dhātu

From Buddha-Nature
Sanskrit Noun

dhātu

element
धातु
ཁམས་

Basic Meaning

A fundamental component or essential constituent.

Read It in the Scriptures

The dhātu of beginningless time
 
~ The Abhidharmamahāyānasūtra, as cited in the Ratnagotravibhāgavyākhyā, Chapter 1, verse 149—152. Translated by Karl Brunnhölzl.
On this topic
Term Variations
Key Term dhātu
Topic Variation dhātu
Tibetan ཁམས་  ( kham)
Wylie Tibetan Transliteration khams  ( kham)
Devanagari Sanskrit धातु
Romanized Sanskrit dhātu
Chinese
Chinese Pinyin jiè
Buddha-nature Site Standard English element
Karl Brunnhölzl's English Term basic element
Richard Barron's English Term realm, fundamental nature, constituent element, components of ordinary experience, fundamental being
Jeffrey Hopkin's English Term essential constituent
Ives Waldo's English Term region, realm, element, nature, cause and seed
Term Information
Source Language Sanskrit
Basic Meaning A fundamental component or essential constituent.
Did you know? In the Ratnagotravibhāga, dhātu is synonymous with gotra, the final element that enables all beings to become buddhas. (Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism, p 254)
Related Terms gotra, buddhadhātu
Term Type Noun
Definitions
Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism See page 254: In Sanskrit and Pāli, “element”; a polysemous term with wide application in Buddhist contexts.