Definition/meaning of Dhamma

A discussion on all aspects of Theravāda Buddhism
User avatar
nirodh27
Posts: 681
Joined: Mon Nov 18, 2019 12:31 pm

Definition/meaning of Dhamma

Post by nirodh27 »

Hi everyone,

I'm doing some research and I would like to know if, like for Sati, there's a definition of "Dhamma"/"Dhammas" in the Nikayas, especially MN, SN.

To me it seems that the most frequent meaning of Dhamma in the Nikayas is "the teaching of the Buddha" and fits almost all the usages, but in Buddhist philosophy is used mainly as "Phenomena" and of course there's the brief phrase "Sabbe Dhamma Anatta" that no-one translates as "all the teachings are without self" (even if it has some sense).

I would like to know if in the Nikayas this definition as phenomena is stated somewhere and if it is possible to differentiate between "phenomena" and "teachings" when we find the Pali words in the Nikayas in some way. Quotations are the best, but every word on this issue is welcome! :bow:

Thank you very much for your effort in responding.
Last edited by nirodh27 on Fri Sep 17, 2021 4:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Ceisiwr
Posts: 22403
Joined: Sun Jan 11, 2009 2:36 am
Location: Wales

Re: Definition/meaning of Dhamma

Post by Ceisiwr »

nirodh27 wrote: Fri Sep 17, 2021 4:06 pm
To me it seems that the most frequent meaning of Dhamma in the Nikayas is "the teaching of the Buddha" and fits almost all the usages, but in Buddhist philosophy is used mainly as "Phenomena" and of course there's the brief phrase "Sabbe Dhamma Anatta" that no-one translates as "all the teachings are without self" (even if it has some sense).
Ven. Sujato teaches that it should be understood as all teachings are not self, because principles like dependent origination always are and so could be mistakenly taken to be the basis of some permanent self.
“Knowing that this body is just like foam,
understanding it has the nature of a mirage,
cutting off Māra’s flower-tipped arrows,
one should go beyond the King of Death’s sight.”
Ontheway
Posts: 3062
Joined: Wed Aug 11, 2021 3:35 pm

Re: Definition/meaning of Dhamma

Post by Ontheway »

I think it is best to read the Pali according to Sutta /Gatha context.

Pali words such as Dhamma, Brahma-, Sankhara, Gandhabba, Naga, Brahmana, etc have multiple meanings according to the context.
Hiriottappasampannā,
sukkadhammasamāhitā;
Santo sappurisā loke,
devadhammāti vuccare.

https://suttacentral.net/ja6/en/chalmer ... ight=false
User avatar
mikenz66
Posts: 19943
Joined: Sat Jan 10, 2009 7:37 am
Location: Aotearoa, New Zealand

Re: Definition/meaning of Dhamma

Post by mikenz66 »

Hi nirodh27
nirodh27 wrote: Fri Sep 17, 2021 4:06 pm To me it seems that the most frequent meaning of Dhamma in the Nikayas is "the teaching of the Buddha" and fits almost all the usages, but in Buddhist philosophy is used mainly as "Phenomena" and of course there's the brief phrase "Sabbe Dhamma Anatta" that no-one translates as "all the teachings are without self" (even if it has some sense).
Here is a handy glossary of how Bhikkhu Bodhi and Bhikkhu Sujato translated various words:
https://discourse.suttacentral.net/t/pa ... jato/12008

dhamma
Bodhi:
(1) untranslated: the Buddha’s teaching; (2) things, phenomena; (3) mental phenomena, (mental) states, mind-objects; (4) qualities; (5) principle, law; (6) having the nature of, subject to (as suffix)
Sujato:
(1) teaching (2) thing; (3) phenomena; (4) thoughts; (5) qualities; (6) principle, law; (7) liable to [as suffix]

As you can see, dhamma appears a lot in the suttas, but unless you look at the Pali, you may not notice it.

