Nidana

Nidāna (निदान) is a Sanskrit and Pali word that means "cause, motivation or occasion" depending on the context.^[1] The word is derived from the Sanskrit prefix ni- (नि; "down", "into") plus the root dā (दा; "to bind"), forming the verb nidā (निदा; "to bind on, fasten").^[2][3] This in turn yields the noun nidāna (निदान; lit. "a band, rope or halter").^[3] It appears in the Rigveda, such as hymn 10.114.2,^[4] and other Hindu scriptures, wherein it means "primary or first cause, linked cause"; in other contexts such as Rigveda 6.32.6, nidāna refers to the literal meaning of a rope or band that links, binds or fastens one thing to another, such as a horse to a cart.^[3] The word has been borrowed into modern languages such as Hindi and Marathi^[5] to mean "diagnosis" or "primary cause" among others.^[6]

Buddhism

Main articles: Thus have I heard and Pratītyasamutpāda

Nidāna is the term used to describe the standard introduction of a Buddhist sutra, where the formula "Thus have I heard" (attributed to Ānanda) is followed by a description of the location and occasion on which the Buddha gave a particular teaching.^[7]

The other primary use of nidāna in the Buddhist tradition is in the context of the Twelve Nidānas, also called the "Twelve Links of Dependent Origination".^[8][9] These links present the mechanistic basis of repeated birth, saṃsāra, and resultant duḥkha (suffering, pain, unsatisfactoriness) starting from avidyā (ignorance, misconceptions).^[8]

Hinduism

The term nidāna appears in numerous ancient and medieval Hindu texts wherein it means "first cause, primary cause, original or essential cause".^[3] This includes the Upanishads that include theosophical speculations,^[3] as well as medical texts such as Sushruta Samhita and Charaka Samhita, where a large sub-book is titled Nidāna Sthāna (निदानस्थान; "Pathology"),^[10] as well as in chapters of the Puranas, wherein these discuss cause of disease or various natural phenomena.^[3]

See also

• Vipassana
• Samādhi
• Dhyāna in Buddhism
• Samatha

Notes

1. Robert E. Buswell Jr.; Donald S. Lopez Jr. (2013). The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism. Princeton University Press. p. 583. ISBN 978-1-4008-4805-8.
2. Thomas William Rhys Davids; William Stede (1921). Pali-English Dictionary. Motilal Banarsidass. p. 358'. ISBN 978-81-208-1144-7.
3. Monier Monier-Williams (1872). A Sanskrit-English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. p. 486.
4. Rigveda 10.114, Wikisource, Quote: तिस्रो देष्ट्राय निरृतीरुपासते दीर्घश्रुतो वि हि जानन्ति वह्नयः । तासां नि चिक्युः कवयो निदानं परेषु या गुह्येषु व्रतेषु ॥२॥
5. James Thomas Molesworth, "निदान nidāna" in A Dictionary, Marathi and English, Bombay: 1857. p. 465.
6. Ralph Lilley Turner. "nidāˊna" in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: 1969–1985. p. 411.
7. Oxford Reference: evaṃ mayā śrūtam
8. Peter Harvey (2015). Steven M. Emmanuel (ed.). A Companion to Buddhist Philosophy. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 50–59. ISBN 978-1-119-14466-3.
9. Robert E. Buswell Jr.; Donald S. Lopez Jr. (2013). The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism. Princeton University Press. p. 583. ISBN 978-1-4008-4805-8.
10. Malavika Kapur (2015). Psychological Perspectives on Childcare in Indian Indigenous Health Systems. Springer. p. 12. ISBN 978-81-322-2428-0.