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78-530: (Redirected from Dhammakāya ) See also: Dharmakāya [REDACTED] Look up sa:धर्मकाय in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Dhammakāya is a Pāli term which means "body of dharma", "body of truth" or the "body of enlightenment". Its Sanskrit equivalent is Dharmakāya . It can refer to: Dhammakāya , in Theravāda Buddhism, a figurative term meaning

156-407: A Bodhisattva does "not stand" on include standard listings such as: the five aggregates , the sense fields ( ayatana ), nirvana , Buddhahood , etc. This is explained by stating that Bodhisattvas "wander without a home" ( aniketacārī ); "home" or "abode" meaning signs ( nimitta , meaning a subjective mental impression) of sensory objects and the afflictions that arise dependent on them. This includes

234-718: A copy of the Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra in Prakrit . Guang Xing also assesses the view of the Buddha given in the Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra as being that of the Mahāsāṃghikas. Edward Conze estimates that this sūtra originated around 100 BCE. In 2012, Harry Falk and Seishi Karashima published a damaged and partial Kharoṣṭhī manuscript of the Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā . It

312-466: A general path and fruit, not only to the person of the Buddha. Although Reynolds does not express agreement with Falk's entire theory, he does consider the idea of an earlier yogic strand worthy of investigation. Furthermore, he points out that there are remarkable resemblances with interpretations that can be found in Yogāvacara texts, often called Tantric Theravada . The usage of the word dhammakāya

390-415: A more unorthodox approach, Maryla Falk has made the argument that in the earliest form of Buddhism, a yogic path existed which involved the acquisition of a manomayakāya or dhammakāya and an amatakāya , in which the manomayakāya or dhammakāya refers to the attainment of the jhānas , and the amatakāya to the attainment of insight and the culmination of the path. In this case, the kāyas refer to

468-405: A part of the body carved in rock), for example. Thondup and Talbott identify dharmakaya with the naked ("sky-clad"; Sanskrit: Digāmbara ), unornamented, sky-blue Samantabhadra : In Nyingma icons, dharmakāya is symbolized by a naked, sky-coloured (light blue) male and female Buddha in union [Kāmamudrā], called Samantabhadra [and Samantabhadrī ]. Fremantle states: Space is simultaneously

546-725: A shift in emphasis from an oral tradition ( Vajracchedikā ) to a written tradition ( Aṣṭasāhasrikā ). The Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā prajñāpāramitā Sūtra (T. Shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa stong phrag nyi shu lnga pa ; C. Mohe bore boluomi jing , 摩訶般若波羅蜜經) is one of the largest PP sutras, comprising three volumes of the Tibetan Kangyur (26-28). It was also one of the most important and popular PP sutras in India, seeing as how there are numerous Indian commentaries on this text, including commentaries by Vimuktisena, Haribhadra, Smṛtijñānakīrti, and Ratnakarashanti. The sutra also survives in

624-506: A state where appearances simply appear but there is no clinging to them, the dharmakaya aspect is that all appearances are empty in nature, the sambhogakāya is that they appear with clarity, the nirmanakaya is that this emptiness and clarity occur together, and the natural kāya aspect is that these are inseparable." In the early traditions of Buddhism, depictions of Gautama Buddha were neither iconic nor aniconic but depictions of empty space and absence: petrosomatoglyphs (images of

702-428: Is a middle way, it is neither apprehended as existent ( astitā ) or non-existent ( nāstitā ) and it is "immutable" ( avikāra ) and "free from conceptualization" ( avikalpa ). The Bodhisattva is said to generate "great compassion" ( maha- karuṇā ) for all beings on their path to liberation and yet also maintain a sense of equanimity ( upekṣā ) and distance from them through their understanding of emptiness, due to which,

780-498: Is also associated with Sarvajñata (all-knowledge) in the Prajñāpāramitā sutras, a quality of the mind of a Buddha which knows the nature of all dharmas. According to Karl Brunnholzl, Prajñāpāramitā means that "all phenomena from form up through omniscience being utterly devoid of any intrinsic characteristics or nature of their own." Furthermore, "such omniscient wisdom is always nonconceptual and free from reference points since it