:heart:
Mike
User avatar
mikenz66
Posts: 19943
Joined: Sat Jan 10, 2009 7:37 am
Location: Aotearoa, New Zealand

Re: Definition/meaning of Dhamma

Post by mikenz66 »

Bhikkhu Bodhi's Introduction from his MN translation:
DHAMMA

In his later translations Ven. Ñāṇamoli appears to have set himself two goals: to render virtually every Pali word into English (arahant and bodhisatta are rare exceptions); and to do so in obedience to a very rigorous standard of consistency. In effect the principle that guided his work was: one Pali word, one corresponding English word. This principle he also applied to his treatment of the multiplex word dhamma, of which he wrote elsewhere that “the need for unity in the rendering is so great as to be almost desperate” (Minor Readings and Illustrator, p. 331). He chose as his root rendering the word “idea,” which he attempted to deploy for the Pali word in all its diverse occurrences. Even when dhamma is used in the suttas to signify the Buddha’s teaching, he still remained faithful to his choice by translating it “the True Idea.”
 
Needless to say, this experiment was not successful. Recognising this, Ven. Khantipālo, in his edition of the ninety suttas, opted instead to retain the Pali word in most of its occurrences. This decision, however, seems to have been unnecessary when the relinquishment of the demand for strict consistency allows for smooth and reliable translation without loss of meaning. While the many different uses of the Pali word dhamma may originally have had some underlying connection of meaning, by the time of the Pali Canon such connection had already receded so far into the background as to be virtually irrelevant to the understanding of the texts. The commentaries ascribe at least ten different contextual meanings to the word as it occurs in the Canon and they do not try to read any philosophical significance into this variability of application. The goal of lucid translation therefore seems to require that the word be rendered differently according to its context, which generally makes the intended meaning clear.
 
In revising Ven. Ñāṇamoli’s translation I have retained the Pali word Dhamma only when it refers to the Buddha’s teaching, or in several cases to a rival teaching with which the Buddha’s is contrasted (as at MN 11.13 and MN 104.2). In its other uses the context has been allowed to decide the rendering. Thus when dhamma occurs in the plural as a general ontological reference term it has been rendered “things” (as at MN 1.2 and MN 2.5). When it acquires a more technical nuance, in the sense either of the phenomena of existence or of mental constituents, it has been rendered “states” (as at MN 64.9 and MN 111.4). This term, however, must be divested of its overtone of staticity, dhammas being events within a dynamic process, and it must also not be taken to refer to some persisting entity that undergoes the states, entities themselves being nothing but connected series of dhammas. The last two meanings of dhamma are not always separable in the texts and sometimes naturalness of English diction had to be used as the factor for deciding which should be selected.
 
As the fourth foundation of mindfulness and as the sixth external sense base (āyatana), dhamma has been rendered “mind-objects” (even here “ideas” is too narrow). In still other contexts it has been rendered as qualities (MN 15.3, MN 48.6) and teachings (MN 46.2, MN 47.3). When used as a suffix it acquires the idiomatic sense of “to be subject to” and so it has been translated, e.g., vipariṇāmadhamma as “subject to change.”
And from the SN translation:
DHAMMA

Rather than embark on the quest for a single English rendering that can capture all the meanings of this polyvalent Pāli word, I have settled for the more pragmatic approach of using different renderings intended to match its different applications.10 When the word denotes the Buddha’s teaching, I have retained the Pāli “Dhamma,” for even “teaching” fails to convey the idea that what the Buddha teaches as the Dhamma is not a system of thought original to himself but the fundamental principles of truth, virtue, and liberation discovered and taught by all Buddhas throughout beginningless time. This is the Dhamma venerated by the Buddhas of the past, present, and future, which they look upon as their own standard and guide (see 6:2). which they look upon as their own standard and guide (see 6:2). From an internal “emic” point of view, the Dhamma is thus more than a particular religious teaching that has appeared at a particular epoch of human history. It is the timeless law in which reality, truth, and righteousness are merged in a seamless unity, and also the conceptual expression of this law in a body of spiritual and ethical teachings leading to the highest goal, Nibbāna, which is likewise comprised by the Dhamma. The word “Dhamma,” however, can also signify teachings that deviate from the truth, including the erroneous doctrines of the “outside” teachers. Thus the Jain teacher Nigaṇṭha Nātaputta is said to “teach the Dhamma to his disciples” (IV 317,25)—certainly not the Buddha’s teaching.

