It is variously translated as "brightly shining mind" or "mind of clear light", while the related term luminosity (Skt. ; Tib. ?????????? ; Ch. ; Jpn. ; Kor. ) is also translated as "clear light" or "luminosity" in Tibetan Buddhist contexts or "purity" in East Asian contexts.

The Theravada school identifies the "luminous mind" with the bhavanga, a concept first proposed in the Theravada Abhidhamma.