫𑁄𑀳; Tibetan phonetic: timuk) is a concept in both Hinduism and Buddhism, meaning illusion or delusion. In Hinduism, it is one of the six arishadvargas (also known as shadripus). In Buddhist thought, Moha, along with Raga (greed, sensual attachment) and Dvesha (aversion, hate) are unskillful roots that lead to Taṇhā (craving) which is part of the Twelve Nidanas that propel the wheel of life. It is symbolically present as the pig in the center of Tibetan bhavachakra drawings. Moha refers to desire and attachment to the world or worldly matters. It is sometimes synonymous with "ignorance" (Avijjā).

Moha is identified in the following contexts within the teachings of Buddhism and Hinduism:

Etymology and meaning

Moha appears in the Vedic literature, and has roots in the early Vedic word mogha which means "empty, unreal, vain, useless, foolish". The term, as well as the three defects concept appears in the ancient texts of Jainism and some schools of Hinduism such as Nyaya, in their respective discussion of the theory of rebirths.

The term means "illusion", "delusion, confusion, dullness". The opposite of Moha is Prajna (insight, wisdom). Beliefs different from those considered as insights in Buddhism, are forms of delusions or Moha in Buddhism. Moha is one of the roots of evil, in the Buddhist belief.

Application

Within the Mahayana tradition, moha is classified as one of the three poisons, which are considered to be the root cause of suffering.

In the Mahayana tradition, moha is considered to be a subcategory of avidyā. Whereas avidyā is defined as a fundamental ignorance, moha is defined as an ignorance of cause and effect or of reality that accompanies only destructive states of mind or behavior. Moha is sometimes replaced by avidyā in lists of the three poisons. In contemporary explanations of the three poisons, teachers are likely to emphasize the fundamental ignorance of avidyā rather than moha.

Amoha

Amoha (Sanskrit, Pali; Tibetan Wylie: gti mug med pa) is a Buddhist term translated as "non-delusion" or "non-bewilderment". It is defined as being without delusion concerning what is true, due to discrimination; its function is to cause one to not engage in unwholesome actions. It is one of the mental factors within the Abhidharma teachings.

The Abhidharma-samuccaya states:

What is non-deludedness? It is a thorough comprehension of (practical) knowledge that comes from maturation, instructions, thinking and understanding, and its function is to provide a basis for not becoming involved in evil behavior.

Herbert Guenther states:

It is a distinct discriminatory awareness to counteract the deludedness that has its cause in either what one has been born into or what one has acquired.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Moha means - Vaniquotes".
  2. 1 2 3 Robert E. Buswell Jr.; Donald S. Lopez Jr. (2013). The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism. Princeton University Press. pp. 546, 59, 68. ISBN 978-1-4008-4805-8.
  3. ↑ Thomas William Rhys Davids; William Stede (1921). Pali-English Dictionary. Motilal Banarsidass. p. 543. ISBN 978-81-208-1144-7. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
  4. ↑ Damien Keown (2004). A Dictionary of Buddhism. Oxford University Press. pp. 8, 47, 143. ISBN 978-0-19-157917-2.
  5. ↑ Damien Keown (2004). A Dictionary of Buddhism. Oxford University Press. pp. 8, 47, 89, 106, 143. ISBN 978-0-19-157917-2.
  6. ↑ Thomas William Rhys Davids; William Stede (1921). Pali-English Dictionary. Motilal Banarsidass. p. 542. ISBN 978-81-208-1144-7. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
  7. ↑ Nathmal Tatia (1965). Studies in Jaina Philosophy. Jain Publishing Company. pp. 101–107. ISBN 978-0-89581-996-3.
  8. ↑ David Loy (2003). The Great Awakening: A Buddhist Social Theory. Simon and Schuster. p. 28. ISBN 978-0-86171-366-0.
  9. ↑ Berzin, Alexander. Berzin Archives, Glossary of Buddhist Terms Archived 2012-01-13 at the Wayback Machine
  10. 1 2 3 Guenther (1975), Kindle Locations 542-544.
  11. ↑ Kunsang (2004), p. 25.

Sources