Four Dharmadhātu Explained

The Four Dharmadhatu is a philosophical concept propagated by Master Dushun (Chinese: 杜順; 557-640 CE),^[1] the founder of the Huayan school. It builds upon and is a variant of the Dharmadhatu doctrine.

The Four Dharmadhatu

The Four Dharmadhatu were outlined in Dushun's treatise, the title of which has been rendered into English as 'On the Meditation of Dharmadhātu'. The Four Dharmadhatu are:

• The Dharmadhātu of Shi . Shi holds the semantic field "matter", "phenomenon", "event". It may be understood as the "realm" (Sanskrit: dhātu) of all matters and phenomena.
• The Dharmadhātu of Li . Li holds the semantic field: "principle", "law", "noumenon". This realm may be understood as that of principles. It has been referred to as "the realm of the one principle". The "one principle" being qualified as śūnyatā (Sanskrit).^[2]
• The Dharmadhātu of Non-obstruction of Li against Shi . This realm has been rendered into English as "the realm of non-obstruction between principle and phenomena".^[3]
• The Dharmadhātu of the Non-obstruction of Shi and Shi . This realm has been rendered into English as "the realm of non-obstruction between phenomena".^[4]

See also

• Two truths doctrine
• Five wisdoms
• Four ways of knowing
• Yogacara
• Eight Consciousnesses
• Huayan school

Further reading

• Oh, Kang-nam (2000). The Taoist Influence on Hua-yen Buddhism: A Case of the Sinicization of Buddhism in China. Chung-Hwa Buddhist Journal, No. 13, (2000). Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20100323000712/http://www.chibs.edu.tw/publication/chbj/13/chbj1338.htm (accessed: January 28, 2008)

External links

• Taigen Dan Leighton, Huayan Buddhism and the Phenomenal Universe of the Flower Ornament Sutra

Notes and References

1. Samanta Buddhist Glossary (2006). "Four Dharmadhātu". Source: http://218.189.203.50/glossary/word_eng.php?word_id=168 (accessed: January 28, 2008)
2. Samanta Buddhist Glossary (2006). "Four Dharmadhātu". Source: http://218.189.203.50/glossary/word_eng.php?word_id=885 (accessed: January 28, 2008)
3. Samanta Buddhist Glossary (2006). "Four Dharmadhātu". Source: http://218.189.203.50/glossary/word_eng.php?word_id=885 (accessed: January 28, 2008)
4. Samanta Buddhist Glossary (2006). "Four Dharmadhātu". Source: http://218.189.203.50/glossary/word_eng.php?word_id=885 (accessed: January 28, 2008)