Meanings
noun
- BuddhismA Buddhist concept that describes the state of restlessness, capriciousness, and lack of control of one's thoughts.
Synonyms: mind monkey, monkey of the mind
- literalThe mind of a monkey.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA Buddhist concept that describes the state of restlessness, capriciousness, and lack of control of one's thoughts.
Also see
Origin
- Japanese心猿
- Chinese心猿
- Englishmonkey mind
From Chinese 心猿 (xīnyuán) or Japanese 心猿 (shin'en) which both literally mean "heart-mind monkey".
More words from Chinese, Japanese
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
monkey mind. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/monkey%20mind
MLA
“monkey mind.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/monkey%20mind. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “monkey mind,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/monkey%20mind.
Source: monkey mind on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.