Three bodies of a Buddha
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
three bodies of a Buddha (三身). These are
(1) Dharmakāya (the Dharma Body or Truth Body), which is Emptiness, the true reality of all Dharmas;
(2) Saṁbhogakāya (the reward Body or enjoyment Body) in a sublime ethereal Form, which represents the immeasurable Merit of a Buddha;
(3) Nirmāṇakāya (a response Body through birth or a manifested Body), which is the manifestation of a Buddha in response to Sentient beings that are ready to accept the Dharma.
The reward Body and the response Body are the Appearances of the Dharma Body, and these three bodies are inseparable. According to the Tiantai School of China, of the latest Buddha, Vairocana is the Dharmakāya, Rocana is the Saṁbhogakāya, and Śākyamuni is the Nirmāṇakāya.
