Digital Dictionary of Buddhism

DDB Top Page 
 
 
  XML source

出世法

Pronunciations

Basic Meaning: supramundane teachings

Senses:

  • Teachings of the world of enlightenment, such as the six perfections 六度, Four Noble Truths 四諦, nirvana 涅槃, etc. (Skt. lokôttara-dharma). Those teachings that lie beyond the scope of the mundane teachings 世間法 (laukika-dharma) aimed at ordinary beings 異生. The category of the supramundane includes the teachings of emptiness, nirvana, ultimate truth, and cessation 滅 (nirodha) as the eradication of defilements. These supramundane teachings stand in contrast to the mundane teachings suitable for the ordinary beings, such as rebirth and karma, since the mundane teachings encourage discipline 律 (śīla) and good works in this world. According to Gethin, the path of cultivation 修習位 (the penultimate of five stages 五位), is the crossroads between the mundane and the supramundane dharmas. At this point, one can either follow the ordinary path of development consisting in the attainment of the four dhyānas 四禪 and the path of meditative calm, or one can follow the extraordinary path of development that "consists in the final eradication of attachment to the meditative attainments [i.e., the dhyānas] and the realms of the cosmos that correspond to them." (1998, 195). 〔瑜伽論 T 1579.30.314c11, 成唯識論 T 1585.31.9a18〕

    References:

    Gethin, Rupert. 1998. The Foundations of Buddhism. Oxford:  Oxford University Press.

    [Billy Brewster, Charles Muller; source(s): Nakamura, Hirakawa]
  • Search SAT
  • Search INBUDS Database

    • Feedback

    [Dictionary References]

    Zengaku daijiten (Komazawa U.) 512a

    Bukkyōgo daijiten (Nakamura) 673c

    Buddhist Chinese-Sanskrit Dictionary (Hirakawa) 0179

    Sanskrit-Tibetan Index for the Yogâcārabhūmi-śāstra (Yokoyama and Hirosawa)

    Copyright provisions

    The rights to textual segments (nodes) of the DDB are owned by the author indicated in the brackets next to each segment. For rights regarding the compilation as a whole, please contact Charles Muller. Please do not reproduce without permission. And please do not copy into Wikipedia without proper citation!

    Entry created: 1993-09-01

    Updated: 2018-12-03