Nidana

Nidana is a Sanskrit word that means "cause, motivation or occasion" depending on the context.[1] The word is derived from ni (down, into) and da (to bind, dana).[2] It appears in the Rigveda, such as hymn 10.114.2,[3] and other Hindu scriptures, wherein it means "primary or first cause, linked cause"; in other contexts such as Rigveda 6.32.6, nidana refers to a rope or band that links, binds or fastens one thing to another, such as a horse to a cart.[4]

Buddhism
Main articles: Thus have I heard and Pratītyasamutpāda

Nidana is the term used to describe the standard introduction of a Buddhist sutra, where the formula "Thus have I heard" (attributed to Ananda) is followed by a description of the location and occasion on which the Buddha gave a particular teaching.[5]

The other primary use of nidana in the Buddhist tradition is in the context of the 'Twelve Nidanas', also called the 'Twelve Links of Dependent Origination'.[6][7] These links present the mechanistic basis of repeated birth, Samsara, and resultant Dukkha (suffering, pain, unsatisfactoriness) starting from avidyā (ignorance, misconceptions).[6]

Hinduism

The term Nidana appears in numerous ancient and medieval Hindu texts wherein it means "first cause, primary cause, original or essential cause".[4] This includes the Upanishads that include theosophical speculations,[4] as well as medical texts such as Sushruta Samhita and Charaka Samhita where a large sub-book is titled Nidana-sthana,[8] as well as in chapters of the Puranas, wherein these discuss cause of disease or various natural phenomena.[4]

See also

Notes
  1. Robert E. Buswell Jr.; Donald S. Lopez Jr. (2013). The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism. Princeton University Press. p. 583. ISBN 978-1-4008-4805-8.
  2. Thomas William Rhys Davids; William Stede (1921). Pali-English Dictionary. Motilal Banarsidass. p. 358'. ISBN 978-81-208-1144-7.
  3. Rigveda 10.114, Wikisource, Quote: तिस्रो देष्ट्राय निरृतीरुपासते दीर्घश्रुतो वि हि जानन्ति वह्नयः । तासां नि चिक्युः कवयो निदानं परेषु या गुह्येषु व्रतेषु ॥२॥
  4. Monier Monier-Williams (1872). A Sanskrit-English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. p. 486.
  5. Oxford Reference: evaṃ mayā śrūtam
  6. Robert E. Buswell Jr.; Donald S. Lopez Jr. (2013). The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism. Princeton University Press. p. 583. ISBN 978-1-4008-4805-8.
  7. Malavika Kapur (2015). Psychological Perspectives on Childcare in Indian Indigenous Health Systems. Springer. p. 12. ISBN 978-81-322-2428-0.
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