Definition

1. Noun (Buddhism):

   • Eternal truth; Suchness; Thusness: The ultimate, unchanging reality beyond all concepts, distinctions, and illusions. It refers to the true nature of all phenomena, as it is, before mental fabrication.

2. Noun (Philosophy/Religion):

   • Absolute reality; True essence: The fundamental, unconditioned state of existence that is pure, perfect, and immutable.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Giác ngộ là thấy được chân như. (Enlightenment is seeing the Suchness.)
  • Chân như là bản chất thật sự của vạn pháp. (Suchness is the true nature of all dharmas.)
  • Các thiền sư tìm cách thể nghiệm chân như. (Zen masters seek to experience the absolute reality.)

Advanced Usage

• In Buddhist philosophical discourse, "chân như" is often equated with terms like Tathatā (from Sanskrit), Dharma-dhātu (the realm of truth), and Bhūtatathatā (true suchness).
  • Giáo lý Đại thừa luận giải sâu về chân như. (Mahayana doctrine elaborates deeply on Tathatā.)

Variants and Related Words

• Chân như tính (n): The quality or nature of Suchness.

  • Chân như tính vốn thanh tịnh. (The nature of Suchness is inherently pure.)

• Chân như pháp giới (n): The Dharma-realm of Suchness; the universe as perceived in its ultimate truth.

  • Hành giả quán tưởng chân như pháp giới. (The practitioner contemplates the Dharma-realm of Suchness.)

Synonyms

• Suchness: The state of being exactly as it is.
• Thusness: A direct translation conveying the same meaning.
• Absolute reality: The ultimate, non-dual truth.
• True nature: The fundamental essence.

Related Concepts

• Pháp tính: Dharma-nature; often used interchangeably with "chân như" to denote the intrinsic nature of things.

  • Chân như và pháp tính cùng chỉ một thực tại. (Suchness and Dharma-nature point to the same reality.)

• Tánh không: Emptiness (Śūnyatā); the concept that all phenomena are empty of independent existence, closely related to the realization of "chân như."

  • Thấu hiểu tánh không dẫn đến nhận ra chân như. (Understanding emptiness leads to the realization of Suchness.)

1. (tôn giáo) Eternal truth