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===Ten Meanings of Dharma===
[[Image:Dharma.JPG|frame|Dharma texts from the [[Longchen Nyingtik]] [[Field of merit]]]]
'''Dharma''' (Skt.; Tib. [[ཆོས་]], ''chö'', [[Wyl.]] ''chos'') — the word used to refer to the teachings of the [[Buddha]] (Skt. ''Buddhadharma''). It has many shades of meaning, including ‘the spiritual path’, or ‘spirituality’ in general. It also refers to [[phenomena]], meaning things and events. ''See also'' [[ten meanings of Dharma]].


Kyabjé [[Dudjom Rinpoche]] gives ten meanings for the term
==Subdivisions==
Dharma, quoting from [[Vasubandhu]]’s ''The Principles of
===[[Dharma of transmission]]===
Elucidation'' (''Vyakhyayukti'' [Skt.], Namshé Rigpa [Tib.]):<br>
{{:Dharma of transmission}}
*an object of knowledge,<br>
===[[Dharma of realization]]===
*the path,<br>
{{:Dharma of realization}}
*nirvana,<br>
[[Jikmé Lingpa]] said that if you understand that meaning of a single verse, that constitutes the Dharma of scripture or transmission, and if you give rise to a virtuous mind for just an instant, that is the Dharma of realization.<ref>''tshigs bcad gcig gi don shes na/ de ni lung gi bstan pa yin/dge sems skad cig skyes pa na/ de ni rtogs pa’i bstan pa yin.''</ref>
*a mental object,<br>
*merit,<br>
*life,<br>
*teachings of the Buddha,<br>
*what is subject to age or change,<br>
*religious vows, and<br>
*spiritual tradition.<br>
They all relate to the sense of ‘holding’, which is the meaning of
''dhr'', the root of the word Dharma.


===Eight Qualities of the Dharma===
==Eight Qualities of the Dharma==
{{:Eight qualities of the Dharma}}


According to [[Maitreya]]'s ''[[Uttaratantra Shastra]]'', the Dharma has eight qualities of cessation and the path:<br>
==Notes==
<small><references/></small>


Path:<br>
==Further Reading==
1) purity, since free from emotional obscurations<br>
*''A Treasury of Dharma'', aka ''The Mengak Study Pack'' (Lodève: The Tertön Sogyal Trust, 2005), pages 29-33.
2) clarity, since free from cognitive obscurations<br>
*[[Khenpo Ngawang Palzang]], ''[[A Guide to the Words of My Perfect Teacher]]'' (Boston & London: Shambhala, 2004), pages 107-108.
3) remedy, since it overcomes both obscurations<br>
*[[Thinley Norbu]], ''The Small Golden Key'' (Shambhala Publications, 1999), ‘10. The Dharma of Precept and Dharma of Realization.'
 
Cessation:<br>
4) inconceivable, since beyond concepts<br>
5) utterly peaceful, since it is free from karma and disturbing emotions<br>
6) unfathomable, since individually cognized<br>
 
And 7) cessation; and 8) the path.


==Internal Links==
*[[Three types of Words of the Buddha]]


[[Category:Key Terms]]
[[Category:Key Terms]]
[[Category:Dharma| ]]
[[Category:Sanskrit Terms]]

Latest revision as of 07:36, 14 September 2023

Dharma texts from the Longchen Nyingtik Field of merit

Dharma (Skt.; Tib. ཆོས་, chö, Wyl. chos) — the word used to refer to the teachings of the Buddha (Skt. Buddhadharma). It has many shades of meaning, including ‘the spiritual path’, or ‘spirituality’ in general. It also refers to phenomena, meaning things and events. See also ten meanings of Dharma.

Subdivisions

Dharma of transmission

The Dharma of transmission (Skt. āgama dharma; Tib. ལུང་གི་ཆོས་, Wyl. lung gi chos) consists of the three collections (pitaka): Vinaya, Sutra and Abhidharma.

Dharma of realization

The Dharma of realization (Tib. རྟོགས་པའི་ཆོས་, tokpé chö, Wyl. rtogs pa'i chos) is the threefold higher training:

  • The training in higher discipline, which is the subject matter of the vinaya collection.
  • The training in higher meditation, which is the subject matter of the sutra collection.
  • The training in higher wisdom, which is the subject matter of the abhidharma collection.

Jikmé Lingpa said that if you understand that meaning of a single verse, that constitutes the Dharma of scripture or transmission, and if you give rise to a virtuous mind for just an instant, that is the Dharma of realization.[1]

Eight Qualities of the Dharma

According to Maitreya's Uttaratantra Shastra, the Dharma has eight qualities of cessation and the path:

Path:

1) purity, since free from emotional obscurations
2) clarity, since free from cognitive obscurations
3) remedy, since it overcomes both obscurations

Cessation:

4) inconceivable, since beyond concepts
5) utterly peaceful, since it is free from karma and disturbing emotions
6) unfathomable, since individually cognized

And

7) cessation; and
8) the path.

Notes

  1. tshigs bcad gcig gi don shes na/ de ni lung gi bstan pa yin/dge sems skad cig skyes pa na/ de ni rtogs pa’i bstan pa yin.

Further Reading

Internal Links