Two Technical Terms of Indian Theories of Consciousness – Vitarka and Vicāra
Voprosy Filosofii January 21, 2026 Andrey V. Paribok
This article examines vitarka and vicāra, an important pair of technical terms for the functions of consciousness in two practical-phenomenological, i.e., yogic, traditions of Indian philosophy, namely, Buddhist Abhidharma and Sāṅkhya-yoga. It is shown that in their consideration the Buddhists have a historical priority and retained a phenomenological approach in their texts. In Patañjali’s...