Dharmadhatu


Dharmadhatu is the 'dimension', 'realm' or 'sphere' of the Dharma or Absolute Reality.
Entire Dharmadhatu was filled with an infinite number of buddha-lands with ineffable number of Buddhas. This realm is beyond of everything, and it is visible only to Buddhas and all other Bodhisattvas in existence.

Definition

In Mahayana Buddhism, dharmadhatu means "realm of all phenomena", "realm of all things" or "realm of eternal truth". It is referred to by several analogous terms from Mahayana Buddhist philosophy, such as tathātā, śūnyatā, pratitya-samutpada and eternal Buddha. It is the "deepest nature, or essence".
Dharmadhatu is the purified mind in its natural state, free of obscurations. It is the essence-quality or primal nature of mind, the fundamental ground of consciousness of the trikaya, which is accessed via the mindstream.
When the buddha-nature has been realised, dharmadhatu is also referred to as the Dharmakāya, the Body of Dharma Truth.
It is associated with supreme cosmic buddha Vairocana.

Historical origin

Kang-nam Oh traces the origin of dharmadhatu to the Avatamsaka Sutra. It has been further developed by the Hua-yen school:

Understanding in Buddhist tradition

Indian Buddhism

Śrīmālādevī Sūtra

The Śrīmālādevī Sūtra, also named The Lion's Roar of Queen Srimala, centers on the teaching of the tathagatagarbha as "ultimate soteriological principle". It states that the tathagata-garbha is the "embryo" of the Dharmadhatu and the Dharmakaya:
In the Śrīmālādevī Sūtra, there are two possible states for the Tathagatagarbha:
The sutra itself states it this way:

''Dharmadhātustava''

The Dharmadhātustava, attributed to Nāgārjuna though questioned, is a treatise on the dharmadhatu. According to the Dharmadhātustava, the dharmadhatu is the ground which makes liberation possible:
According to the Dharmadhātustava, the dharmadhatu is seen when the afflictions are purified:

Chinese Buddhism

Mahaparinirvana Sutra

In the Mahayana Mahaparinirvana Sutra, the Buddha states of himself that he is the "boundless Dharmadhatu" - the totality itself.

Tibetan Buddhism

Five Wisdoms

The Dharmadhatu is comprehended by one of the Five Wisdoms:
  1. Dharmadhatu wisdom,
  2. Mirror-like wisdom,
  3. Equality wisdom,
  4. Discriminating wisdom,
  5. All-accomplishing wisdom.

    Dzogchen

In the Dzogchen text Gold refined from ore, the term Dharmadhatu is translated as "total field of events and meanings" or "field of all events and meanings".

Works cited

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