A mental factor understood either as “the subtlety of the mind” or as the cause for such subtlety. More elaborate definitions explain it as a type of “mental murmur” (manojalpa) that is searching (paryeṣaka) and can be either based on intention (cetanā) or on wisdom (prajñā). See also “deliberation” (vitarka).

One of the four bases of magical power.

In our text, the specific quality of vicāra is to remain mindful of nimitta in the sense of “mentally watching” or noting them without engaging in a more discursive way.