In one passage I render Dhamma as “righteousness” (at the Se counterpart of IV 303,21). This is in the epithet dhammarājā used for a universal monarch, where “king of righteousness” fits better than “king of the Dhamma,” the significance the epithet has relative to the Buddha. The corresponding adjective, dhammika, is “righteous.”

When dhamma occurs as a general term of reference, often in the plural, I usually render it “things.” As such, the word does not bear the narrow sense of concrete material objects but includes literally every-thing, such as qualities, practices, acts, and relationships. Thus the four factors of stream-entry are, as dhammas, things; so too are the twelve factors of dependent origination, the five aggregates, the six pairs of sense bases, and the diverse practices leading to enlightenment. Used in the plural, dhammā can also mean teachings, and so I render it at III 225,9 foll., though the exact sense there is ambiguous and the word might also mean the things that are taught rather than the teachings about them. One expression occurring in two suttas (II 58,3–4; IV 328,21–22), iminā dhammena, can be most satisfactorily rendered “by this principle,” though here dhamma points to the Dhamma as the essential teaching. Again, at I 167,9 (= I 168,25, 173,10), we have dhamme sati, “when this principle exists,” a rule of conduct followed by the Buddha.

When plural dhammā acquires a more technical nuance, in contexts with ontological overtones, I render it “phenomena.” For instance, paṭicca-samuppannā dhammā are “dependently arisen phenomena” (II 26,7), and each of the five aggregates is loke lokadhamma, “a world-phenomenon in the world” that the Buddha has penetrated and taught (III 139,22 foll.). When the word takes on a more psychological hue, I render it “states.” The most common example of this is in the familiar pair kusalā dhammā, wholesome states, and akusalā dhammā, unwholesome states (found, for example, in the formula for right effort; V 9,17–27). The enlightenment factor dhammavicaya-sambojjhaṅga is said to be nurtured by giving careful attention to pairs of contrasting mental states (among them wholesome and unwholesome states; V 66,18), and thus I render it “the enlightenment factor of discrimination of states.” But since the dhammas investigated can also be the four objective supports of mindfulness (V 331–32), dhammavicaya might have been translated “discrimination of phenomena.” Sometimes dhammā signifies traits of character more persistent than transient mental states; in this context I render it “qualities,” e.g., Mahākassapa complains that the bhikkhus “have qualities which make them difficult to admonish” (II 204,3–4).

As a sense base and element, the dhammāyatana and dhammadhātu are the counterparts of the manāyatana, the mind base, and the manoviññāṇadhātu, the mind-consciousness element. The appropriate sense here would seem to be that of ideas and mental images, but the commentaries understand dhammas in these contexts to include not only the objects of consciousness but its concomitants as well. Thus I translate it “mental phenomena,” which is wide enough to encompass both these aspects of experience. As the fourth satipaṭṭhāna, objective base of mindfulness, dhammā is often translated “mind-objects.” So I rendered it in MLDB, but in retrospect this seems to me unsatisfactory. Of course, any existent can become an object of mind, and thus all dhammas in the fourth satipaṭṭhāna are necessarily mind-objects; but the latter term puts the focus in the wrong place. I now understand dhammas to be phenomena in general, but phenomena arranged in accordance with the categories of the Dhamma, the teaching, in such a way as to lead to a realization of the essential Dhamma embodied in the Four Noble Truths.

Finally, -dhamma as a suffix has the meaning “is subject to” or “has the nature of.” Thus all dependently arisen phenomena are “subject to destruction, vanishing, fading away, and cessation” (khayadhamma, vayadhamma, virāgadhamma, nirodhadhamma; II 26,9 foll.). The five aggregates are “of impermanent nature, of painful nature, of selfless nature” (aniccadhamma, dukkhadhamma, anattadhamma; III 195–96).
Unfortunately, the SN references use the PTS page numbers. You can locate these using
https://pts.dhamma-dana.de/
So entering the last reference above:
S iii 195
gives:
https://suttacentral.net/sn23.11/en/suj ... p-pli3.195
but you'll have to skip forward a couple of suttas to:
https://suttacentral.net/sn23.14/en/sujato#1.3
“Sir, they speak of this thing called ‘naturally impermanent’.
“‘aniccadhammo, aniccadhammo’ti, bhante, vuccati.
Bhikkhu Bodhi translates that line as:
“Venerable sir, it is said, ‘of an impermanent nature, of an impermanent nature.’
:heart:
Mike
User avatar
DooDoot
Posts: 12032
Joined: Tue Aug 08, 2017 11:06 pm