858-429: Is an imaginary boundary set by the limitations of our senses, and also by the limitations of our mind, since we find it almost impossible to imagine a totally limitless [U]niverse. Space is the dimension in which everything exists. It is all-encompassing, all-pervading, and boundless. It is synonymous with emptiness: that emptiness which is simultaneously fullness. The colour blue is an iconographic polysemic rendering of

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936-495: Is common in Tantric Theravāda texts. It is also a common term in later texts concerning the consecration of Buddha images. In these later texts, which are often descriptions of kammaṭṭhāna (meditation methods), different parts of the body of the Buddha are associated with certain spiritual attainments, and the practitioner determines to pursue these attainments himself. The idea that certain characteristics or attainments of

1014-536: Is composed of chos "religion, dharma " and sku "body, form, image, bodily form, figure". Thondup & Talbott render it as the "ultimate body". Gyurme Dorje and Thupten Jinpa define "Buddha-body of Reality", which is a rendering of the Tibetan chos-sku and the Sanskrit dharmakāya , as: [T]he ultimate nature or essence of the enlightened mind [ byang-chub sems ], which is uncreated ( skye-med ), free from

1092-549: Is contrasted with the Buddha’s physical body, that which lived and died and is preserved in stupas . In the Lotus Sutra (Chapter 16: The Life Span of Thus Come One, sixth fascicle) the Buddha explains that he has always and will always exist to lead beings to their salvation. In the tathagatagarbha sutric tradition, the dharmakaya is taught by the Buddha to constitute the transcendental, blissful, eternal, and pure Self of

1170-463: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Dharmak%C4%81ya The dharmakāya ( Sanskrit : धर्म काय , "truth body" or "reality body", Chinese : 法身 ; pinyin : fǎshēn , Tibetan : ཆོས་སྐུ་ , Wylie : chos sku ) is one of the three bodies ( trikāya ) of a Buddha in Mahāyāna Buddhism . The dharmakāya constitutes

1248-557: Is explained that the body, born of father and mother, is composed of defiled dharmas , and therefore is not a source of refuge. The refuge is the Buddha's fully accomplished qualities ( aśaikṣadharmāḥ ) which comprise bodhi and the dharmakāya. In the Pali Canon of Theravada Buddhism, the Dhammakāya ( dharmakāya ) is explained as a figurative term, meaning the "body" or the sum of the Buddha's teachings. The Canon does not invest

1326-782: Is known for his translation of a massive Sanskrit collection of Prajñāpāramitā sutras called "the Xuánzàng Prajñāpāramitā Library" or "The Great Prajñāpāramitāsūtra" (般若 波羅蜜 多 經, pinyin: bōrě bōluómì duō jīng ). Xuánzàng returned to China with three copies of this Sanskrit work which he obtained in South India and his translation is said to have been based on these three sources. In total it includes 600 scrolls, with 5 million Chinese characters. This collection consists of 16 Prajñāpāramitā texts: A modern English translation: The Great Prajna Paramita Sutra (vols. 1 to 6) translated by Naichen Chen (Tucson: Wheatmark). In

1404-495: Is no Tathāgata. The suchness of these dharmas, and the suchness of the Tathāgatas, is all one single suchness ( ekaivaiṣā tathatā ), not two, not divided ( dvaidhīkāraḥ ). ... beyond all classification ( gaṇanāvyativṛttā ), due to non-existence ( asattvāt ). Suchness then does not come or go because like the other terms, it is not a real entity ( bhūta , svabhāva ), but merely appears conceptually through dependent origination , like

1482-586: Is not written in standard literary Sanskrit. However, these findings rely on late-dating Indian texts, in which verses and mantras are often kept in more archaic forms. According to Edward Conze, the PP literature developed in nine stages: (1) An urtext similar to the first two chapters of the Sanskrit Ratnagunasaṃcaya Gāthā; (2) Chapters 3 to 28 of the Ratnagunasaṃcaya are composed, along with

