From Sanskrit, literally means ”to carry, to hold”; in Buddhism, the term dharma has an extremely complex meaning, of which only a few essential ones are mentioned here. On the one hand, it refers to the Buddha's teachings, on the other hand to the cosmic law, ”the great universal order”, furthermore to all manifestations of reality (inanimate and living things, beings and phenomena) and finally also to all mental contents that constantly occupy people mentally.

Dharma is one of the ”Three Treasures” (Buddha, Dharma and Sangha) referred to as such in Buddhism.