In Buddhism

Mahayana (major branch of Buddhism)

Source: Wisdom Library: Maha Prajnaparamita Sastra

Abhisaṃskāra (अभिसंस्कार) refers to the “action” (as opposed to Anabhisaṃskāra, ‘non-action’), according to Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra (chapter 41).—Accordingly, “[The eighteen āveṇika-dharmas (‘special attributes’)]—[...] (10) He has no loss of wisdom.—As the Buddha has obtained all these wisdoms (prajñā), he has no loss of wisdom; as his wisdom of the three times is unobstructed, he has no loss of wisdom. [...] Furthermore, his wisdom really understands the [true] nature of dharmas, non-arising, non-cessation, non-defilement, non-purification, non-action (anabhisaṃskāra), non-functioning. [...]”.

Source: academia.edu: A Study and Translation of the Gaganagañjaparipṛcchā

Abhisaṃskāra (अभिसंस्कार) refers to “(the perspective of) conditioning”, according to the Gaganagañjaparipṛcchā: the eighth chapter of the Mahāsaṃnipāta (a collection of Mahāyāna Buddhist Sūtras).—Accordingly, “What then, son of good family, is the recollection on the saṃgha (saṃghānusmṛti) authorized by the Lord for the sake of the Bodhisattvas? What we called ‘saṃgha’ is unconditioned, and it cannot to be recollected in the perspective of conditioning (abhisaṃskāra). Where there is no involvement with the actions of body, speech or mind, it is called unconditioned. Thus what we called ‘conditioned’ is a mere denomination and convention. The unconditioned is the destruction of all denominations, and the transcendence of all conventions. This is, son of good family, the recollection of the congregation, authorized by the Lord”.

Source: WikiPedia: Mahayana Buddhism

Abhisaṃskāra (अभिसंस्कार) (Tibetan: ’du byed-pa) refers to “(over-) application” and represents one of the “five faults” (ādīnava), connected with śamatha (“access concentration”), according to Kamalaśīla and the Śrāvakabhūmi section of the Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra.

Note: Abhisaṃskāra is applied as an antidote for Anabhisamskāra (“non-application”), while Anabhisaṃskāra in turn is applied as an antidote for Abhisaṃskāra (“over-application”).—Cf. Pratipakṣa (“applications”).

context information

Mahayana (महायान, mahāyāna) is a major branch of Buddhism focusing on the path of a Bodhisattva (spiritual aspirants/ enlightened beings). Extant literature is vast and primarely composed in the Sanskrit language. There are many sūtras of which some of the earliest are the various Prajñāpāramitā sūtras.

Languages of India and abroad

Sanskrit dictionary

Source: DDSA: The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary

Abhisaṃskāra (अभिसंस्कार).—

1) Idea, thought, imagination.

2) Vain or profitless performance.

Derivable forms: abhisaṃskāraḥ (अभिसंस्कारः).

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Edgerton Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Dictionary

Abhisaṃskāra (अभिसंस्कार).—m. (cited from Sanskrit only [Boehtlingk and Roth] 7.1700, from Caraka; essentially a Buddhist word; = Pali abhisaṃ- khāra; see °skaroti, °skṛta), performance, accomplishment: Saddharmapuṇḍarīka 226.9 (udāraṃ dharmābhi°, noble performance of dharma); in all meanings often made object of the cognate verb °skaroti, as Daśabhūmikasūtra 55.8—9 pāramitābhisaṃskāraṃ cābhisaṃskaroti, and accomplishes the accomplishment of the Pāramitās; Daśabhūmikasūtra 22.23 performances; Bodhisattvabhūmi 256.25 na vyañjanābhisaṃskārārthī, not seeking the accomplishment of the letter (but of the spirit, the true esoteric meaning, arthārthī); often ṛddhyabhi° (= Pali iddhābhi°) perform- ance of magic, Saddharmapuṇḍarīka 300.9; 388.6; Divyāvadāna 161.11; 190.22; 340.11; Jātakamālā 11.6; 153.2; object of the verb °skaroti, perform a magic performance, Lalitavistara 182.14; 290.13 f.; Samādhirājasūtra 19.14—15; Avadāna-śataka i.24.3; performance of action, Samādhirājasūtra 22.2 (here specified as karmābhi°), generally with special reference to its fruits, good or bad, especially when modified by, or [compound] with, words like puṇya, apuṇya, kuśala, pāpa(ka), the Pali equivalents of which are similarly used; here abhi° often may be rendered accumulation, piling up (of merit or demerit), and abhisaṃskaroti accumulates; compare Lalitavistara 88.17 pāpakān abhisaṃskārān abhisaṃskariṣyanti with Daśabhūmikasūtra 48.7 puṇyāpuṇyāneñjyān abhisaṃskārān upacinvanti, (ignorant persons) accumulate (upa-ci, unambiguous!) performances (or accumulations, of karman) that are meritorious, demeritorious, or leading to immovable states (see aneñjya), suggesting that the Lalitavistara passage means really will accumulate evil accumulations (of karman); so also Lalitavistara 398.18 duḥkhābhisaṃskāra-mala-impurity due to the accumulation (hardly performance!) of miseries (thru karman); puṇyābhi° and kuśalābhi° together, Saddharmapuṇḍarīka 333.3; 348.11; Suvarṇabhāsottamasūtra 83.3; puṇyābhi° also Saddharmapuṇḍarīka 337.4; 414.13; Aṣṭasāhasrikā-prajñāpāramitā 346.8; apuṇyābhi° Lalitavistara 88.10; kuśalābhi° Śikṣāsamuccaya 190.16; cittābhisaṃskāra, accomplishment of (proper) thoughts or state of mind, right mental make up, Divyāvadāna 90.26 ayaṃ pradīpas tayā dārikayā mahatā cittābhisaṃskāreṇa prajvalito (this gives the flame magic power of persistence); same without citta, Mahāvastu iii.391.8—9 parivrājikā…visṛṣṭena svareṇābhisaṃskāreṇa (with mental preparation or con- centration, application of mind, fixed determination) svā- dhyāyaṃ karontī; Mahāvastu ii.126.7 sādhu ca suṣṭhu ca abhisaṃ- skāreṇa, with careful mental preparation, application, deter- mination (here, to rise up after having fallen down; and so ii.127.11; 128.16; 130.1—2; the situation is the same as in Lalitavistara 254.21 where abhisaṃskurvaṃs occurs, see °ska- roti); see sābhisaṃskāra, in which abhi° comes close to this shade of meaning