Re: Definition/meaning of Dhamma

Post by DooDoot »

nirodh27 wrote: Fri Sep 17, 2021 4:06 pm I would like to know if in the Nikayas this definition as phenomena is stated somewhere and if it is possible to differentiate between "phenomena" and "teachings" when we find the Pali words in the Nikayas in some way.
The word 'dharma' does not originate from Buddhism. For example, when Upatissa (Sariputta) met the Arahant Assaji, Upatissa, not yet a Buddhist, asked Assaji: "who is your teacher, what dharma does he teach?"

Its best to start at Wikipedia, which affirms what I learned from Ajahn Buddhadasa, namely, the word "dharma" means "that which supports"; the same root as "dhatu", which means "that which upholds itself":
The word dharma has roots in the Sanskrit dhr-, which means to hold or to support, and is related to Latin firmus (firm, stable). From this, it takes the meaning of "what is established or firm", and hence "law". It is derived from an older Vedic Sanskrit n-stem dharman-, with a literal meaning of "bearer, supporter", in a religious sense conceived as an aspect of Rta.[20]

In the Rigveda, the word appears as an n-stem, dhárman-, with a range of meanings encompassing "something established or firm" (in the literal sense of prods or poles). Figuratively, it means "sustainer" and "supporter" (of deities). It is semantically similar to the Greek themis ("fixed decree, statute, law").[21]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dharma#Etymology
Therefore, Ajahn Buddhadasa summarised the meanings or types of "dhamma" in Buddhism as:
(i) nature/natural things/phenomena;
(ii) the law of nature, which includes the teachings;
(iii) duty or practise according to the law of nature
(iv) the result of practising duty according to the law of nature.

For example, in worldly life, the life of people is "supported" by food, family, education, wisdom, even unwholesome emotions, such as anger. This is why all these things are "dhammas" ("supporters").

So some examples of suttas:

1. “All dhamma are not-self” = "things" or "phenomena" (Dhp 279). This is affirmed by SN 22.90, which refers to the five aggregates in the context of this teaching; even though dhamma also includes "Nibbana". This is also affirmed by AN 3.136, which says all dhammas are not-self regardless of whether or not Buddhas arise. If all dhammas are not-self, even when there is no Buddhism, then dhamma here cannot mean "the Teachings" since there are no Teachings.

2. 4th satipatthana = Higher Teachings or Ultimate Truth, as affirmed by MN 118, where contemplation of Dhamma refers to impermanence, dispassion, cessation & giving up

3. AN 3.136, which means "Law" or "Ultimate Truth" ; Monks, whether or not there is the arising of Tathagatas, this property stands — this steadfastness of the Dhamma, this orderliness of the Dhamma: All conditioned things are impermanent. All conditioned things are unsatisfactory. All things are not-self.

4. Dhamma as ‘path factors’ or ‘skilful practices’. O Bhikkhus. The footprints of all land-bound creatures fit within the footprint of the elephant; the elephant’s footprint is said to be the supreme footprint in terms of size. Similarly all skilful dhammas have heedfulness as their base, converge within the bounds of heedfulness. Heedfulness may be said to be supreme amongst those dhammas. AN 10.15. Or AN 10.58 below:
All dhamma are rooted in zeal [chanda iddhipāda].

All dhamma come into play through [wise] attention.

All dhamma arise with contact.

All dhamma [practises] converge on [having mindfulness at] feelings.

All dhamma head towards [the development of] concentration.

All dhamm a are governed (supervised) by mindfulness.

All dhamma have wisdom as their highest (apex).

All dhamma have release as their heartwood.

All dhamma gain a footing in the deathless.

All dhamma culminate in Nibbana.

