self-view expressed as comparison—seeing oneself as superior, inferior, or equal; the persistent “I am” conceit (asmimāna) that underlies identification and fuels rebirth

A driving ‘thirst’ that reaches out toward experiences, identities, or outcomes as the place to find satisfaction—“if only I had that.” It spins stories of lack, binds the mind to becoming, and invariably leads to suffering.

Mind's tendency to spin out elaborate stories, interpretations, and emotional reactions from simple experiences.

A form of discursive thought that wanders into conjecture and theorizing, disconnected from direct experience. It involves moving from one idea to another through logic and argument, and is often rooted in unwise attention. Speculation can further proliferate into views and opinions.

A meditative domain that transcends all perception of material form, progressing through the bases of infinite space, infinite consciousness, nothingness, and neither-perception-nor-non-perception. These states represent refined levels of collectedness beyond attachment to physical phenomena.