1560-638: Is similar to ideas found in the shentong teachings of the Jonang school of Tibet made famous by Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen . The Thai meditation masters who teach of a true self of which they claim to have gained meditative experience are not rejected by Thai Buddhists in general, but tend, on the contrary, to be particularly revered and worshipped in Thailand as arahats or even bodhisattvas , far more so than more orthodox Theravada monks and scholars. According to Paul Williams, there are three ways of seeing

1638-432: Is still essentially Theravāda though, since the Buddha is still considered a human being, albeit an enlightened one. The Buddha's body is still subject to kamma and limited in the same way as other people's bodies are. In a post-canonical Sri Lankan text called Saddharmaratnākaraya, a distinction is drawn between four different kāya s: the rūpakāya , dharmakāya , nimittakāya and suñyakāya . The rūpakāya refers to

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1716-592: Is the constant and panoramic awareness of the nature of all phenomena and does not involve any shift between meditative equipoise and subsequent attainment." Edward Conze outlined several psychological qualities of a Bodhisattva's practice of Prajñāpāramitā: The Prajñāpāramitā sutras also teach of the importance of the other pāramitās (perfections) for the Bodhisattva such as Ksanti (patience): "Without resort to this patience (kṣānti) they [bodhisattvas] cannot reach their respective goals". Another quality of

1794-629: Is the explanation taught by the Sutras and Tantras." However he also states that it is distinct from the Hindu concept of Brahman because Buddhism adheres to the doctrine of emptiness (sunyata). According to Jamgon Kongtrul , the founder of the Rimé movement , in his 19th century commentary to the Lojong slogan, "To see confusion as the four kayas, the sunyata protection is unsurpassable", "When you rest in

1872-579: Is the main ideal in Mahayana (Great Vehicle), which sees the goal of the Buddhist path as becoming a Buddha for the sake of all sentient beings, not just yourself: A central quality of the Bodhisattva is their practice of Prajñāpāramitā, a most deep ( gambhīra ) state of knowledge which is an understanding of reality arising from analysis as well as meditative insight. It is non-conceptual and non-dual ( advaya ) as well as transcendental . Literally,

1950-572: Is very similar to the first Chinese translation of the Aṣṭasāhasrikā by Lokakṣema (ca. 179 CE) whose source text is assumed to be in the Gāndhārī language ; Lokakṣema's translation is also the first extant translation of the Prajñāpāramitā genre into a non-Indic language. Comparison with the standard Sanskrit text shows that it is also likely to be a translation from Gāndhāri as it expands on many phrases and provides glosses for words that are not present in

2028-523: The Diamond Sūtra ( Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra ) to be from a very early date in the development of Prajñāpāramitā literature. The usual reason for this relative chronology which places the Vajracchedikā earlier is not its date of translation, but rather a comparison of the contents and themes. Some western scholars also believe that the Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra was adapted from

2106-666: The Mahāyānasaṃgraha , entitled Vivṛtaguhyārthapiṇḍavyākhyā ( A Condensed Explanation of the Revealed Secret Meaning, Derge No. 4052), lists eight Prajñāpāramitā sūtras which were "taught to bodhisattvas" and are seen as superior (from the Sravakayana sutras) because they are superior "in eliminating conceptually imaged forms". The eight texts are listed according to length and are the following: The Chinese scholar and translator Xuánzàng (玄奘, 602-664)

2184-416: The mahābhūta element of the "pure light" of space (Sanskrit: आकाश ākāśa ). The conceptually bridging and building poetic device of analogy, as an exemplar where dharmakaya is evocatively likened to sky and space, is a persistent and pervasive visual metaphor throughout the early Dzogchen and Nyingma literature and functions as a linkage and conduit between the 'conceptual' and 'conceivable' and

2262-619: The Aṣṭasāhasrikā. Regarding the shorter PP texts, Conze writes, "two of these, the Diamond Sūtra and the Heart Sūtra are in a class by themselves and deservedly renowned throughout the world of Northern Buddhism. Both have been translated into many languages and have often been commented upon.". Jan Nattier argues the Heart Sutra to be an apocryphal text composed in China from extracts of

