The Central Conception of Buddhism and the Meaning of the Word "Dharma" c8.6

c8.6

² Prof. and Mrs. Geiger, op. cit., p. 80, have established for the *dharmāḥ* in the technical sense the signification "the empirical things". This is an example of the impotence of the "philological method"! It has not escaped their attention that *dharmāḥ* is synonymous with *dharmāyatana* and *dharmadhātu*, in which *Nirvāṇa* is included (p. 83), which is anything but empirical. The *dharmāḥ* are apprehended by *manaḥ* (p. 81), but the emphasis is put on the fact that they are apprehended *without the co-operation of the senses*. Everything is apprehended by *manaḥ*, but the *dharmāḥ* are external with regard to *manaḥ*; their place in the system is among the six *viṣayaḥ*, as opposed to the six *indriya*, one of which, the sixth, is *manaḥ*. Concerning the meaning of the terms "external" and "internal" some remarks will be made later on, pp. 58-9, when discussing the theory of cognition.