jīvitindriya
Mental life-faculty
[ jee-vee-TIN-dree-ya ]
Seeing it in life
Jīvitindriya maintains the life of the cetasikas it arises with, just as water sustains lotuses.
In short
Vital force that sustains associated mental phenomena.
The analysis
Jīvitindriya maintains the life of the cetasikas it arises with — compared to water sustaining lotuses, present not to perform a cognitive function but to keep the associated mental factors going for their moment of existence. A corresponding rūpa-jīvitindriya performs the same sustaining role for material phenomena.
Where it sits
Jīvitindriya is one of the seven universal cetasikas — present in every citta, doing background maintenance rather than contributing content, unlike vedanā or saññā.
Nothing distinguishes this one in ordinary felt experience — it's a structural factor, sustaining the others rather than producing anything noticeable on its own.
Commonly mistaken for
Physical life or the body's vitality. That's the separate rūpa-jīvitindriya; this is specifically the mental-factor version.
A soul or animating essence. It's a conditioned cetasika, arising and passing with each citta, not a persistent life-force.
Abhidhammattha Saṅgaha II, VI.
Related terms