Four variables

Four variables (Skt. aniyata; Tib. གཞན་འགྱུར་བཞི་, Wyl. gzhan ‘gyur bzhi) — a set of four mental states which are part of the fifty-one mental states, so-called because their nature (virtuous, non-virtuous or neutral) varies according to one's motivation and other accompanying mental states. They are:

1. sleep (Skt. middha; Tib. གཉིད་, Wyl. gnyid)
2. regret (Skt. kaukṛtya; Tib. འགྱོད་པ་, Wyl. ‘gyod pa)
3. conception (Skt. vitarka; Tib. རྟོག་པ་, Wyl. rtog pa)
4. discernment (Skt. vicāra; Tib. དཔྱོད་པ་, Wyl. dpyod pa)

Alternative Translations

• four changeable types of subsidiary awareness (Alexander Berzin)
• four changeable mental factors

1. .
2. remorse, contrition
3. reasoning, investigation, examination
4. analysis