chanda
Wish, desire-to-act
[ CHUN-da ]
Seeing it in life
Chanda is the will to act, ethically variable. As a base of success (iddhipāda) it drives the path; as kāmacchanda it becomes a hindrance.
In short
Wholesome or neutral desire to do — distinct from craving.
The analysis
Chanda is the will to act — ethically neutral in itself, taking its wholesome or unwholesome quality from the cittas it arises with. As kāmacchanda (sensual desire) it's one of the five hindrances; as one of the four bases of success (iddhipāda), wholesome chanda is the driving wish that, developed alongside viriya, citta, and vīmaṃsā, leads to mastery.
Where it sits
Chanda is one of six occasional cetasikas, ethically variable rather than fixed, distinguishing it sharply from lobha, which is always unwholesome.
The wish to finish a piece of work well, distinct from either grasping at the outcome or simply not caring, is chanda functioning as a base of success rather than a hindrance.
Commonly mistaken for
Craving (taṇhā) or greed (lobha). Those are specifically unwholesome; chanda is the broader capacity for wanting-to-act.
Always wholesome. As kāmacchanda it's classified as a hindrance — chanda's ethical quality depends on context.
Abhidhammattha Saṅgaha II; Iddhipāda Saṃyutta (SN 51).
Related terms