Dhātu
| Key Term | dhātu |
|---|---|
| In Tibetan Script | ཁམས་ |
| Wylie Tibetan Transliteration | khams |
| Devanagari Sanskrit Script | धातु |
| Romanized Sanskrit | dhātu |
| Chinese Pinyin | jie |
| Karl Brunnhölzl's English Term | basic element |
| Richard Barron's English Term | realm; factor/ constituent element/ component of (ordinary) experience [in sense of eighteen dhatus]; fundamental nature/ constituent of being (in the sense of buddha nature) (specific) character type/ termperament subtle essence [in anuyoga/ tsalung contexts; e.g., khams dkar dmar] isc. element [of periodic table] |
| Jeffrey Hopkin's English Term | realm; constituent; element; basic/essential constituent; disposition; type; constitution [as in health] |
| Term Type | Noun |
| Source Language | Sanskrit |
| Basic Meaning | element |
| Did you know? | In the Ratnagotravibhāga, dhātu is synonymous with gotra, the final element that enables all beings to become buddhas. |
| Related Terms | mahā-bhūta; dharmadhātu |
| Definitions | |
| Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism |
In Sanskrit and Pāli, “element”; a polysemous term with wide application in Buddhist contexts. In epistemology, the dhātus refer to the eighteen elements through which sensory experience is produced: the six sense bases, or sense organs (indriya; viz., eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind); the six corresponding sense objects (ālambana; viz., forms, sounds, odors, tastes, tangible objects, and mental phenomena); and the six sensory consciousnesses that result from contact (sparśa) between the corresponding base and object (vijñāna; viz., visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory, tactile, and mental consciousnesses). As this list makes clear, the eighteen dhātus also subsume the twelve āyatana (sense-fields). The dhātus represent one of the three major taxonomies of dharmas found in the sūtras (along with 'skanda' and 'āyatana'), and represent a more primitive stage of dharma classification than the elaborate analyses found in much of the mature 'Abhidharma' literature (but cf. Dharmaskandha). In cosmology, dhātu is used in reference to the three realms of existence (trilokadhātu), which comprise all of the phenomenal universe: the sensuous realm (kāmadhātu), the subtle-materiality realm (rūpadhātu), and the immaterial realm (ārūpyadhātu). The three realms of existence taken together comprise all of samsāra, and are the realms within which beings take rebirth. In this cosmological sense, dhātu is synonymous to AVACARA (sphere, domain); see avacara for further details. In a physical sense, dhātu is used to refer to the constituent elements of the physical world (see mahābhūta), of which four are usually recognized in Buddhist materials: earth, water, fire, and wind. Sometimes two additional constituents are added to the list: space (ākāśa) and consciousness (vijñāna). The term dhātu may also refer to an “elemental physical substance,” that is, the physical remains of the body, and this context is synonymous with śarīra (relic), with which it is often seen in compound as śariradhātu (bodily relic). Sometimes three types of relics are differentiated: specific corporeal relics (śarīradhātu), relics of use (pāribhogikadhātu), and relics of commemoration (uddeśikadhātu). In a further development of this usage, in the Ratnagotravibhāga, dhātu is synonymous with gotra, the final element that enables all beings to become buddhas; see BUDDHADHĀTU. |
| Rangjung Yeshe's English Term | General meanings: expanse/ character; east Tibet. domain, territory, land; area, province; realm; constituent element/ component of experience; fundamental constituent of being (in the sense of buddha nature); character type; 1) Skt. dhatu, element, nature, capacity, property, constituent, {dngos po'i gnas tshul}, {ngo bo}, {rigs}, {bde bar gshegs pa'i snying po} For example the khams of fire is heat. The {dbyings} of water is wetness. Syn {'byung ba}, {rang bzhin}. 2) potential, seed. Syn {rgyu}, {sa bon}. 2) existentiality, [elements of our experiential make-up], character, nature, natural temperament, propensity, disposition, ability. 3) organs of the body, fields of sense, sensory sphere / base. 4) buddha-nature [s0. {snying po} 5) realm, region, dominion, world, plane, sphere, space, expanse [sm. {dbyings} 6) physical constitution / condition, health, sate of health. 7) Kham A province in eastern Tibet. Kham [the general area of east Tibet]. 8) domain, kingdom, empire, world, territory, land. 9) semen, essence. 10) fortification. 11) appetite. 12) types. 13) subtle nature, constituent. 14) the six elements, [earth, air, fire, water, ether, mind]. 15) state of health. 16) psycho-physical base; / Def. by Jamgön Kongtrül: {dhA tu'i sgra las sa bon 'dzin pa'am rang gi mtshan nyid 'dzin pa'i don gyis khams shes bya ba}. 17) character, nature, natural temperament, propensity, disposition, ability. element [thd |
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