Transcript THE TRIKᾹYA : THREE BODIES OF THE BUDDHA (THE

DEVELOPMENT OF THE CONCEPT
OF BUDDHA’S BODY: FROM EARLY
BUDDHIST TO MAHᾹYᾹNA
BUDDHISM
• According to the early Buddhist concept
(Theravāda Tradition), the field of Buddha is
unthinkable. (Acinteyyasutta, AN). This
makes a limit within Theravādian in
searching the Buddha’s field, but other
tradition went beyond from this concept and
searched for the Buddha’s field, it resulted
with the presenting of the concept of body,
especial the Three Bodies of the Buddha
• Early Buddhism:
• In the Aggaññasutta of the Dīghanikāya mentions several
synonyms for the Buddha
• Dhammakāya: The body of the Truth
• Brahmakāya: The divine body
• Karajakāya: The body (which is born of impurity)
• In the Vakkalīsutta of the Samyuttanikāya, the Buddha
adviced to Vakkalī to see the Dhamma not see the physical
body.
• "Enough, Vakkali! What is there to see in this vile body? He
who sees Dhamma, Vakkali, sees me; he who sees me sees
Dhamma. Truly seeing Dhamma, one sees me; seeing me
one sees Dhamma
• Buddhāpadāna
in
Apadānapāli
of
the
Khuddakanikāya seems relevant to the origin of the
concept of Nirmānakāya. Here we can see the
imagination of many Buddhas
• Also in the Mahāparinibbānasutta of the
Dīghanikāya, the Buddha mentioned to Ven. Ᾱnanda
that he could appear in other realms, whatever the
appearances of the beings in such particular realms,
he could have the same appearances. He preaches the
doctrine to those beings and then disappears there
but no being recognizes whether he is a god or
human being (Antarahitaṃ ca maṃ na jānanti, ko nu
kho ayaṃ antarahito devo vā manusso vā ti?)
• The concept of body or Kāya in Mahayana Buddhism.
• Vaibhāsika school, 120-162 AD (Sarvastivāda)
says, no use of taking the refuge of physical body
of the Buddha as it is a subject of impurity. So
they have instructed people to take the refuge of
Dharmakāya.
• The text, Aşṭsāhasrikā mentions that ‘those who
represent the Buddha through his physical
attributes are described as foolish; for tathāgata
cannot be seen from his form-body. The Dharmabodies are the Tathāgata’
NIRMᾹNAKᾹYA : the body of transformation
(the universal manifested in the world)
SAMBHOGAKᾹYA : the body of compensation
(the symbol of the Buddha ideal)
DHARMAKᾹYA: the body of the law (practically
synonymous with bhūtathatā
TRIMŪRTI
TRINITY
NIRMᾹNAKᾹYA
• SᾹKYAMUNI BUDDHA & other human BUDDHAS
• (Body of incarnation)
• What common people are experience, the Buddha is in this
body experience all those experiences, getting sick, getting
old, and death….
• They have power over the whole universe….
• His death is only illusion, and a trick, and in reality he is
ever alive helping on the progress of the world
• (This concept highly promoted in Lokottaravadian School, a
school of Mahasanghikas)
SᾹKYAMUNI BUDDHA :
NIRMᾹNAKᾹYA
• SAMBHOGAKᾹYA
• The Buddha of most of the Mahāyān Sutrās is
this Sambhogakāya. In the
Saddharmapuṇḍrīkasūtra mentions that the
Buddha as being the loving father who recues
his children (all sentient beings) from the
burning house of the three worlds. For this
reason innumerable Bodhisttvās appear to
testify to the fact that all through eternity the
Buddhas have at various times appeared to
reach all mankind the law.
• ‘Every drop of water in the vast ocean can be
counted, but the age of Sākyamuni none can
measure’ crush Sumeru Mountain into particles as
fine as mustard seed and we can count them, but the
age of Sākyamuni none can measure,
• The Buddha never entered into Parinirvāṇa, the
Good Law will never parish. He shewed an earthly
death merely for the benefits of sentient beings’
(Saddharmapuṇḍarīkasūtra)
• Body of self enjoyment
• Body for the enjoyment of others
•
AMITᾹYUS BUDDHA: SAMBHOGAKᾹYA
DHARMAKᾹYA:
• While then the Nirmāṇakāya is the human Buddha,
and the Sambhogakāya the glorified Buddha ideal, the
Dharmakāya is the essence of Buddhahood, the norm
of existence, and is therefore synonymous with the
Bhūtathatā of which is but a devotional symbol.
• Then the Blessed One said to Ven. Ananda, "Now, if it
occurs to any of you — 'The teaching has lost its authority;
we are without a Teacher' — do not view it in that way.
Whatever Dhamma & Vinaya I have pointed out &
formulated for you, that will be your Teacher when I am
gone."Mahāparinibbānasutta:
AMITᾹBHA BUDDHA:
DAHRMAKᾹYA