Dharma

Dharma texts from the Longchen Nyingtik Field of merit

Dharma (Skt. dharma; Tib. 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.

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.

Further Reading

• Khenpo Ngawang Palzang, A Guide to the Words of My Perfect Teacher, Shambhala, 2004, pages 107-108.
• Thinley Norbu, The Small Golden Key (Shambhala Publications, 1999), ‘10. The Dharma of Precept and Dharma of Realization.'