A Tibetan Lama with Prayer Wheel. Teacher of the Dharma in Tibetan Buddhism.
A Tibetan Lama with Prayer Wheel c.1910.
Tibetan teacher of the Dharma in Tibetan Buddhism.
The term Dharma (Sanskrit) or Dhamma (Pali) has different meanings in Buddhism depending on the context. In one of the possible readings, it refers to the teachings of Buddha. The Dharma as the law of existence (“cosmic law and order”) recognised and proclaimed by the Buddha contains the teaching of the Four Noble Truths and forms one of the ‘Three Jewels’ in the refuge formula “I take refuge in Buddha, Dharma and Sangha”, also called the ‘Three Refuge Objects’.
Against this background, the Dharma is considered an object of meditation of the Ten Reflections (anussati). In Mahayana and Vajrayana, in addition to Buddha’s teachings, the term also refers to the teachings of the great bodhisattvas and all masters who have attained enlightenment following Buddha.
In addition, the word is used as a collective term for the totality of all phenomena.
Source: Views of Darjeeling: With typical native portraits and groups by J. Burlington Smith.
