Mithyadrishti, Mithyādṛṣṭi, Mithya-drishti: 15 definitions

Introduction:

Mithyadrishti means something in Buddhism, Pali, Jainism, Prakrit, Hinduism, Sanskrit. If you want to know the exact meaning, history, etymology or English translation of this term then check out the descriptions on this page. Add your comment or reference to a book if you want to contribute to this summary article.

The Sanskrit term Mithyādṛṣṭi can be transliterated into English as Mithyadrsti or Mithyadrishti, using the IAST transliteration scheme (?).

In Buddhism

Mahayana (major branch of Buddhism)

[«previous next»] — Mithyadrishti in Mahayana glossary
Source: Wisdom Library: Maha Prajnaparamita Sastra

1) Mithyādṛṣṭi (मिथ्यादृष्टि) refers to the “wrong view which consists of denying that which really does exist” and represents a type of dṛṣṭi (wrong view) according to Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra chapter 13. It is part of a classification of five types of dṛṣṭi.

2) Mithyādṛṣṭi (the abstinence thereof) represents one of the three paths classified as manaskarma-patha (paths of mental action) according to the 2nd century Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra (chapter XIV).—The paths of mental action (manaskarma-patha) are three in number: abstaining from envy (abhidhyā), spitefulness (vyāpāda) and wrong views (mithyādṛṣṭi).

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

Mithyādṛṣṭi (मिथ्यादृष्टि) refers to “wrong views”, according to the Gaganagañjaparipṛcchā: the eighth chapter of the Mahāsaṃnipāta (a collection of Mahāyāna Buddhist Sūtras).—Accordingly, as the Lord said: “O friends, vices are neither established in place nor direction, and they are neither a collection nor accumulated things. Since the superficial arises, the vices arise, and since the fundamental arises, the purity arises. Thus when impurity arises and it is investigated fundamentally, the purity will arise. It is therefore, with this in mind, said that, when one knows wrong views (mithyādṛṣṭi) as wrong views, namely as they really are, he will have right views. Wrong views would never be right views, would never not be right views, would never be separated from right views. However, if one, after having known and seen wrong views as wrong views, is not established in them without any action or effort, then he will enter into the way of right views, thus this is called the right view”.

Mahayana book cover
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.

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Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana or tantric Buddhism)

Source: Sydney eScholarship Repository: A Study of the Karma Chapter of the Abhidharmakośa Commentaries

Mithyadṛṣṭi (मिथ्यदृष्टि) (Tibetan: log lta) refers to “wrong views”.—The need for the motivation to precede wrong view is not mentioned explicitly in the Abhidharmakośa commentaries including the Grub bde'i dpyid 'jo, the Abhidharmakośabhāṣya and the mChims mdzod.

Nevertheless, the Eighth Karmapa explains wrong view (mithyadṛṣṭi) in these words:

“A nihilistic view towards wholesome and unwholesome action is a wrong view that denies cause. It is [mentioned] in the sutra, ‘Generosity, sacrifice, fire-offering rites, good actions, bad actions do not exist. Actions of bad and good do not have fruition of the result. The present life, afterlife, mother, father, spontaneous birth [do not exist]. An Arhat does not exist in the world’. Therefore, three denials of causal action, result and Arhat are taught. With respect to that, denial of generosity up to denial of bad action and denial of the existence of father and mother are denial of cause. Denial of the existence of the result of good actions up to denial of the existence of spontaneous birth of sentient beings is the denial of result. Denial of the existence of an Arhat in the world is the denial of the existence of exalted beings. Although all the three are wrong views, only the first one is shown to represent [all three]”.

Wrong views (mithyadṛṣṭi) are taught to be of three kinds with regard to:

  1. cause (rgyu),
  2. result ('bras bu) and
  3. exalted being ('phags pa).

Wrong view of cause, for instance, is to profess the denial of the existence of wrong deeds (nyes par spyad pa) which function as a cause for suffering. Rejecting the existence of father and the mother appears to mean the denial of their cause and kindness in giving human bodies to offspring. Disbelief in the result of the wrong deeds and spontaneous birth (brdzus skyes) constitute the wrong view with regard to the result. This wrong view is likely to deny the generation of a result of wrong deeds.

Tibetan Buddhism book cover
context information

Tibetan Buddhism includes schools such as Nyingma, Kadampa, Kagyu and Gelug. Their primary canon of literature is divided in two broad categories: The Kangyur, which consists of Buddha’s words, and the Tengyur, which includes commentaries from various sources. Esotericism and tantra techniques (vajrayāna) are collected indepently.

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General definition (in Buddhism)

[«previous next»] — Mithyadrishti in Buddhism glossary
Source: Wisdom Library: Dharma-samgraha

1) Mithyādṛṣṭi (मिथ्यादृष्टि, “wrong view”) refers to one of the “ten unwholesome things” (kuśala) as defined in the Dharma-saṃgraha (section 56). The Dharma-samgraha (Dharmasangraha) is an extensive glossary of Buddhist technical terms in Sanskrit (e.g., mithyā-dṛṣṭi). The work is attributed to Nagarguna who lived around the 2nd century A.D.

2) Mithyādṛṣṭi also refers to one of the “five views” (dṛṣṭi) as defined in the Dharma-saṃgraha (section 68).

