vitakka

'thought', 'thought-conception', is one of the 'secondary' (not constant) mental concomitants (s. Tab. II), and may be either karmically wholesome, unwholesome or neutral. -

"There are 3 karmically unwholesome (akusala) thoughts:

• sensuous thought (kāma-vitakka),
• hating thought (byāpāda-v.), and
• cruel thought (vihimsa-v.).

There are 3 karmically wholesome (kusala) thoughts:

• thought of renunciation (nekkhamma-v.),
• of hatelessness (avyāpāda-v.),
• of not harming (avihimsā-v.)

"The latter three constitute 'right thought', the 2nd link of the 8-fold Path (s. magga 2).

On the 'Removal of Distracting Thoughts' (vitakka-santhāna), s. M.20 (tr. in WHEEL 21).