[Buddha-l] Prapanca

[Gruenig, Hans Werner]

In my studies with Theravada monastics, papañca was translated as proliferation and referred to the unskillful proliferation (chain reaction / snowballing) of obsessive thoughts that gets in the way of experiencing peace.

Here's the PTS Dictionary's entry:

Papañca [in its P. meaning uncertain whether identical with Sk. prapañca (pra+pañc to spread out; meaning "expansion, diffuseness, manifoldedness"; cp. papañceti & papañca 3) more likely, as suggested by etym. & meaning of Lat. im -- ped -- iment -- um, connected with pada, thus perhaps originally "pa -- pad -- ya," i. e. what is in front of (i. e. in the way of) the feet (as an obstacle)] 1. obstacle, impediment, a burden which causes delay, hindrance, delay DhA i.18; ii.91 (katha?). ?? karoti to delay, to tarry J iv.145; ?? akatva without delay J i.260; vi.392. -- ati? too great a delay J i.64; ii.92. -- 2. illusion, obsession, hindrance to spiritual progress M i.65; S i.100; iv.52, 71; A ii.161 sq.; iii.393 sq.; Sn 530 (=ta?ha -- di??hi -- manabheda -- p. SnA 431; and generally in Commentaries so resolved, without verbal analysis); Ud 77 (as f. papañca); Th 1, 519, 902, 989 (cp. Brethren 344, 345 & J.R.A.S. 1906, 246 sq.; Neumann trsls "Sonderheit," see Lieder p. 210, 211 & Mittlere Sammlung i.119 in trsl. of M i.65 nippapañca); Dh 195, 254 (?âbhirata paja, nippapañca Tathagata; =ta?hadisu p? esu abhirata DhA iii.378); J i.9; Pv iv.134 (=ta?h' -- adi -- p. PvA 230); Nett 37, 38; SnA 495 (gihi). -- nippapañca (q. v.) without obsession. <-> 3. diffuseness, copiousness SnA 40.
   -- sankha sign or characteristic of obsession Sn 874 (cp. SnA 553; =ta?ha? di??hi? and mana? Nd1 280), 916 (=avijjadayo kilesa mula? SnA 562). -- sañña (?sankha) idea of obsession, idée fixe, illusion D ii.277 (cp. Dial ii.312); M i.109, 112, 271, 383; S iv.71.

Best wishes,
-Hans.