Vicara

Vicara (Sanskrit and Pali, also vicāra; Tibetan phonetic: chöpa) is a Buddhist term that is translated as "discernment", "sustained thinking", etc. In the Theravada tradition, it is defined as the sustained application of the mind on an object. In the Mahayana tradition, vicara is defined as a mental factor that scrutinizes finely to discern the specific details.

Vicara is identified as:

• One of the six occasional mental factors within the Theravada Abhidharma teachings
• One of the four changeable mental factors within the Mahayana Abhidharma teachings
• One of four or five mental factors present in the first dhyana (Pali: jhana)
• Closely associated with the mental factor vitarka