svabhava

Svabhava (Sanskrit: स्वभाव) is a term used in Indian philosophy to denote the intrinsic nature or essential characteristic of a thing. It is composed of sva, meaning “one’s own” or “self,” and bhava, meaning “being,” “existence,” or “nature.” The phrase is employed to discuss whether phenomena have an inherent, self-existent essence or whether their existence depends on causes, conditions, and conceptual designation.

In Hindu and Buddhist thought, svabhava is a central point of debate about ontological status. Some traditions describe substances, states of mind, or events as having svabhava—their own definitive nature that serves to fix their identity. Other traditions question or deny the existence of any such self-nature, arguing that what appears as an intrinsic essence is ultimately dependent, relational, or conventional. In Buddhist philosophy, the most influential critique of svabhava is that things do not possess independent svabhava; rather, they arise through dependent origination and are empty of inherent self-nature. Nevertheless, the term is sometimes used in a nuanced way to acknowledge a conventional or perceptual sense of “nature” without asserting ultimate existence.

Across traditions, svabhava is thus treated as a technical term about what constitutes the true or ultimate nature of things, and it is often used to distinguish between being in the sense of ordinary appearances and being in the sense of independent, essential existence. The precise interpretation varies by school and text, reflecting broader disputes about form, mind, and reality.