Chanda (Buddhism)

Chanda (Sanskrit, Pali; Tibetan: ‘dun pa) is translated as "intention", "interest", or "desire to act". Chanda is identified within the Buddhist Abhidharma teachings as follows:

• One of the six occasional mental factors in the Theravada Abhidhamma; in this tradition, chanda is a factor that can have positive or negative result depending upon the mental factors that it is co-joined with.
• One of the Ten mahā-bhūmika in Sarvastivada Abhidharma.
• One of the five object-determining mental factors in the Mahayana Abhidharma; that is a factor that grasps the specification of the object.
• One of the eight antidotes applied to overcome obstacles in Samatha meditation within the Mahayana tradition.