The Dyad of Mundane and Supramundane

Overview

This Dyad categorizes reality based on whether a phenomenon is bound within the cycle of rebirth (saṃsāra) or whether it actively transcends and escapes that cycle. It is the dividing line between the world and liberation.

The List

1. Lokiyā dhammā - Mundane states: Phenomena belonging to the “world” (loka). This includes all physical matter, and all consciousnesses/mental factors that operate within the sense-sphere, the fine-material sphere, and the immaterial sphere. Even the highest, most blissful formless jhānas are strictly mundane.
2. Lokuttarā dhammā - Supramundane states: Phenomena that transcend the world. This includes only nine things: the 4 Paths (Magga), the 4 Fruits (Phala), and Nibbāna.

Textual References

• Abhidhamma: Dhammasaṅgaṇī (Duka) – This classification protects the Dhamma by proving that no worldly state, no matter how pure or blissful, can be equated with Nibbāna.