Trisvabhāva (

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

;

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: 三性 or 三自性) or the three natures, is one of the key doctrines of the

Yogācāra Yogachara ( sa, योगाचार, IAST: '; literally "yoga practice"; "one whose practice is yoga") is an influential tradition of Buddhist philosophy and psychology emphasizing the study of cognition, perception, and consciousness through t ...

school of

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...

. The concept of the three natures describes the three qualities that all phenomena possess, and can be found in several

Mahayana ''Mahāyāna'' (; "Great Vehicle") is a term for a broad group of Buddhist traditions, texts, philosophies, and practices. Mahāyāna Buddhism developed in India (c. 1st century BCE onwards) and is considered one of the three main existing bra ...

sutra ''Sutra'' ( sa, सूत्र, translit=sūtra, translit-std=IAST, translation=string, thread)Monier Williams, ''Sanskrit English Dictionary'', Oxford University Press, Entry fo''sutra'' page 1241 in Indian literary traditions refers to an aph ...

s, such as Samdhinirmocana Sūtra. The three natures are: ''Parikalpita-svabhava'' (the imaginary nature of things)'', Paratantra-svabhava'' (the dependent nature of things) and ''Parinishpanna-svabhava'' (the consummate or perfected nature of things).

Meaning and interpretations

''Parikalpita'' (

;

Traditional Chinese A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...

: 遍計所執性): the "impure" or "imaginary" nature refers to the falsely perceived nature of objects as entities that exists separate from the consciousness that perceives them. Note that in the Yogācāra analysis, objects do not exist separately from the perceiving subject, they come into existence in dependence upon consciousness, which in turn are produced from seeds that reside in the eighth consciousness, or ''Alayavijnana''. However, due to

ignorance Ignorance is a lack of knowledge and understanding. The word "ignorant" is an adjective that describes a person in the state of being unaware, or even cognitive dissonance and other cognitive relation, and can describe individuals who are unaware o ...

, subject and object are imagined to be separate from each other. ''Paratantra'' (

;

: 依他起性): the dependent nature of things refers to the conventional truth that all objects and subjects rely on causes and conditions for their existence (

dependent origination A dependant is a person who relies on another as a primary source of income. A common-law spouse who is financially supported by their partner may also be included in this definition. In some jurisdictions, supporting a dependant may enabl ...

). In other words, no impermanent phenomenon can produce itself. ''Parinishpanna'' (

;

: 圓成實性): the consummate nature refers to the nonduality between the consciousnesses and their objects. Specifically, it refers to an absence of an object that is separate from the consciousness that perceives it. It can be understood as the perfected character of reality.

References

Yogacara {{Mahayana-stub

Meaning and interpretations

See also

References