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary

1) Abhisaṃskāra (अभिसंस्कार):—[=abhi-saṃskāra] [from abhisaṃs-kṛ] m. ‘the being formed’, development (as of seeds), [Caraka]

2) [v.s. ...] preparation, [ib.]

3) [v.s. ...] conception, idea, [Buddhist literature]

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Goldstücker Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Abhisaṃskāra (अभिसंस्कार):—[tatpurusha compound] m.

(-raḥ) (In Buddhistic literature; pro-bably.) A vain or worthless act, an idle doing; e. g. Lalitav.: ye cānanda kiyantaste (v. 1. paśyānanda kiyantaṃ te) mohaṣuruṣā bahupuṇyābhisaṃskāramabhisaṃskariṣyanti (v. 1. bahvapuṇyāºº) . ye buddhadharmānpratikṣepsyanti lābhasatkāraślokābhibhūtā uccāralagnā lābhasatkārābhibhūtā itarajātīyāḥ; or bhagavānāha . evaṃrūpāśca te ānanda sūtrāntāṃ pratikṣepsyanti prativakṣyanti cānekaprakārāṃścānyonyaprakārānabhisaṃskārānabhisaṃskariṣyanti (Burnouf in his Introd. à l'hist. du Buddh. Ind. renders this word ‘imagination’, but it will seem that it is opposed in the Lalitav. p. 100. 101. to acts which yield a result or profit). E. kṛ with sam and abhi, āgama suṭ, kṛt aff. ghañ.

[Sanskrit to German]

Abhisamskara in German

context information

Sanskrit, also spelled संस्कृतम् (saṃskṛtam), is an ancient language of India commonly seen as the grandmother of the Indo-European language family (even English!). Closely allied with Prakrit and Pali, Sanskrit is more exhaustive in both grammar and terms and has the most extensive collection of literature in the world, greatly surpassing its sister-languages Greek and Latin.

See also (Relevant definitions)

Partial matches: Samskara, Abhi.

Ends with: Anabhisamskara, Sabhisamskara.

Full-text: Anabhisamskara, Sabhoga, Shraddha, Chanda, Vyayama, Prashrabdhi, Abhisamskarika, Samprajana, Pratipaksha, Smriti, Anabhisamskrita, Abhisamskaroti, Mara, Aninjya.

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Search found 2 books and stories containing Abhisamskara, Abhisaṃskāra, Abhi-samskara, Abhi-saṃskāra; (plurals include: Abhisamskaras, Abhisaṃskāras, samskaras, saṃskāras). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:

Maha Prajnaparamita Sastra (by Gelongma Karma Migme Chödrön)

Appendix 1 - Acalā (the eighth bodhisattva bhūmi) < [Chapter XXXVIII - The Eleven Knowledges, the Three Meditative Stabilizations and the Three Faculties]

I. The three meditative stabilizations (samādhi) according to the Abhidharma < [Class 1: The three meditative stabilizations]

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The Mahavastu (great story) (by J. J. Jones)

Chapter XXXVIII - The questions of Sabhika < [Volume III]

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