3) Mithyādṛṣṭi also refers to “rebirth with wrong view” and represents one of the “eight inopportune births” (akṣaṇa) as defined in the Dharma-saṃgraha (section 134).

In Jainism

General definition (in Jainism)

[«previous next»] — Mithyadrishti in Jainism glossary
Source: archive.org: Trisastisalakapurusacaritra

Vicikitsā (विचिकित्सा) refers to “false doctrine”, according to chapter 1.1 [ādīśvara-caritra] of Hemacandra’s 11th century Triṣaṣṭiśalākāpuruṣacaritra: an ancient Sanskrit epic poem narrating the history and legends of sixty-three illustrious persons in Jainism.—Accordingly, “[...] Vajranābha acquired strong Tirthakṛt-body-making and family-karma by the twenty sthānakas as follows:—[...] The ninth [sthānaka] is right-belief, free from the faults of doubt, etc. [viz., mithyadṛṣti-praśaṃsana], adorned with the qualities of firmness, etc., characterized by tranquillity, etc. [...]”.

Note: The faults of right belief in addition to doubt (śaṅkā) are: acceptance of other doctrines (kāṅkṣā); hate of the Tīrthaṅkaras’ speech (vicikitsā); praise of false doctrine (mithyadṛṣti-praśaṃsana); acquaintance with false doctrine (°saṃstava). Yogaśāstra 2.17.

Source: OpenEdition books: Vividhatīrthakalpaḥ

Mithyādṛṣṭi (मिथ्यादृष्टि) in Sanskrit (or Micchādiṭṭhī in Prakrit) refers to “heretical belief” (not Jaina), and represents a Jaina technical term mentioned in the Vividhatīrthakalpa by Jinaprabhasūri (13th century A.D.): an ancient text devoted to various Jaina holy places (tīrthas).

General definition book cover
context information

Jainism is an Indian religion of Dharma whose doctrine revolves around harmlessness (ahimsa) towards every living being. The two major branches (Digambara and Svetambara) of Jainism stimulate self-control (or, shramana, ‘self-reliance’) and spiritual development through a path of peace for the soul to progess to the ultimate goal.

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Languages of India and abroad

Sanskrit dictionary

[«previous next»] — Mithyadrishti in Sanskrit glossary
Source: DDSA: The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary

Mithyādṛṣṭi (मिथ्यादृष्टि).—f. heresy, holding heretic or atheistic doctrines.

Derivable forms: mithyādṛṣṭiḥ (मिथ्यादृष्टिः).

Mithyādṛṣṭi is a Sanskrit compound consisting of the terms mithyā and dṛṣṭi (दृष्टि).

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

Mithyādṛṣṭi (मिथ्यादृष्टि).—f. (compare prec. and next; = Pali micchā-diṭṭhi), false view, heresy; fundamentally = dṛṣṭi alone: in Dharmasaṃgraha 68 and Mahāvyutpatti 1957 more specifically, one of the five dṛṣṭi, paraphrased Abhidharmakośa LaV-P. v.15, 18 by nāsti- or apavāda-d°, negation (‘because tho all heresies are false, this is the worst of them’); also one of the three akuśala karmapatha (q.v.) of the mind, Mahāvyutpatti 1698; Lalitavistara 31.17; Mahāvastu ii.99.11; Śikṣāsamuccaya 75.1; Bodhisattvabhūmi 224.1 (with abhidhyā and vyāpāda); other, misc. occurrences, Mahāvyutpatti 7027; Lalitavistara 22.3; Mahāvastu i.145.13; ii.99.5; 132.9; 283.18; Jātakamālā 155.7; 192.13; (Ārya-)Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa 73.15.

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Mithyādṛṣṭi (मिथ्यादृष्टि).—f.

(-ṣṭiḥ) Denial of future existence, atheism, heresy. E. mithyā falsely, and dṛṣṭi vision, knowledge.

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

Mithyādṛṣṭi (मिथ्यादृष्टि):—[=mithyā-dṛṣṭi] [from mithyā > mith] f. false doctrine, heresy, atheism, [Lalita-vistara] (one of the 10 sins, [Dharmasaṃgraha 56]).

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

Mithyādṛṣṭi (मिथ्यादृष्टि):—[mithyā+dṛṣṭi] (ṣṭiḥ) 2. f. Denial of future existence; atheism. a. Having a false view, deceived by one.

[Sanskrit to German]

Mithyadrishti 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.

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Kannada-English dictionary

[«previous next»] — Mithyadrishti in Kannada glossary
Source: Alar: Kannada-English corpus

Mithyādṛṣṭi (ಮಿಥ್ಯಾದೃಷ್ಟಿ):—

1) [noun] the view of a person who deliberately denounces established religious beliefs and philosophical truths.

2) [noun] (Buddh.) a man having misconceptions or mistaken notion about the phenominal world and the higher worlds.

3) [noun] (jain.) a man lacking faith or trust in jainism.

context information

Kannada is a Dravidian language (as opposed to the Indo-European language family) mainly spoken in the southwestern region of India.

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Nepali dictionary

[«previous next»] — Mithyadrishti in Nepali glossary
Source: unoes: Nepali-English Dictionary

Mithyā-dṛṣṭi (मिथ्या-दृष्टि):—n. heresy; holding heretic or atheistic doctrines;

context information

Nepali is the primary language of the Nepalese people counting almost 20 million native speakers. The country of Nepal is situated in the Himalaya mountain range to the north of India.

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