Hinduism

Hinduism refers to himself as Sanatana Dharma, eternal law. This term is more generally a legal aspect. It refers to laws governing the world at the macrocosm as microcosm. Violate these laws leads to an imbalance which threatens the cosmos, at macro cosmic as microcosmic. As Indian society is governed by laws defining the duties of each according to his caste, and the fact that violate these laws, in addition to an imbalance in society, is supposed to lead to an imbalance and destruction of the universe in a whole. This partly explains why, despite their elimination at the legislative level in the Indian constitution, castes are still present in India today.

In addition to the duty according to caste, Dharma also fixes the missions of each of the four stages of life.

These laws are subject to treaty or dharmasastra, including the most famous is probably the Laws of Manu or Manusmriti.

Buddhism

The non-Western texts designate Buddhism as Bouddhadharma. In this context, the Dharma does so much reference to laws governing the Hindu way of life and religious requirements, but even teaching of Buddha, for example, which describes the source of dukkha (”suffering”, “dissatisfaction” “Mal de vivre”), its cessation and the path leading to this cessation. A Dharma is a universal law, and teaching a finding of the functioning of the world and mind, that Buddhism seeks to convey and explain.

Very often a teaching leads to another. For example meditation teachings about the impermanence of phenomena and their interdependence, soon followed by the intimate experience of this reality, preparing for lessons on the essential emptiness, and raise its intuitive immediate apprehension. In the perspective highest (paramartha), Dharma means finally the ultimate nature of reality.

In treaties Buddha, the Dharma is regarded as one of three shelters:

“The gift of Dhamma surpasses all donations; flavor of the Dhamma surpasses all flavors; delight in the Dhamma surpasses all the delights ”

Take the three shelters means in Buddhism, to build on the strengths of Buddha, Dharma (all lessons) and the Sangha (all practitioners) to ensure his release from the torments of samsara. This is the first commitment to take with a master of dharma to become a competent a true Buddhist, worthy of the name of Shakyamuni disciple of Buddha.

The Buddhist Dharma is symbolized by a wheel (dharmacakra) and the first sermon of the Buddha is often likened to setting in motion the wheel of law (dharmacakrapravartana).

Depending on the context, Dharma can also be translated and understood by “what should be” or “right action”: we speak sometimes “Dharmas” to describe their precepts in positive form.

In Zen Buddhism, the transmission of the teachings of Dharma master to disciple is evidenced by a document called shiho.

Jainism

The Jainism is also called Jain Dharma it teaches that reality is composed of two eternal principles, jiva and ajiva. The jiva consists of an infinite number of entities or spiritual souls; ajiva (ie, “non-jiva” or pudgala) means the matter in all its forms: kala (time) akasa (space), Dharma (the principle of movement) and adharma (the principle of rest).