svasaṃvedana

From Buddha-Nature
Sanskrit Noun

svasaṃvedana

self-awareness
स्वसंवेदन
རང་རིག་
自證分

Basic Meaning

An important term for the Yogācāra that refers to a consciousness of consciousness itself, or how one knows that they know something. It was a hotly debated topic that was disputed by followers of the Madhyamaka. In Tibet it would later become a common Dzogchen term, though with the entirely different meaning of one's own innate awareness (rig pa), a crucial concept in the Dzogchen teachings.

On this topic
Term Variations
Key Term svasaṃvedana
Topic Variation svasaṃvedana
Tibetan རང་རིག་  ( rangrik)
Wylie Tibetan Transliteration rang rig  ( rangrik)
Devanagari Sanskrit स्वसंवेदन
Chinese 自證分
Chinese Pinyin zìzhèngfēn
Japanese Transliteration jishō
Korean Transliteration chajŭng
Buddha-nature Site Standard English self-awareness
Karl Brunnhölzl's English Term self-aware(ness)
Richard Barron's English Term self-knowing awareness [Dzogchen], self-aware(ness) [Yogachara], reflexive consciousness
Jeffrey Hopkin's English Term self-cognizing consciousness, self-knowing
Sarah Harding's English Term reflexive awareness
Dan Martin's English Term reflexive awareness
Gyurme Dorje's English Term intrinsic awareness, reflexive awareness
Term Information
Source Language Sanskrit
Basic Meaning An important term for the Yogācāra that refers to a consciousness of consciousness itself, or how one knows that they know something. It was a hotly debated topic that was disputed by followers of the Madhyamaka. In Tibet it would later become a common Dzogchen term, though with the entirely different meaning of one's own innate awareness (rig pa), a crucial concept in the Dzogchen teachings.
Term Type Noun
Definitions
Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism See page 882: In Sanskrit, lit.“self-knowledge” or “self-awareness,” also seen written as svasaṃveda, svasaṃvit, svasaṃvitti. In Buddhist epistemology, svasaṃvedana is that part of consciousness which, during a conscious act of seeing, hearing, thinking, and so on, apprehends not the external sensory object but the knowing consciousness itself.