Sanskrit Noun
āvaraṇa
obscurations
आवरण
སྒྲིབ་པ་
Basic Meaning
Literally, that which obscures or conceals. Often listed as a set of two obscurations (sgrib gnyis): the afflictive emotional obscurations (Skt. kleśāvaraṇa, Tib. nyon mongs pa'i sgrib pa) and the cognitive obscurations (Skt. jñeyāvaraṇa, Tib. shes bya'i sgrib pa). By removing the first, one becomes free of suffering, and by removing the second, one becomes omniscient.
| Term Variations | |
|---|---|
| Key Term | āvaraṇa |
| Topic Variation | obscurations |
| Tibetan | སྒྲིབ་པ་ ( drip pa) |
| Wylie Tibetan Transliteration | sgrib pa ( drip pa) |
| Devanagari Sanskrit | आवरण |
| Romanized Sanskrit | āvaraṇa |
| Buddha-nature Site Standard English | obscurations |
| Richard Barron's English Term | obscuration |
| Jeffrey Hopkin's English Term | obstruction |
| Dan Martin's English Term | obscurations, veils |
| Gyurme Dorje's English Term | obscuration |
| Term Information | |
| Source Language | Sanskrit |
| Basic Meaning | Literally, that which obscures or conceals. Often listed as a set of two obscurations (sgrib gnyis): the afflictive emotional obscurations (Skt. kleśāvaraṇa, Tib. nyon mongs pa'i sgrib pa) and the cognitive obscurations (Skt. jñeyāvaraṇa, Tib. shes bya'i sgrib pa). By removing the first, one becomes free of suffering, and by removing the second, one becomes omniscient. |
| Related Terms | āgantukamala |
| Term Type | Noun |
| Definitions | |
| Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism | See page 83: In Sanskrit and Pāli, “obstruction,” “obstacle,” or “hindrance.” In Mahāyāna literature, two types of āvaraṇa are commonly described: “obstructions that are the afflictions,” or “afflictive obstructions” (kleśāvaraṇa), and cognitive or noetic obstructions, viz., “obstructions to omniscience” (jñeyāvaraṇa). Śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas can be freed from the afflictive obstructions, but only bodhisattvas are able to free themselves from the cognitive obstructions. In the Yogācāra system, the cognitive obstructions result from fundamental misapprehensions about the nature of reality. |
