Dharma
Ten Meanings of Dharma
Kyabjé Dudjom Rinpoche gives ten meanings for the term
Dharma, quoting from Vasubandhu’s The Principles of
Elucidation (Vyakhyayukti [Skt.], Namshé Rigpa [Tib.]):
- an object of knowledge,
- the path,
- nirvana,
- a mental object,
- merit,
- life,
- teachings of the Buddha,
- what is subject to age or change,
- religious vows, and
- spiritual tradition.
They all relate to the sense of ‘holding’, which is the meaning of dhr, the root of the word Dharma.