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.
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.