noun
conversion; religious awakening; change of heart
Buddhist term for a profound inner turning or spiritual conversion, often involving repentance and a reorientation of one's life toward the Buddhist path.
彼は大病をきっかけに回心し、仏門に入った。
After a serious illness, he underwent a conversion and entered the Buddhist priesthood.
回心の体験を語る信徒も多い。
Many believers talk about their experience of spiritual awakening.
改心 is a more general term for a change of heart or moral reformation, not limited to religious contexts, whereas 回心 is specifically a Buddhist term for spiritual conversion.
A Buddhist term composed of 回 (turn, revolve) and 心 (heart, mind), literally 'turning the heart/mind'. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but it is a standard Sino-Japanese word used in Buddhist contexts.