2340-606: The Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā and other texts c. 7th century. Red Pine, however, does not support Nattiers argument and believes the Heart Sutra to be of Indian origin. During the later phase of Indian Buddhism, Tāntric Prajñāpāramitā texts were produced from the 8th century upt to 11th century CE. These later esoteric Prajñāpāramitā sutras are generally short texts which contain mantras and/or dhāraṇīs and also reference esoteric Buddhist ( Mantrayana ) ideas. They often promote simple practices based on recitation which lead to

2418-589: The Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā translated by Kumārajīva (344–413 CE). There are also later commentaries from Zen Buddhists on the Heart and Diamond sutra and Kūkai 's commentary (9th century) is the first-known Tantric commentary. The PP sutras were first brought to Tibet in the reign of Trisong Detsen (742-796) by scholars Jinamitra and Silendrabodhi and the translator Ye shes De. Tibetan Buddhist scholasticism generally studies

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2496-516: The Sanskrit words prajñā "wisdom" (or "knowledge") with pāramitā "perfection" or " transcendent ". Prajñāpāramitā is a central concept in Mahāyāna Buddhism and is generally associated with ideas such as emptiness ( śūnyatā ), 'lack of svabhāva ' ( essence ), the illusory ( māyā ) nature of things, how all phenomena are characterized by "non-arising" ( anutpāda , i.e. unborn) and

2574-636: The Svalpākṣarā, claim that simply reciting the dharanis found in the sutras are as beneficial as advanced esoteric Buddhist practices (with the full ritual panoply of mandalas and abhiseka ). These scriptures may have been recited in esoteric rituals and two of them remain in widespread use today : Prajñāpāramitāhṛdaya (commonly recited throughout Asia by Buddhists) and the Adhyardhaśatikā (an widely recited text in Shingon Buddhism) . By

2652-616: The Tibetan Buddhist tradition, the Abhisamayālaṅkāra is traditionally said to be a commentary to seventeen Prajñāpāramitā (PP) source texts. These are seen as the most important PP sutras and they collectively known as the "Seventeen Mothers and Sons" (Wyl. yum sras bcu bdun ). The Six Mothers are: The Eleven Sons are: In the Prajñāpāramitā section of the Kangyur , there are also other Prajñāpāramitā sutras besides

2730-639: The madhyamaka thought of Nāgārjuna . Its practice and understanding are taken to be indispensable elements of the Bodhisattva path. According to Edward Conze , the Prajñāpāramitā Sūtras are "a collection of about forty texts ... composed somewhere on the Indian subcontinent between approximately 100 BC and AD 600." Some Prajnāpāramitā sūtras are thought to be among the earliest Mahāyāna sūtras . Western scholars have traditionally considered

2808-517: The 'ineffable' and 'inconceivable' (Sanskrit: acintya ). It is particularly referred to by the terma Gongpa Zangtel , a terma cycle revealed by Rigdzin Gödem (1337–1408) and part of the Nyingma "Northern Treasures" ( Wylie : byang gter ). Sawyer conveys the importance of melong ('mirror') iconography to dharmakaya : The looking glass/mirror (T. me-long, Skt. adarsa), which represents

2886-480: The Bodhisattva is their freedom from fear ( na vtras ) in the face of the seemingly shocking doctrine of the emptiness of all dharmas which includes their own existence. A good friend ( kalyanamitra ) is useful in the path to fearlessness. Bodhisattvas also have no pride or self-conception ( na manyeta ) of their own stature as Bodhisattvas. These are important features of the mind of a bodhisattva, called bodhicitta . The Prajñāpāramitā sutras also mention that bodhicitta

2964-479: The Bodhisattva knows that even after bringing countless beings to nirvana, "no living being whatsoever has been brought to nirvana." Bodhisattvas and Mahāsattvas are also willing to give up all of their meritorious deeds for sentient beings and develop skillful means ( upaya ) in order to help abandon false views and teach them the Dharma. The practice of Prajñāpāramitā allows a Bodhisattva to become: "a saviour of

3042-434: The Buddha can be pursued is usually considered a Mahāyāna idea, but unlike Mahāyāna, Yogāvacara texts do not describe the Buddha in ontological terms, and commonly use only Theravāda terminology. The Dhammakaya tradition and some monastic members of Thai Theravada Buddhism, who specialise on meditation, have doctrinal elements which distinguish it from some Theravāda Buddhist scholars who have tried to claim themselves as

