tam giới

Definition

1. Noun (Buddhism):
   • The Three Realms / The Three Worlds: In Buddhist cosmology, "tam giới" refers to the threefold division of existence where sentient beings are bound by desire, form, and formlessness, and are subject to the cycle of rebirth (samsara). These are:

     • Dục giới (Realm of Desire): The world of sensory desires, including hell beings, hungry ghosts, animals, humans, asuras, and the lower heavens.
     • Sắc giới (Realm of Form): The world of subtle material form, inhabited by beings who have transcended gross desires but still possess refined material bodies.
     • Vô sắc giới (Realm of Formlessness): The immaterial world, inhabited by beings who exist in pure mental states without physical form.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Theo giáo lý Phật giáo, tất cả chúng sinh đều luân hồi trong tam giới. (According to Buddhist doctrine, all sentient beings transmigrate within the Three Realms.)
  • Thoát khỏi tam giới là mục tiêu của sự giải thoát. (To escape the Three Realms is the goal of liberation.)

Advanced Usage

• The concept is primarily used in religious, philosophical, and scholarly contexts to discuss cosmology, spiritual attainment, and the nature of existence.
• It is a fundamental term in East Asian Buddhism, including Vietnamese Thiền (Zen) and Pure Land traditions.

Variants and Related Words

• Tam giới is a Sino-Vietnamese compound. Its components are:
  • Tam (三): Three.
  • Giới (界): Realm, world, sphere.
• Luân hồi (n): Samsara; the cycle of rebirth within the Three Realms.
• Giải thoát (n): Liberation; freedom from the cycle of rebirth in the Three Realms.

Synonyms

• The Three Realms
• The Three Worlds
• Trailokya (Sanskrit term)

Related Concepts

• Lục đạo (Six Paths/Rebirths): The six types of existence within the Realm of Desire (Dục giới).
• Niết bàn (Nirvana): The state of liberation beyond the Three Realms.