Vitakka vicāra (Jhana-factors)

Q & A
25

Thought I might chime in here with a few salient passages I found a while back that I think need to be considered for understanding the two words:

MN 18:

Cakkhuñcāvuso, paṭicca rūpe ca uppajjati cakkhuviññāṇaṃ, tiṇṇaṃ saṅgati phasso, phassapaccayā vedanā, yaṃ vedeti taṃ sañjānāti, yaṃ sañjānāti taṃ vitakketi, yaṃ vitakketi taṃ papañceti

ie “What they perceive, that they vitakketi”

SN 36.22:

Cha soma­nassa-upavi­cārā, cha domanas­sa-upa­vicārā, cha upekkha-upavi­cārā—imā vuccanti, bhikkhave, aṭṭhārasa vedanā.

ie ‘The Eighteen Feelings’ are defined as “vicārā upon a happiness/sadness/equanimity at the six senses”, and the following passage appears to get a little more specific on what that means:

MN 137:

‘Aṭṭhārasa manopavicārā veditabbā’ti—iti kho panetaṃ vuttaṃ. Kiñcetaṃ paṭicca vuttaṃ? ‘Cakkhunā rūpaṃ disvā somanas­saṭ­ṭhānī­yaṃ rūpaṃ upavicarati, domanas­saṭ­ṭhānī­yaṃ rūpaṃ upavicarati, upekkhāṭ­ṭhānī­yaṃ rūpaṃ upavicarati.

“Having seen/heard/… a sight/sound… with the eye/ear…, they vicarati-upon the happiness/sadness/equanimity-causing form”

And so these passages indicate that vitakka is much to do with perception (and papañca) while vicāra is much to do with feeling. And to be clear, we have from the Khandha Samyutta:

SN 22.79:

And why, bhikkhus, do you call it feeling? ‘It feels,’ bhikkhus, therefore it is called feeling. And what does it feel? It feels pleasure, it feels pain, it feels neither-pain-nor-pleasure. ‘It feels,’ bhikkhus, therefore it is called feeling.

“And why, bhikkhus, do you call it perception? ‘It perceives,’ bhikkhus, therefore it is called perception. And what does it perceive? It perceives blue, it perceives yellow, it perceives red, it perceives white. ‘It perceives,’ bhikkhus, therefore it is called perception.

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