Raga (Buddhism)

Translations of
raga
English greed, sensuality, desire, attachment or excitement for sensory objects, lust, sexual desire, passion
Pali लोभ (lobha)
Sanskrit राग (rāga)
Chinese 貪 (T) / 贪 (S)
Japanese 貪
(rōmaji: ton)
Korean 탐
(RR: tam)
Tibetan འདོད་ཆགས་
(Wylie: ‘dod chags;
THL: döchak)
Thai ราคะ
(rtgs: rakha)
Glossary of Buddhism

Raga (Sanskrit, also rāga; Pali lobha; Tibetan: 'dod chags) is a Buddhist concept of character affliction or poison referring to any form of "greed, sensuality, lust, desire" or "attachment to a sensory object".[1][2][3] Raga (lobha) is identified in the following contexts within the Buddhist teachings:[4]

Definitions

Rāga literally means "color or hue" in Sanskrit, but appears in Buddhist texts as a form of blemish, personal impurity or fundamental character affliction.[5][6] As a philosophical concept, the term refers to "greed, sensuality, desire" or "attachment to a sensory object".[1] It includes any form of desire including sexual desire and sensual passion, as well as attachments to, excitement over and pleasure derived from objects of the senses.[5] Some scholars render it as "craving".[7]

Raga is one of three poisons and afflictions, also called the "threefold fires" in Buddhist Pali canon,[8] that prevents a being from reaching nirvana.[9][10] To extinguish all "Raga" (greed, lust, desire, attachment) is one of the requirements of nirvana (liberation) in Buddhism.[8]

The Abhidharma-samuccaya states:

What is craving (raga)? It is attachment to the three realms of existence. Its function consists of engendering suffering.[7]

Raga is said to arise from the identification of the self as being separate from everything else.[11] This mis-perception or misunderstanding is referred to as avidya (ignorance).

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Robert E. Buswell Jr.; Donald S. Lopez Jr. (2013). The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism. Princeton University Press. pp. 59, 68, 589. ISBN 978-1-4008-4805-8.
  2. ↑ Thomas William Rhys Davids; William Stede (1921). Pali-English Dictionary. Motilal Banarsidass. p. 567. ISBN 978-81-208-1144-7.
  3. ↑ Damien Keown (2004). A Dictionary of Buddhism. Oxford University Press. pp. 8, 47, 143. ISBN 978-0-19-157917-2.
  4. ↑ Guenther (1975), Kindle Locations 715-718.
  5. 1 2 David Webster (2005). The Philosophy of Desire in the Buddhist Pali Canon. Routledge. pp. 100–101. ISBN 978-0-415-34652-8.
  6. ↑ Thomas William Rhys Davids; William Stede (1921). Pali-English Dictionary. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 214, 567. ISBN 978-81-208-1144-7.
  7. 1 2 Asaṅga; Walpola Rahula; Sara Boin-Webb (2001). Abhidharmasamuccaya: The Compendium of the Higher Teaching. Jain Publishing. p. 11. ISBN 978-0-89581-941-3.
  8. 1 2 Frank Hoffman; Deegalle Mahinda (2013). Pali Buddhism. Routledge. pp. 106–107. ISBN 978-1-136-78553-5.
  9. ↑ David Webster (2005). The Philosophy of Desire in the Buddhist Pali Canon. Routledge. p. 2–3. ISBN 978-0-415-34652-8.
  10. ↑ Thomas William Rhys Davids; William Stede (1921). Pali-English Dictionary. Motilal Banarsidass. p. 362. ISBN 978-81-208-1144-7.
  11. ↑ Ringu Tulku (2005), p. 29

Sources

External links

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