lit. the 'bearer', constitution (or nature of a thing), norm, law (jus), doctrine; justice, righteousness; quality; thing, object of mind (s. a^yatana) 'phenomenon'. In all these meanings the word 'dhamma' is to be met with in the texts. The Com. to D. instances 4 applications of this term guna (quality, virtue), desana^ (instruction), pariyatti (text), nijji^vata^ (soullessness, e.g. "all dhamma^, phenomena, are impersonal," etc.). The Com. to Dhs. has hetu (condition) instead of desana^. Thus, the analytical knowledge of the law (s. patisambhida^) is explained in Vis.M. XIV. and in Vibh. as hetumhi-n~a^na, knowledge of the conditions.
The Dhamma, as the liberating law discovered and proclaimed by the Buddha, is summed up in the 4 Noble Truths (s. sacca). It forms one of the 3 Gems (ti-ratana, q.v.) and one of the 10 recollections (anussati q.v.).
Dhamma, as object of mind (dhamma^yatana, s. a^yatana) may be anything past, present or future, corporeal or mental, conditioned or not (cf. sankha^ra, 4), real or imaginary.
出自：南传佛教英文辞典
