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saddhammaṁ

saddhamma

accusative singular masculine of saddhamma (noun)

1. the true doctrine
2. the genuine teaching (of the Buddha)
3. the righteous dharma

Built from

• saddha — root · faith, confidence
  From √śrad 'to trust', related to Latin credō (believe) and English credit. Expresses the trusting heart turned toward something reliable.
• dhamma — root · doctrine, law, element
  From √dhē 'to place, set' (cognate with Latin faciō, Greek tithenai). In early Buddhism, the teaching of the Buddha as the true ordering principle of reality.
• -m — ending · accusative singular
  Marks the object of a verb or preposition; here used attributively or in direct address of the doctrine as the thing to be embraced.

Analysis. saddha 'faith, confidence' + dhamma 'doctrine, law'. In doctrinal usage, saddhamma denotes the authentic teaching of the Buddha as opposed to corrupted or false versions, emphasizing faith united with correct understanding.

Etymology. saddhamma combines saddha (from √śrad 'to trust', cognate with Latin credō and English credit) and dhamma (from Pali/Sanskrit dhamma, itself from Indo-European √dhē 'to place, set'). The compound expresses faith grounded in the true placing or establishing of doctrine.

Meanings from the Digital Pāḷi Dictionary; morphology and etymology by Claude.

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