The Categories of Dharmas

Dharma is divided into conditioned dharmas and unconditioned dharmas, dharmas arising from conditions and dharmas not arising from conditions. Conditioned dharmas are dharmas with actions and fabrications, dharmas formed after the fact, including the five aggregates (pañcaskandha), the eighteen realms, and the material worlds of the three realms of the universe—all of these are dharmas. Conditioned dharmas are precisely dharmas arising from conditions; unconditioned dharmas are dharmas without fabrication, dharmas existing prior and from the beginning, dharmas not born from causes and conditions. Whatever can be cognized by a person is a dharma; whether visible or invisible, existence itself is dharma.

Dharmas include true dharmas and false dharmas, arising-and-ceasing dharmas and non-arising, non-ceasing dharmas, dharmas formed by causes and conditions, and dharmas that exist from the beginning and are not formed by causes and conditions. All dharmas differ from one another from every angle and in every aspect. Dharmas arising from causes and conditions—existence of appearance, emptiness of nature (相有性空)—are false; dharmas not arising from causes and conditions are dharmas that exist from the very beginning—absence of characteristics, existence of substance (相无体有)—and are true, incorruptible dharmas. Whatever dharma directly points to the attainment of buddhahood is the ultimate dharma, and the methods for reaching the ultimate dharma are expedient dharmas.