Buddha-Dharma¶
Buddha-Dharma (佛法), in the Lifechanyuan system, refers to the universal laws and principles governing all things in the cosmos — the Tao-law of the Greatest Creator (如来佛祖, the Buddha-Patriarch). It is identical with the Tao described by Laozi, and its entire depth can be captured in six Chinese characters: consciousness, structure, energy. True Buddha-Dharma has three defining qualities: neither real nor void, perfectly precise, and without fixed form. With the Diamond Sutra as its highest source, Lifechanyuan identifies three conditions for becoming a Buddha — seeing the Tathāgata, attaining non-action (无为), and dwelling nowhere in the mind — and holds that the authentic transmission was lost after the Sixth Patriarch Huineng, with Lifechanyuan now continuing that lineage through lived practice in the Second Home community.
Version Navigation¶
| Version | Best for | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Friendly version | First-time readers | What is Buddha-Dharma? Three levels explained plainly |
| Academic version | Researchers | Four-tier structure, three conditions, comparison with traditional Buddhism |
| Internal reference | Deep study | Complete source texts, three marks of Buddhahood, community practice |
Related Entries¶
Buddha, the Buddha-Patriarch, Tathāgata · The Diamond Sutra · Becoming a Buddha · Self-Nature · Buddha-Nature · Tathāgata-Nature · Non-Form Thinking · No-Self No-Form · No-Abiding Mind · Illuminating the Mind, Seeing One's Nature · The Tao · The Greatest Creator