Buddhi

This word refers to the mental faculty
often translated as “intellect,” but it carries connotations beyond mere knowledge. The buddhi is the intellectual
capability for awareness, mental perception, and decision-making, and as
such it is the basis for all cognitive
thought. In the account of evolution
found in the Samkhya philosophical
school, buddhi is one stage in the evolution of the human personality and the
external world. In the Samkhya account,
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Buddha Avatar
Depiction of the god Vishnu’s Buddha avatar.
Some Hindus claim that the Buddha was
actually an incarnation of Vishnu.
buddhi is the first faculty to emerge
from prakrti, or “primal matter,” and is
also known by the name mahat (the
“great one”). The mental processes facilitated by buddhi spur the development
of the next stage of evolution, ahamkar,
or “subjective consciousness.” In more
colloquial language, buddhi describes
the overall quality of a person’s mind,
whether it is wholesome or unwholesome, sound or unsound.