What Pali term most closely represents the concept of "inner conflict"?

Upvote:-1

The Pali term which represents the concept of “the inner conflict which gives rise to suffering and whose resolution leads to the end of suffering” is the term “dhammas”.

Ajahn Sucitto explains …

2023-09-03: video: BuddhaDhamma Foundation: Luang Por Sucitto: Vassa ‘23 Dhamma Streams (at 26 mins 15 seconds)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nqf9kHJXYmc&t=26m15s

Upvote:1

You are correct.

The concept of conflict (or clash or mismatch) is subsumed under the concept of dukkha or dukkhata.

If you think about it, there's no suffering distinct from (apart from) conflict. Presence of conflict is the very suffering, and vice versa, suffering is mismatch between "is" and "should". That's why there's no need for a separate term.

Absence of conflict is suchness/tathata.

Practice of the Eightfold Path, culminating in the practice of Jhanas, is all about methodically removing (arresting, preventing) causes of conflict, from coarser to finer, all the way until tathata.

Conflicts range from external social conflicts, to conflict of expectations, to subtle conflict coming from overgeneralizations, reifications, inaccurate models, to implicit conflicts inherent to all conceptual boundaries.

Buddha is called Tathagata - one living in suchness.

Nirvana or Shunyata is the ultimate groundless ground underlying all conceptual boundaries and therefore all conflict.

The Absolute (Nirvana) and The Relative (The world of concepts and conflicts) are actually one and the same.

Upvote:2

In pali, Lola means agitate.

Example, I agitated between doing good to a robber or doing bad to a robber.

From PTS Pali-English dictionary entry on lola:

Lola (Loḷa) Lola (Loḷa) (adj.) [fr. luḷ: see luḷati; cp. Epic & Classic Sk. lola] wavering, unsteady, agitated; longing, eager, greedy S iv.111; Sn 22, 922; J i.49 (Buddha -- mātā lolā na hoti), 111, 210, 339 (dhana -- loḷa); ii.319 (˚manussa); iii.7; Pug 65; Nd1 366; Dāvs iv.44; Miln 300. —alola not greedy, not distracted (by desire), self-controlled S v.148; Sn 65. -bhava greediness, covetousness ThA 16.

Upvote:2

From PTS Pali-English dictionary search on "agitation":

Āvilatta Āvilatta (nt.) [abstr. fr. āvila] confusion, disturbance, agitation Sn 967; Nd1 488.

Āluḷa Āluḷa (adj. [fr. ā + lul] being in motion, confusion or agitation, disturbed, agitated J vi.431.

Āloḷa Āloḷa [fr. ā + luḷ, cp. āluḷati & āloḷeti] confusion, uproar, agitation DhA i.38.

Ubbijjanā Ubbijjanā (f.) [abstr. fr. ubbijjati] agitation, uneasiness DA i.111. Cp. ubbega.

Uddhacca Uddhacca (nt.) [substantivised ger. of ud-dharati, ud + dhṛ, cp. uddhaṭa & uddhata. The BSk. auddhatya shows a strange distortion. BSk. uddhava seems to be also a substitute for uddhacca] over-balancing, agitation, excitement, distraction, flurry

Pakopa Pakopa [pa+kopa] agitation, effervescence, anger, fury Dhs 1060; Vism 235, 236.

Vipphandita Vipphandita (nt.) [pp. of vipphandati] "writhing," twitching, struggle M i.446; S ii.62; — (fig.) in diṭṭhi˚ combd with visūkāyita) "scuffling of opinion" (Mrs. Rh. D.), sceptical agitation, worry & writhing (cp. Dial. i.53) M i.8, 486; S i.123 (here without diṭṭhi˚; the C. expln is "hatthirājavaṇṇa sappavaṇṇ' ādidassa nāni" K.S. i.320); Dhs 381; Pug 22.

Saŋvega Saŋvega [fr. saŋ+vij] agitation, fear, anxiety; thrill, religious emotion (caused by contemplation of the miseries of this world) D iii.214; A i.43; ii.33, 114; S i.197; iii.85; v.130, 133; It 30; Sn 935; J i.138; Nd1 406; Vism 135=KhA 235 (eight objects inducing emotion: birth, old age, illness, death, misery in the apāyas, and the misery caused by saŋsāra in past, present & future stages); Mhvs 1, 4; 23, 62; PvA 1, 22, 32, 39, 76.

From PTS Pali-English dictionary search on "madness":

Ummāda Ummāda [ud + māda] madness, distraction, mental aberration S i.126 (˚ŋ pāpuṇeyya citta -- vikkhepaŋ vā); A ii.80; iii.119; v.169; Pug 69; PvA 6 (˚patta frantic, out of mind), 94 (˚vāta), 162 (˚patta).

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