1. in Hinduism, the principle of natural law that sustains and governs the cosmos. In a narrower sense, the term denotes the social laws and customs that must be followed to achieve the right path of spiritual advancement.

2. in Buddhism, the cosmic law underlying the world of humans and, above all, the functioning of karmic rebirth (see karma). The term has multiple other meanings, including the truth as set out in the teachings of the Buddha, norms of behavior and ethical rules, the manifestation of reality, and the content of human thought. [Sanskrit, literally: “carrying, holding”]