Dhamma (P.) Dharma (Sk.)
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Dhamma (P.) Dharma (Sk.) ; The Pali form is generally used by the Theravāda School, the Sanskrit by the M. School.
Dharma, in sense of ‘the course of conduct right for a man at this particular stage of
evolution’, is now well known in the West through its use in Theosophical literature.
The Sk. form comes from Aryan root ‘dhar’, to uphold, sustain, support, and has been
rendered in English as system, doctrine, religion, virtue, moral quality, righteousness,
duty, law, standard, norm, ideal, truth, form, condition, cause, thing and cosmic order ; it
may mean any of these according to the context. We may trace basic meaning in Eng.
form, that which supports, that which gives state or condition to the orderly arrangement
of parts which makes a thing what it is; from which comes Eng. ‘good form’, conduct
appropriate to any given occasion.
Technical definitions come under five headings:
(a) Dhamma—Doctrine. Any teaching set forth as a formulated system; the guiding principles accepted or followed by a man; as applied to Bsm.: the Teachings of the Buddha. (See Buddhism.)
(b) Right, Righteous conduct or righteousness, Law. Justice. (See Sammā.)
(c) Condition. Cause or causal antecedent. Cause and effect being practically identical, Dhamma is here viewed from its causal side, as in (d) it is viewed from aspect of effect.
(d) Phenomenon. Dhammā as effect. It is used in this sense in first verse of Dhp.: ‘All dhammas (phenomena) are mind created’; and in the famous formula sabbe dhammā anattā—the whole of the phenomenal world is anattā, etc. Application of word Dhamma to phenomena indicates orderly nature of existence; universe is expression of Law.
(e) Ultimate Reality. In Mahayana Dharma is sometimes synonymous with Tathatā
(q.v.) or Ultimate Reality. (See Dharma-kāya.)