svabhava

one’s individual nature.

(See also: svabhava, Bhakti, Bhakti Yoga, Bhakti Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Svabhava - the true nature of a thing which forms an essential part of its composition.

(See also: Svabhava, Bhakti, Bhakti Yoga, Bhakti Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Svabhava:

Svabhava: One's own way, One's very nature (SSS-II)

(See also: Svabhava, Hinduism, Hinduism Dictionary, Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Faith is a rare gift of God granted only to humans, and it forms the basis of human relationships. We need to repose faith in our parents that they will always think of our welfare; in our children that they will not let us down; in our colleagues and friends that they will remain loyal. Similarly, for a seeker of salvation, a prime requirement is faith or shraddha in God.

Faith in people is based on our practical experience of them. We have no such experience of God. Does our faith in Him, therefore, have to be blind? As the following story illustrates, faith in God must be reasoned.

(See also: Faith, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Buddha-nature (originally in Sanskrit, "Buddha-dhatu" - "Buddha Element", "Buddha-Principle") is a doctrine important for many schools of Mahayana Buddhism. The Buddha-nature ("Buddha-dhatu") is taught to be a truly real eternal potential or principle, present in all sentient beings, for awakening and becoming Enlightened. The Buddha-nature doctrine relates to the possession by sentient beings of the innate buddha-mind or buddha-element ("Buddha-dhatu"), which is, prior to the full attainment of buddhahood, not fully actualized, or at ...

Including:

• Buddha-nature - Development of Buddha-nature
• Buddha-nature - Buddha-nature vs. atman

Read more here: » Buddha-nature

Buddha-nature (originally in Sanskrit, "Buddha-dhatu" - "Buddha Element", "Buddha-Principle") is a doctrine important for many schools of Mahayana Buddhism. The Buddha-nature ("Buddha-dhatu") is taught to be a truly real eternal potential or principle, present in all sentient beings, for awakening and becoming Enlightened. The Buddha-nature doctrine relates to the possession by sentient beings of the innate buddha-mind or buddha-element ("Buddha-dhatu"), which is, prior to the full attainment of buddhahood, not fully actualized, or at ...

Including:

• Buddha-nature - Development of Buddha-nature
• Buddha-nature - Buddha-nature vs. atman

Read more here: » Buddha-nature: Encyclopedia - Buddha-nature

Atman is a Sanskrit word, normally translated as 'soul' or 'self' (also ego). In Buddhism, the concept of Atman is the prime consequence of ignorance, – itself the cause of all misery - the foundation of Samsara itself. In a number of sutras of Mahayana Buddhism, as well as in certain Buddhist Tantras, however, the term "Atman" is used in a dual sense, in some instances denoting the impermanent, mundane ego (attachment to which needs to be overcome), and on other occasions explicitly referring to the ultimately real, p ...

Including:

• Atman Buddhism - The need for Buddhists to understand Atman
• Atman Buddhism - The definition of Atman in Buddhism
• Atman Buddhism - The ontological status of Atman in Buddhism
• Atman Buddhism - Atman in Nikaya
• Atman Buddhism - The abandonment of Atman in later Buddhist metaphysics
• Atman Buddhism - Positive teachings on the Atman in Mahayana Buddhism

Read more here: » Atman Buddhism: Encyclopedia - Atman Buddhism

The Buddhist term Anātman (Sanskrit) or Anatta (Pali) is an adjective that specifies the absence of a supposedly permanent and unchanging self or soul in any one of the psycho-physical (namo-rupa) constituents of empirical existence; eg. "none of these khandhas are my Soul, are anatta (non-Self)". What is normally thought of as the "Self" is in fact an agglomeration of constantly changing physical and mental constituents ("skandhas") which give rise to unhappiness if clung to as though this temporary assemblage formed some kin ...

Including:

• Anatta - Summary
• Anatta - Presecular position on anatta as presented in the Nikayas
• Anatta - Interpretive problems
• Anatta - Anatman anatta in the Tathagatagarbha Sutras

Read more here: » Anatta: Encyclopedia - Anatta

SVABHAVA: innate nature

(See also: SVABHAVA, Hinduism, Hinduism Dictionary, Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

A Theosophical definition of Svabhava :

Svabhava

(Sanskrit) A compound word derived from the verb-root bhu, meaning "to become"  - not so much "to be" in the passive sense, but rather "to become," to "grow into" something. The quasi-pronominal prefix sva, means "self"; hence the noun means "self-becoming," "self-generation," "self-growing" into something. Yet the essential or fundamental or integral Self, although following continuously its own lofty line of evolution, cannot be said to suffer the changes or phases that its vehicles undergo. Like the monads, like the One, thus the Self fundamental  - which, after all, is virtually the same as the one monadic essence  - sends down a ray from itself into every organic entity, much as the sun sends a ray from itself into the surrounding "darkness" of the solar universe.

Svabhava has two general philosophical meanings: first, self-begetting, self-generation, self-becoming, the general idea being that there is no merely mechanical or soulless activity of nature in bringing us into being, for we brought ourselves forth, in and through and by nature, of which we are a part of the conscious forces, and therefore are our own children. The second meaning is that each and every entity that exists is the result of what he actually is spiritually in his own higher nature: he brings forth that which he is in himself interiorly, nothing else. A particular race, for instance, remains and is that race as long as the particular race-svabhava remains in the racial seed and manifests thus. Likewise is the case the same with a man, a tree, a star, a god  - what not!

