dhātu
Basic Meaning
A fundamental component or essential constituent.
Read It in the Scriptures
The dhātu of beginningless time
Is the foundation of all phenomena.
And also nirvāṇa are obtained.
Due to its existence, all forms of existence
~ The Abhidharmamahāyānasūtra, as cited in the Ratnagotravibhāgavyākhyā, Chapter 1, verse 149—152. Translated by Karl Brunnhölzl.
| Term Variations | |
|---|---|
| Key Term | dhātu |
| Topic Variation | dhātu |
| Tibetan | ཁམས་ ( kham) |
| Wylie Tibetan Transliteration | khams ( kham) |
| Devanagari Sanskrit | धातु |
| Romanized Sanskrit | dhātu |
| Chinese | 界 |
| Chinese Pinyin | jiè |
| Buddha-nature Site Standard English | element |
| Karl Brunnhölzl's English Term | basic element |
| Richard Barron's English Term | realm, constituent element, fundamental nature, 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.
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 a physical sense, dhātu is used to refer to the constituent elements of the physical world, 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). In the Ratnagotravibhāga, dhātu is synonymous with gotra, the final element that enables all beings to become buddhas. |