AN 10.58
5. . Dhamma as ‘mind objects’ (including Nibbana). Dependent on the intellect & dhamma there arises consciousness at the intellect. MN 148

6. Dhamma as "mental states" aka mental "phenomena": "I see no other dhamma which is as much a cause for arising of as-yet unarisen skilful dhammas and the decline of already arisen unskilful dhammas as heedfulness. When one is heedful, as-yet unarisen skilful dhammas will inevitably arise and unskilful dhammas that have already arisen will inevitably decline. AN 1.58

7. Dhamma as "doctrines of living": Mind precedes all dhamma. Mind is their chief; they are all mind-wrought. If with an impure mind a person speaks or acts suffering follows him like the wheel that follows the foot of the ox. Mind precedes all dhamma. Mind is their chief; they are all mind-wrought. If with a pure mind a person speaks or acts happiness follows him like his never-departing shadow. Dhammapada 1 & 2

Based on my explanations, the major translators are often wrong. They are all wrong about AN 10.58, which was proven here by Piotr and Deele. :spy:
Last edited by DooDoot on Sat Sep 18, 2021 4:24 am, edited 1 time in total.
There is always an official executioner. If you try to take his place, It is like trying to be a master carpenter and cutting wood. If you try to cut wood like a master carpenter, you will only hurt your hand.

https://soundcloud.com/doodoot/paticcasamuppada
https://soundcloud.com/doodoot/anapanasati
dhammapal
Posts: 2646
Joined: Sun Nov 01, 2009 9:23 am
Location: Sydney, Australia

Re: Definition/meaning of Dhamma

Post by dhammapal »

Thanissaro Bhikkhu wrote:The word “Dhamma” that we use for the Buddha’s teachings has other meanings as well. And one of the most important ones, one that’s often overlooked, is action. Dhamma means action. And that’s what the Buddha’s teachings are all about: your actions in terms of what you do with your body, what you do with your speech, what you do with your mind, and the actions that the Buddha recommends you do and not do.

He recommends that you be generous, that you observe the precepts, and you develop good qualities in the mind through mindfulness and meditation, partly because these actions give rise to good results, and partly because he wants you to become sensitive to what you’re doing — because this is the big issue in life.
From: Basic Wisdom by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
User avatar
mjaviem
Posts: 2302
Joined: Wed Dec 16, 2020 5:06 pm

Re: Definition/meaning of Dhamma

Post by mjaviem »

dhammapal wrote: Sun Sep 19, 2021 11:59 am
Thanissaro Bhikkhu wrote:The word “Dhamma” that we use for the Buddha’s teachings has other meanings as well. And one of the most important ones, one that’s often overlooked, is action. Dhamma means action. And that’s what the Buddha’s teachings are all about: your actions in terms of what you do with your body, what you do with your speech, what you do with your mind, and the actions that the Buddha recommends you do and not do.

He recommends that you be generous, that you observe the precepts, and you develop good qualities in the mind through mindfulness and meditation, partly because these actions give rise to good results, and partly because he wants you to become sensitive to what you’re doing — because this is the big issue in life.
From: Basic Wisdom by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
:juggling: I thought kamma was action.
Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Sammā Sambuddhassa
User avatar
mikenz66
Posts: 19943
Joined: Sat Jan 10, 2009 7:37 am
Location: Aotearoa, New Zealand

Re: Definition/meaning of Dhamma

Post by mikenz66 »

mjaviem wrote: Sun Sep 19, 2021 12:28 pm
dhammapal wrote: Sun Sep 19, 2021 11:59 am
Thanissaro Bhikkhu wrote:The word “Dhamma” that we use for the Buddha’s teachings has other meanings as well. And one of the most important ones, one that’s often overlooked, is action. Dhamma means action. And that’s what the Buddha’s teachings are all about: your actions in terms of what you do with your body, what you do with your speech, what you do with your mind, and the actions that the Buddha recommends you do and not do.

