Priti (प्रीति, Sanskrit) or Piti (Pâli) is a type of emotion: the third factor in the five comprising the first Jhana of Buddhist meditation.
Piti is a very specific joy, one of the five factors of the first jhana, a deep concentration state. It should be contrasted with Sukha, which is another factor of Jhana.
The best way to meet the meaning of this is to consider five types of joy. As the meditator practices both samatha or vipassana, his mind will focus on one (mental) object or on a succession of objects. The five Piti are:
Weak rapture Short rapture Going down rapture Exalting rapture Fulfilling rapture
Note only the last two are considered specifically Piti. The first four are just a preparation for the last one, which is the Jhanic factor.
What represent these joys?
Weak rapture only causes piloerection. Short rapture evocates some thunder "from time to time". Going down rapture explodes inside the body, like waves. Exalting rapture "makes the body jump to the sky". Fulfilling rapture seems to be a huge flood of a mountain stream.
See also Rapture (Christian use of the term "rapture")
This Buddhism-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
This article related to Dharmic religions is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piti"
