dharma

Scope note: Refers to a key concept with multiple meanings in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. In Hinduism, dharma is the religious and moral law governing and enabling society and individual conduct. It is found in the early religious manuals called the dharmasutras and has been expanded into larger compilations of law called the dharmashastra. Dharma in Buddhism retains the Hindu sense of cosmic law and order but it also came to be applied to the teachings of the Buddha who is seen as a manifestation of the universal truth that is dharma. Thus, dharma is the practice of this truth in Buddhism. The triratna ("three jewels") is a fundamental aspect of Buddhism and consists of the Buddha, dharma, and the sangha (community of believers). In the context of Buddhist metaphysics, the term in the plural (dharmas) refers to the interrelated elements that make up the empirical world. In addition to being commonly understood as moral virtue in Jaina philosophy, dharma also refers to an eternal "substance" (dravya) that is the medium that allows living beings to move. It is a meaning unique to Jainism. The term may simply refer to the teachings of the Jinas. For the Jains, dharma has its opposite in adharma which is error and immorality as well as the ability to rest or pause.

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