He recommends that you be generous, that you observe the precepts, and you develop good qualities in the mind through mindfulness and meditation, partly because these actions give rise to good results, and partly because he wants you to become sensitive to what you’re doing — because this is the big issue in life.
From: Basic Wisdom by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
:juggling: I thought kamma was action.
Many of these invoves "action". Certainly thoughts, phenomena, ...
mikenz66 wrote: Fri Sep 17, 2021 9:11 pm dhamma
Bodhi:
(1) untranslated: the Buddha’s teaching; (2) things, phenomena; (3) mental phenomena, (mental) states, mind-objects; (4) qualities; (5) principle, law; (6) having the nature of, subject to (as suffix)
Sujato:
(1) teaching (2) thing; (3) phenomena; (4) thoughts; (5) qualities; (6) principle, law; (7) liable to [as suffix]
User avatar
Gwi
Posts: 333
Joined: Sat Sep 04, 2021 3:33 am
Location: Indonesia

Re: Definition/meaning of Dhamma

Post by Gwi »

nirodh27 wrote: Fri Sep 17, 2021 4:06 pm Hi everyone,

I'm doing some research and I would like to know if, like for Sati, there's a definition of "Dhamma"/"Dhammas" in the Nikayas, especially MN, SN.

To me it seems that the most frequent meaning of Dhamma in the Nikayas is "the teaching of the Buddha" and fits almost all the usages, but in Buddhist philosophy is used mainly as "Phenomena" and of course there's the brief phrase "Sabbe Dhamma Anatta" that no-one translates as "all the teachings are without self" (even if it has some sense).

I would like to know if in the Nikayas this definition as phenomena is stated somewhere and if it is possible to differentiate between "phenomena" and "teachings" when we find the Pali words in the Nikayas in some way. Quotations are the best, but every word on this issue is welcome! :bow:

Thank you very much for your effort in responding.
"Sabbe dhammā anattā"

dhammā ---> look the "ā".
This is 93% not mean teachings.
Dunt use capital.

Just think "dhammå" is de jure (deal) ---> Mutual agreement
"Dhammå" (teachings) is de facto (fact) ---> real law
This is just a tips.

I dunt like to translate Dhammå (teachings).
Same that i dunt like to translate BHIKKHU.
Bahagia Tidak Harus Selalu Bersama

Dhammapadå 370
"Tinggalkanlah 5 (belantara) dan patahkan 5 (belenggu rendah),
Serta kembangkan 5 potensi (4 iddhipādā + 1 ussoḷhi).
Bhikkhu yang telah menaklukkan 5 kungkungan (belenggu tinggi),
Lebih layak disebut 'orang yang telah mengarungi air baih (saṃsārå)'."
User avatar
Assaji
Posts: 2106
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 2009 7:24 pm

Re: Definition/meaning of Dhamma

Post by Assaji »

Hi Nirodh,
nirodh27 wrote: Fri Sep 17, 2021 4:06 pm I'm doing some research and I would like to know if, like for Sati, there's a definition of "Dhamma"/"Dhammas" in the Nikayas, especially MN, SN.
There's no definition, so you have to use later texts as well. While doing so, you have to take in account the semantic shift - the interpretation of Pāli terms shifted over the centuries.
I would like to know if in the Nikayas this definition as phenomena is stated somewhere and if it is possible to differentiate between "phenomena" and "teachings" when we find the Pali words in the Nikayas in some way. Quotations are the best, but every word on this issue is welcome! :bow:
You have to take in account the context. For example, "kusalā dhammā" is rather "skillful modes of conduct", as in the Apaṇṇaka Sutta (MN 60; M I 402,17):

Yamidaṃ kāyasucaritaṃ, vacīsucaritaṃ, manosucaritaṃ — ime tayo kusale dhamme abhinivajjetvā yamidaṃ kāyaduccaritaṃ, vacīduccaritaṃ, manoduccaritaṃ — ime tayo akusale dhamme samādāya vattissanti.

See:
viewtopic.php?f=23&t=11098
viewtopic.php?f=23&t=5584
viewtopic.php?f=23&t=5582

:anjali:
User avatar
DooDoot
Posts: 12032
Joined: Tue Aug 08, 2017 11:06 pm

Re: Definition/meaning of Dhamma

Post by DooDoot »

Assaji wrote: Mon Sep 20, 2021 9:47 am There's no definition, so you have to use later texts as well.
I suggest my answer is the accurate answer. The root meaning of "dhamma" is "supporter". The various types of dhamma, such as phenomena, law, truth, practise, path factors, etc, are all types of "supporters".
There is always an official executioner. If you try to take his place, It is like trying to be a master carpenter and cutting wood. If you try to cut wood like a master carpenter, you will only hurt your hand.

