Vitakka

Translations of Vitarka
English	conception selectiveness gross detection examination application of thought applied thinking initial application
Pali	vitakka
Sanskrit	vitarka, vitarkah, वितर्क
Chinese	尋 (T) / 寻 (S)
Korean	심 (RR: sim)
Tibetan	རྟོག་པ། (Wylie: rtog pa; THL: tokpa)
Glossary of Buddhism

In Buddhism, vitarka is the initial application of attention to a meditational object. It is supplemented with vicara, "sustained thought," deepened attention toward an object.

Vitarka (Sanskrit, also vitarkah; Pali: vitakka; Tibetan phonetic: rtog pa), "thoughts," "applied thought," "attention," "initial application of thought." It is "the mental factor that mounts or directs the mind towards an object."

Vitarka is one of the mental factors (cetasika) that apprehend the quality of an object. It is the first of four or five mental factors that arise in the first dhyana (Pali: jhana). It is the "initial application of attention," the "initial application of the mind to its object."Vitarka investigates things roughly, while vicara investigates things exactly.Vitarka inhibits the hindrance of sloth and torpor (thina-middha)," and is absent in the higher jhanas.

The Vitarka mudrā, "mudra of discussion," expresses vitarka, joining the tips of the thumb and the index together, and keeping the other fingers straight. This mudra has a great number of variants in Mahayana Buddhism, and is also known as Prajñāliṅganabhinaya and Vyākhyāna mudrā ("mudra of explanation").

In the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, vitarka or savitarka describes the nature of consciousness in the first stage of samprajnata-samadhi. In Sutra 1:17 Patanjali tells us that samprajnata samadhi comprises four stages:

Complete high consciousness (samprajnata samadhi) is that which is accompanied by vitarka (reasoning), vicara (reflection), sananda (ecstasy), and sasmita (a sense of 'I'-ness or pure beingness).

Mahayana tradition:

Theravada tradition:

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Wikipedia