What makes a rose bring forth a rose always and not thistles or daisies or pansies? The answer is very simple; very profound, however. It is because of its svabhava, the essential nature in and of the seed. Its svabhava can bring forth only that which itself is, its essential characteristic, its own inner nature. Svabhava, in short, may be called the essential individuality of any monad, expressing its own characteristics, qualities, and type, by self-urged evolution.

The seed can produce nothing but what it itself is, what is in it; and this is the heart and essence of the doctrine of svabhava. The philosophical, scientific, and religious reach of this doctrine is simply immense; and it is of the first importance. Consequently, each individual svabhava brings forth and expresses as its own particular vehicles its various svarupas, signifying characteristic bodies or images or forms. The svabhava of a dog, for instance, brings forth the dog body. The svabhava of a rose brings forth the rose flower; the svabhava of a man brings forth man's shape or image; and the svabhava of a divinity or god brings forth its own svarupa or characteristic vehicle.

See also: Svabhava, Mysticism, Body Mind and Soul)

PASU-SVABHAVA: Animal nature; bestial nature.

(See also: PASU-SVABHAVA, Yoga, Yoga Dictionary)

Pasu-svabhava:

Pasu-svabhava: animal nature; bestial nature.

(See also: Pasu-svabhava, Hinduism, Hinduism Dictionary, Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Svabhava, Swabhava (Sanskrit) [from sva self + bhu to become, grow into]

Self-becoming, self-generation, self-growing into something; the unfolding of the self or monadic essence by inner impulse, rather than by merely mechanical activity in nature -- self-becoming or self-directed evolution. Each entity is the result of what it is in its own higher nature. "Its Swabhava can bring forth only that which itself is, its essential characteristic, its own inner nature. Swabhava, in short, may be called the essential Individuality of any monad, expressing its own characteristics, qualities, and type, by self-urged evolution. . . . Consequently, each individual Swabhava brings forth and expresses as its own particular vehicles its various swarupas, signifying characteristic bodies or images or forms" (OG 166-7). The essential self, like a sun, sends a ray from itself into manifestation, and the vehicles formed by this ray express its own unique individual essence and path of evolutionary growth and experience. Every entity, in all ranges of its being, reflects its own essential individuality which is stamped on its inmost essence.

A parallel thought is the Stoic spermatikoi logoi (seed-reasons or -causes), "which were the fruits or results, the karmas, of former periods of activity. Having attained a certain stage of evolution or development, or quality, or characteristic, or individuality in the preceding manvantara, when the next period of evolution came, they could produce nothing else but that which they were themselves, their own inner natures, as seeds do. The seed can produce nothing but what it itself is, what is in it; and this is the heart and essence of the doctrine of swabhava" (Fund 149).

(See also: Svabhava, Swabhava, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Body mind and Soul)

Svabhavika (Sanskrit). The oldest existing school of Buddhism. They assigned the manifestation of the universe and physical phenomena to Svabhava or respective nature of things. According to Wilson the Svabhavas of things are "the inherent properties of the qualities by which they act, as soothing, terrific or stupefying, and the forms Swarupas are the distinction of biped, quadruped, brute, fish, animal and the like ".

(See also: Svabhavika, Theosophy, Spirituality, Body mind and Soul, Spiritual Dictionary, )

Swabhava.

See SVABHAVA

(See also: Swabhava, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Body mind and Soul)

Visesa-guna - special characteristic quality. The special characteristic quality of a truly abiding entity, or vastava-vastu, is its svabhava.

(See also: Visesa-guna, Bhakti, Bhakti Yoga, Bhakti Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Quidditas (Latin) [from quid what]

The whatness of a thing, its essential characteristic, that by virtue of which it is what it is, the svabhava, coined by the medieval Scholastics. Anglicized into quiddity.

(See also: Quidditas, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Occultism, Occultism Dictionary)

Svarupa (Sanskrit) [from sva own, characteristic + rupa form]

Characteristic form or body; every hierarchy, considered as an individual, whether it is sun, star, god, man, plant, or atom, under the stress of inherent evolutional urge brings forth its own characteristic individual vehicle or form, its svarupa, in which it encloses or imbodies itself. The svabhava of a sun brings forth is svarupa, a sun-body; the svabhava of a human being brings forth his characteristic svarupa, a human body, and so forth.

Therefore, any jiva or monad of necessity imbodies itself in vehicles or sheaths flowing forth from its own essence or vitality -- for it can do nothing else. Such a sheath, vehicle, or body is the svarupa of the indwelling svabhava -- character or individuality -- of the jiva or monad.

(See also: Svarupa, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Body mind and Soul)

Manas-taijasa (Sanskrit) [from manas mind + taijasa radiant, radiating]

The radiant mind; the mind which radiates its own manasic characteristic or svabhava. As this with invariability takes place when manas is stimulated by buddhi, it likewise signifies the union of manas with buddhi, or the human reason lighted by the inspiring fire of the spiritual or buddhic monad.

(See also: Manas-taijasa, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary)

Essence (from Latin esse to be)

The characteristic nature of an entity or element. In one sense equivalent to svabhava (characteristic nature, type-being, pure individuality).

As the name of a logical category its use was not uniform even among the Schoolmen who originated it, and it has been both identified with and discriminated from substance.

(See also: Essence, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Occultism, Occultism Dictionary)