issā
Envy
[ ISS-saa ]
Seeing it in life
Issā cannot bear the prosperity of others. Arises only in dosa-rooted cittas.
In short
Resentment at others’ success.
The analysis
Issā cannot bear the prosperity or success of others — a specific dosa-rooted cetasika, arising only in hatred-rooted cittas, distinct from the broader category of dosa itself. Where dosa is a general pushing-away, issā is specifically triggered by another's good fortune.
Where it sits
Issā's direct antidote is muditā, sympathetic joy, one of the four brahmavihāras — structural opposites, one contracting at another's good fortune, the other expanding to include it as shared gladness.
The specific flicker of discomfort at a peer's win, distinguishable from ordinary competitive drive by its focus on their success rather than one's own goal, is issā.
Commonly mistaken for
Ambition or competitiveness. Wanting to succeed oneself is a different mental event; issā specifically can't bear someone else's success.
A minor or trivial factor. It carries the same kammic weight as other hatred-rooted factors.
Abhidhammattha Saṅgaha II.
Related terms