dharma
धर्म
That which is upheld; order; duty.
Technical Meaning
The order that upholds the cosmos and the duty proper to each being within it: law, righteousness, teaching, and the nature of things in one word. In Buddhism it names both the Buddha's teaching and the elements of existence.
More Sanskrit Terms
- atman — Self.
- bhakti — Devotion; participation; sharing.
- brahman — The expansive; the great.
- karma — Action; deed.
- maya — Illusion; measure; magic.
- moksha — Release; liberation.
- samsara — Wandering; the flowing-on.
Related Across the Site
- atman Glossary Term — Self.
- karma Glossary Term — Action; deed.
- moksha Glossary Term — Release; liberation.
- samsara Glossary Term — Wandering; the flowing-on.
- Ardhamagadhi and the Prakrits Language — The language of the Jain canon and of early Indian scripture and drama, the spoken sister of Sanskrit.
- Sanskrit Language — The sacred language of Hinduism and a scriptural language of Buddhism and Jainism: Vedic first, then the classical language of Indian theology.
- St Andrews Encyclopaedia of Theology Library — An open-access, multi-author theological reference with advanced articles on Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism.
- Hinduism World View — Hinduism gathers many traditions around one conviction: the soul is bound to rebirth by karma, and liberation comes when it realizes its oneness with the divine.