unconditioned, the ［無為］ ( asamskrita;  mui): Also, realm of the unconditioned. That which does not arise through dependent origination or causation, i.e., which neither depends on nor is subject to any cause or condition. “The unconditioned” often indicates nirvana, enlightenment, or the unchanging Dharma or Law. It contrasts with the conditioned, which comprises all things and phenomena that arise through causation; i.e., that which is changeable and impermanent. Later this term came to mean an unattached or unrestricted state of life, or more broadly the life of a Buddhist. Interpretations of this concept varied among Buddhist schools. The Sarvāstivāda school, for instance, enumerates three categories of the unconditioned: space, the cessation of earthly desires, and the non-appearance of things and phenomena for lack of their causes. The cessation of earthly desires can be attained through Buddhist practice, while the non-appearance of things and phenomena is independent of human intervention, simply because by definition it lacks any cause.