Dharmadhatu (; ; ) is the 'dimension', 'realm' or 'sphere' (dhātu) of the Dharma or Absolute Reality.
Entire Dharmadhatu was filled with an infinite number of Pure land (Sanskrit: buddhakṣetra) with ineffable number of Buddhas. This realm is beyond of everything, and it is visible only to Buddhahood and all other Bodhisattva in existence.
Definition
In
Mahayana, dharmadhatu means "realm of all phenomena", "realm of all things" (the entire universe with all visible and invisible things) or "realm of eternal truth". It is referred to by several analogous terms from Mahayana Buddhist philosophy, such as
tathātā (reality "as-it-is"),
śūnyatā (emptiness),
pratitya-samutpada (dependent co-arising) and
eternal Buddha. It is the "deepest nature, or essence".
Dharmadhatu is the purified mind in its natural state, free of obscurations. It is the essence-quality or primal nature of mind, the fundamental ground of consciousness of the trikaya, which is accessed via the mindstream.
When the buddha-nature has been realised, dharmadhatu is also referred to as the Dharmakāya, the Body of Dharma Truth.
It is associated with supreme cosmic buddha Vairocana.
Historical origin
Kang-nam Oh traces the origin of dharmadhatu to the
Avatamsaka Sutra. It has been further developed by the
Huayan school:
Understanding in Buddhist tradition
Indian Buddhism
Śrīmālādevī Sūtra
The Śrīmālādevī Sūtra (3rd century CE), also named
The Lion's Roar of Queen Srimala, centers on the teaching of the
tathagatagarbha as "ultimate soteriological principle". It states that the tathagata-garbha is the "embryo" of the Dharmadhatu and the
Dharmakaya:
In the Śrīmālādevī Sūtra, there are two possible states for the Tathagatagarbha:
The sutra itself states it this way:
Dharmadhātustava
The
Dharmadhātustava ("In praise of the Dharmadhatu"), attributed to Nāgārjuna though questioned, is a treatise on the dharmadhatu. According to the
Dharmadhātustava, the dharmadhatu is the ground which makes liberation possible:
According to the Dharmadhātustava, the dharmadhatu is seen when the afflictions are purified:
Chinese Buddhism
Mahaparinirvana Sutra
In the Mahayana Mahaparinirvana Sutra, the Buddha states of himself that he is the "boundless Dharmadhatu" - the totality itself.
Tibetan Buddhism
Five Wisdoms
The Dharmadhatu is comprehended by one of the
Five Wisdoms:
-
Dharmadhatu wisdom,
-
Mirror-like wisdom,
-
Equality wisdom,
-
Discriminating wisdom,
-
All-accomplishing wisdom.
Dzogchen
In the
Dzogchen text
Gold refined from ore, the term Dharmadhatu is translated as "total field of events and meanings" or "field of all events and meanings".
See also
Notes
Works cited
Further reading
