Digital Dictionary of Buddhism

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成所作智

Pronunciations

Basic Meaning: cognition that completes the work

Senses:

  • This cognitive ability is attained through the transformation of the tainted 有漏 first five sense consciousnesses 五識; it is also called 作事智/成事智. This enables one to work various metamorphoses and produce different manifestations to benefit unenlightened beings and lead toward awakening. One of the four kinds of purified cognitive function 四智 in Yogâcāra theory, one of the five kinds of cognition 五智 in esoteric Buddhism. (Skt. anusthânam-nispatti, anuṣṭhāna, kṛtyânuṣṭhāna, kṛtyânuṣṭhāna-jñāna; Tib. bya sgrub ye shes, bya ba nan tan du grub pa'i ye shes). 〔觀心覺夢鈔 T 2312.71.75b2; 成唯識論 T 1585.31.26a29〕

    In his commentary on the Sutra of Immeasurable Life, Wonhyo associates this cognition with that sutraʼs 'cognition of the inconceivable'  不思議智, explaining that this is because one is able to apprehend phenomena with a level of effectiveness that would normally be considered impossible, such as knowing the affairs of all the worlds in the ten directions. Tiantai compares this purified function with its state of purity of the six faculties 六根淸淨.

    [Charles Muller; source(s): Ui, Nakamura, YBh-Ind, JEBD, Hirakawa, Yokoi]
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    [Dictionary References]

    Bukkyō jiten (Ui) 570

    Bulgyo sajeon 467a

    Zengaku daijiten (Komazawa U.) 560b

    Japanese-English Buddhist Dictionary (Daitō shuppansha) 145b/162

    Japanese-English Zen Buddhist Dictionary (Yokoi) 296

    Zen Dust (Sasaki) 311

    Bukkyōgo daijiten (Nakamura) 745c

    Fo Guang Dictionary 2924

    Ding Fubao

    Buddhist Chinese-Sanskrit Dictionary (Hirakawa) 0515

    Bukkyō daijiten (Mochizuki) (v.1-6)1234a,1886b

    Bukkyō daijiten (Oda) 550-1-18*966-3*1187-3-25

    Copyright provisions

    The rights to textual segments (nodes) of the DDB are owned by the author indicated in the brackets next to each segment. For rights regarding the compilation as a whole, please contact Charles Muller. Please do not reproduce without permission. And please do not copy into Wikipedia without proper citation!

    Entry created: 1993-09-01

    Updated: 2020-04-11