Styāna

Styāna (Sanskrit; Tibetan phonetic: mukpa) or thīna (Pali) is a Buddhist term that is translated as "sloth", "lethargy", "gloominess", etc. In the Mahayana tradition, styāna is defined as a mental factor that causes the mind to be withdrawn, unclear, and unable to focus. Thīna is defined as sluggishness or dullness of mind, characterized by a lack of driving power. In the Theravada tradition, thīna is said to occur in conjunction with middha (torpor), which is defined as a morbid state that is characterized by unwieldiness, lack of energy, and opposition to wholesome activity. The two mental factors in conjunction are expressed as thīna-middha (sloth-torpor).

Styāna or thīna is identified as:

• One of the five hindrances to meditation practice (in combination with middha, i.e. as sloth-torpor)
• One of the fourteen unwholesome mental factors within the Theravada Abhidharma teachings
• Closely related to the Sanskrit term kausīdya (spiritual sloth), that is identified as one of the twenty secondary unwholesome factors within the Mahayana Abhidharma teachings