chos nyid

ultimate particular point-instant, aesthetic object apart from beliefs about it, the real thing at hand, the thing in question, the actuality, the datum, authentic reality, reality, being qua being, concrete universal, state of being what is reality itself, the ultimate content of what is, absolute nature of existents, innate, quality, nature, existence, entity, nature of things, essence of existence in its pure and absolute reality, ultimate nature, ultimate nature of phenomena, true nature, true nature of existence, fundamental reality, nature of existence, nature of phenomena [JV]

Actual Reality [GD]

1) quality, nature; 2) the nature emptiness, dharmata [R]; 3) law [tshan rig gi chos nyis- scientific law] [IW]

1) nature, innate nature, true nature of reality, dharmata, real condition of existence, reality, isness, nature-of-things, fact, [absolute / true nature], nature of things, the actual nature of phenomena, real nature. 2) quality, character, law, pure being, [in context of ultimate nature] - nature [in mundane context]. the great emptiness of all things. the ultimate content of what is. dharmata, reality; pure being, [in context of ultimate nature) - nature [in mundane context] [RY]

1) = rang bzhin, nature; 2) the nature emptiness, dharmata [real condition of existence, nature, reality, isness, nature of things, fact, absolute true nature, quality, character, law, pure being, (in context of ultimate nature) - nature (in mundane context) the great emptiness of all things, the ultimate content of what is. See Longchenpa, Treasury of Supreme Vehicle, p 82] [IW]

intrinsic nature [thd]

[used alone] nature of phenomena [used in conjunction with something] the true nature of. . . ; isc. (it is in) the (very) nature (of things that . . .); isc. it is only natural (that . . . ) [RB]

1) quality, nature; 2) the nature emptiness, dharmata; 3) law [IW]

dharmata, real condition of existence, the very nature of things, ultimate nature of phenomena, suchness, reality itself, the truth itself, nature of all that is, the actual state of things, meaningfulness of being, pre-reflective-nonthematic aspect of being, internal logic of being, meaning-as-such, pure experience as meaningfulness of being, suchness, absolutely real [JV]

Dharma nature DKC

Discussion

This word is used in two contexts: the relative and the ultimate. In relative terms, a dharma's dharma nature is its characteristics: the relative dharma nature of fire is that it is hot and that it burns, for example. In ultimate terms, dharma nature is the emptiness of phenomena: the ultimate dharma nature of fire is its emptiness of any true existence where there is nothing that is hot nor anything that is burning. It is this latter, ultimate sense that is most frequently used.

Although the Sanskrit word dharmata is frequently used in English texts, the translation dharma nature seems more informative to English speakers. It is important to use a compound on the word dharma to point out the relations between dharma, dharma base, dharma nature, and dharma expanse (chos, chos can, chos nyid and chos kyi dbyings). DKC