tathata; suchness; true nature of reality
Buddhist term for the ultimate, unconditioned nature of all things as they truly are, beyond conceptual elaboration.
Tathata is one of the central concepts of Buddhism.
In Zen, directly experiencing suchness is emphasized.
From Chinese 真如 (zhēnrú), a translation of Sanskrit tathatā, meaning 'suchness' or 'thusness'. The kanji 真 means 'true' and 如 means 'as it is' or 'like'.