A mental function that tends to superimpose upon reality, either relative or ultimate, a conceptualized dualistic perspective fabricated by the subjective mind. It is often opposed to direct perception (pratyakṣa, mngon sum).

Thought constructions.

This brings up another important group of words that has never been treated systematically in translation: vikalpa, parikalpa, samāropa, adhyāropa, kalpanā, samjñā, and prapāñca. All of these refer to mental functions that tend to superimpose upon reality, either relative or ultimate, a conceptualized reality fabricated by the subjective mind. Some translators have tended to lump these together under the rubric “discursive thought,” which leads to the misleading notion that all thought is bad, something to be eliminated, and that sheer “thoughtlessness” is “enlightenment,” or whatever higher state is desired. According to Buddhist scholars, thought in itself is simply a function, and only thought that is attached to its own content over and above the relative object, i.e., “egoistic” thought, is bad and to be eliminated. Therefore we have chosen a set of words for the seven Skt. terms: respectively, “conceptualization,” “imagination,” “presumption,” “exaggeration,” “construction,” “conception” or “notion,” and “fabrication.” This does not mean that these words are not somewhat interchangeable or that another English word might not be better in certain contexts; it only represents an attempt to achieve consistency with the original usages.

A mental function that tends to superimpose upon reality, either relative or ultimate, a conceptualized dualistic perspective fabricated by the subjective mind. It is often opposed to direct perception (pratyakṣa, mngon sum).

Also translated here as “false imagination.”

According to Buddhist epistemology, to conceptualize is to cognize in such a way that language is involved as a medium.

Any type of dualistic concept or idea.