Dharmadhātu
From Bodhicitta
धर्मधातु dharmadhātu
expanse of phenomena
ཆོས་དབྱིངས་
chos dbyings
法界
Sanskrit - Noun
Basic Meaning
The fundamental expanse from which all phenomena emerge.
Has the Sense of
The ultimate source of phenomenal appearances, or the basic nature which allows for phenomena to arise in all their multiplicity. It is often treated as a synonym for emptiness and the ultimate truth.
| Term Variations | |
| Key Term | Dharmadhātu |
|---|---|
| Topic Variation | dharmadhātu |
| Tibetan | ཆོས་དབྱིངས་ ( chöying) |
| Wylie Transliteration | chos dbyings ( chöying) |
| Devanagari Sanskrit | धर्मधातु |
| Romanized Sanskrit | dharmadhātu |
| Chinese | 法界 |
| Buddha-nature Site Standard English | expanse of phenomena |
| Richard Barron's English Term | basic space of phenomena |
| Jeffrey Hopkin's English Term | sphere of reality |
| Gyurme Dorje's English Term | expanse of reality |
| Ives Waldo's English Term | ultimate sphere |
| Term Information | |
| Source Language | Sanskrit |
| Basic Meaning | The fundamental expanse from which all phenomena emerge. |
| Has the Sense of | The ultimate source of phenomenal appearances, or the basic nature which allows for phenomena to arise in all their multiplicity. It is often treated as a synonym for emptiness and the ultimate truth. |
| Related Terms | śūnyatā, paramārthasatya |
| Term Type | Noun |
| Definitions | |
| Rangjung Yeshe Dictionary | Dharmadhatu, ultimate sphere, totality of being, total field of events and meanings, the sphere of Dharma, field of all events and meanings, reality field, element of [superior] qualities, dharmadhatu, realm of dharmas, {chos khams}; the dimension of all existence; the expanse of All That Is; the sphere of Dharma, expanse of all events, absolute expanse |
| Tshig mdzod Chen mo | 1) stong pa nyid/ ... 2) gzugs kyi phung po la sogs pa phung po lnga'i rang bzhin stong pa nyid gang yin pa/ |
| Other Definitions | Jeffrey Hopkins' Comment: An equivalent of ultimate truth (don dam bden pa, paramArthasatya) so called because meditation within observing it acts as a cause of the qualities (dharma, chos) of Superiors (Arya, 'phags pa)." Emptiness, being uncaused, is not itself a cause (element), but meditation on it causes the development of marvelous qualities; thus, emptiness comes to be called a cause, an element producing those qualities. |