https://soundcloud.com/doodoot/paticcasamuppada
https://soundcloud.com/doodoot/anapanasati
User avatar
frank k
Posts: 2247
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2011 4:55 pm
Contact:

Re: Definition/meaning of Dhamma

Post by frank k »

Assaji wrote: Mon Sep 20, 2021 9:47 am ...
You have to take in account the context. For example, "kusalā dhammā" is rather "skillful modes of conduct", as in the Apaṇṇaka Sutta (MN 60; M I 402,17):
...
'dhamma' needs to remain untranslated.
I dive into the reasons why here:
https://lucid24.org/tped/d/dhamma/index.html#dhamma

I can cite many examples where "kusalā dhammā" as "skillful modes of conduct"
would not work.

The primary meaning of Dhamma, is the teachings of the Buddha that lead directly to nirvana. So it's not just skillful qualities we're after, that's a huge class of actions, it's only those that lead to nirvana.

For example, take right effort and viriya indriya.
For example, being a skilled chef is a skillful quality, being a skilled judge is a skillful quality. But those are not the unarises skillful Dharmas that the Buddha wants us to undertake constantly.

Even skillful ethical qualities like being a kind and generous person, on its own (without Buddha DHARMA that leads to nirvana), will only lead to impermanent residence in the deva realms.

The only 'Dharma' definition that the Buddha is talking about, in formulas such as right effort, is this one:

AN 7.83 (it's almost the last sutta in AN 7, before the repetition series starts)
https://lucid24.org/an/an07/an07-v07/index.html#s83
That's mostly sujato translation there, so you can see the problem I point out, where he translated 'dhamma' as 'thing', where "DHARMA" is the kusala Dharma that right effort, right sati/remembering needs to constantly align with and perform.

‘ime dhammā ekantanibbidāya virāgāya nirodhāya upasamāya abhiññāya sambodhāya nibbānāya saṃvattantī’ti;
certain things do lead solely to disenchantment, dispassion, cessation, peace, insight, awakening, and nirvana.

edit: addition
=============================================================
This is similar to the problems when English translators translate 'nibbana' into their favorite pet English words. The English readers, even Buddhist experts, often have no idea "unbinding" or "extinguishing" is actually referring to the pali word nibbana.

'Nibbana' needs to be untranslated, so does 'dhamma'.
Just as the people during the Buddha's time had to disambiguate 'dhamma' when they heard that word, so should we. Look up Dharma in the English dictionary. Most people have a good enough familiarity of the word that we can expect them to disambiguate it when they hear it.
www.lucid24.org/sted : ☸Lucid24.org🐘 STED definitions
www.audtip.org/audtip: 🎙️🔊Audio Tales in Pāli: ☸Dharma and Vinaya in many languages
User avatar
nirodh27
Posts: 681
Joined: Mon Nov 18, 2019 12:31 pm

Re: Definition/meaning of Dhamma

Post by nirodh27 »

A lot of great answers here! Thank you very much for your generosity! I'm still digesting all those precious informations. I will ask clarification to some of you in the following days!
User avatar
Assaji
Posts: 2106
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 2009 7:24 pm

Re: Definition/meaning of Dhamma

Post by Assaji »

Hi Frank,
frank k wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 9:12 am 'dhamma' needs to remain untranslated.
I dive into the reasons why here:
https://lucid24.org/tped/d/dhamma/index.html#dhamma
As a translator, I studied how readers perceive foreign words. It turned out that even common words of foreign origin are usually understood uniformly vaguely.
frank k wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 9:12 am Most people have a good enough familiarity of the word that we can expect them to disambiguate it when they hear it.
This would be desirable, but this does not happen in reality. From what I observed, people just substitute a foreign word with some kind of uniform and vague interpretation.
frank k wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 9:12 am This is similar to the problems when English translators translate 'nibbana' into their favorite pet English words. The English readers, even Buddhist experts, often have no idea "unbinding" or "extinguishing" is actually referring to the pali word nibbana.

'Nibbana' needs to be untranslated
I agree, 'Nibbana' needs to be untranslated, especially since its meaning is rather unambiguous.
Post Reply