Korea Journal of Buddhist Studies ISSN:1598-0642(Print) 불교학연구

This paper attempts to understand the meaning of saṅhāa as an equivalent concept of character in Buddhist virtue ethics. The general meaning of saṅhāa is defined as forming and phenomena. Especially, saṅhāa means ’forming’ in the context of the five aggregates postulating phenomena. Saṅhāa plays a particular role and yet it has the common nature of the five aggregates: anicca, dukkha, and anatta. Common people attach to saṅhāa just as they do to the other four aggregates due to their ignorance. Thus, saṅhāa is attached saṅhāa for them. The function of saṅhāa as a character is explained by three things. 1) Saṅhāa as forming the five aggregates decides the way of their function and the mode of forming them. Forming can be done either by greed/hatred/confusion or by non-greed/hatred/confusion. The presence and the absence of greed/hatred/confusion are equivalent to the common people and arahats. 2) Saṅhāa as an intention functions as an intention in the realm of bodily actions, talks, and thoughts. Particularly, intention plays the essential role in embodying a good character. However, intention is not needed any more when embodying good is completed. For good comes to be realized naturally without intention. 3) Saṅhāa functions as bodily actions, talks, and thoughts. These three functions of saṅhāa are one unified psychological activity. This one function of saṅhāa is explained into the three: the function of forming the five aggregates, of the intention of the three actions of body, talk, and thought, and of action/kamma of the three actions. What is important is that all three saṅhāas are supposed to cease because they contain samāic attributions.