The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (2666 page)

 
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Vi
var
pa-dar
ana
.

The vision in Hinduism of the universal divine form, celebrated especially in
Bhagavad-g
t
11, when it is manifested to
Arjuna
.

 
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(P
li, Skt., ‘thought-conception’). In Buddhist psychology the initial application of the mind to its object. It is defined as laying hold of the object of thought and directing attention towards it.

 
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(1542–1620)
. Jewish
kabbalist
. Vital was the principal student of Isaac
Luria
in Safed and arranged and elaborated on his teachings.
Ez ha-
ayyim
(Tree of life) is a record of these teachings, and this was re-edited by his son and circulated under the title
Shemonah She‘arim
(Eight Gates). Vital also produced an autobiography (
Sefer ha-Hezyonot
, Book of Visions), commentaries on the
Talmud
, volumes of sermons, a commentary on the
Zohar
, and various
halakhic
responsa
. As the chief formulator of the Lurianic kabbalah, he was an important influence on the development of later Jewish
mysticism
.