塵
じ
ん
Meanings
1
defilement; impurity; affliction
Buddhist term for mental defilements or worldly impurities that obscure the mind. Often appears in compounds like 煩悩塵垢 (bonnō jinku).
In Buddhism, removing the defilements of the mind is considered one of the aims of practice.
2
object (perceived with the mind or senses)
Philosophical term for an object of cognition or sensory perception. Rare outside technical Buddhist or epistemological contexts.
In Yogācāra thought, the object of cognition is sometimes called 'jin'.
3
one billionth
Numeric prefix meaning 10⁻⁹ (nano-). Used in technical contexts, e.g., 塵法 (jinpō, nanometer-scale).
'Jin' is sometimes used as a numeral representing 10 to the power of minus 9.