3120-514: The Buddha can be seen in Mahāsāṃghika teachings: the true Buddha who is omniscient and omnipotent, and the manifested forms through which he liberates sentient beings through skillful means. For the Mahāsaṃghikas, the historical Gautama Buddha was one of these transformation bodies (Skt. nirmāṇakāya ), while the essential real Buddha is equated with the dharmakāya . Sarvāstivādins viewed

3198-637: The Buddha present within all beings. In the Pāli Canon , Gautama Buddha tells Vasettha that the Tathāgata (the Buddha) is dhammakaya , the "truth-body" or the "embodiment of truth", as well as dharmabhuta , "truth-become", that is, "one who has become truth." He whose faith in the Tathagata is settled, rooted, established, solid, unshakeable by any ascetic or Brahmin, any deva or mara or Brahma or anyone in

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3276-500: The Buddha's physical body (Skt. rūpakāya ) as being impure and improper for taking refuge in, and they instead regarded taking refuge in the Buddha as taking refuge in the dharmakāya of the Buddha. As stated in the Mahāvibhāṣā : Some people say that to take refuge in the Buddha is to take refuge in the body of the Tathāgata, which comprises head, neck, stomach, back, hands and feet. It

3354-652: The Buddha. "These terms are found in sutras such as the Lankavatara , Gandavyuha , Angulimaliya , Srimala , and the Mahaparinirvana , where they are used to describe the Buddha, the Truth Body ( dharmakaya ) and the Buddha-nature." They are the "transcendent results [of spiritual attainment]". In Tibetan, the term chos sku (ཆོས་སྐུ།, phonetically written as chö-ku ) glosses dharmakāya ; it

3432-456: The Buddhist noble ones of all types is evident in the early Buddhist texts. That is to say, dhammakāya is not exclusive to the Buddha. It appears also that the term’s usage in the sense of teaching is a later schema rather than being the early Buddhist common notions as generally understood. In the atthakathā s (commentaries on the Buddhist texts ), the interpretation of the word depends on

3510-552: The Gāndhārī. This points to the text being composed in Gāndhārī, the language of Gandhara (the region now called the Northwest Frontier of Pakistan, including Peshawar , Taxila and Swat Valley ). The "Split" manuscript is evidently a copy of an earlier text, though Falk and Karashima do not give an estimate on how old the original may be. In contrast to western scholarship, Japanese scholars have traditionally considered

3588-731: The Mahāyāna Prajñāpāramitā teachings were first developed by the Caitika subsect of the Mahāsāṃghikas . They believe that the Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra originated amongst the southern Mahāsāṃghika schools of the Āndhra region, along the Kṛṣṇa River . These Mahāsāṃghikas had two famous monasteries near Amarāvati Stupa and Dhānyakataka , which gave their names to the Pūrvaśaila and Aparaśaila schools. Each of these schools had

3666-574: The PP sutras through the Abhisamayālaṅkāra and its numerous commentaries. The focus on the Abhisamayālaṅkāra is particularly pronounced in the Gelug school, who according to Georges Dreyfus "take the Ornament as the central text for the study of the path" and "treat it as a kind of Buddhist encyclopedia, read in the light of commentaries by Je Dzong-ka-ba , Gyel-tsap Je , and the authors of manuals [monastic textbooks]." An Indian commentary on

3744-685: The Prajnaparamita: "All the Buddhas of the three times by relying on the Prajnaparamita Awaken completely To the perfect, unsurpassable enlightenment." Prajñāpāramitā may also refer to the female deity Prajñāpāramitā Devi , a samboghakaya Buddha of transcendental wisdom also known as the "Great Mother" (Tibetan: Yum Chenmo ) who was widely depicted in Asian Buddhist art . The word Prajñāpāramitā combines

3822-417: The absence, the "not taking up" ( aparigṛhīta ) of even "correct" mental signs and perceptions such as "form is not self", "I practice Prajñāpāramitā", etc. To be freed of all constructions and signs, to be signless ( animitta ) is to be empty of them and this is to stand in Prajñāpāramitā. The Prajñāpāramitā sutras state that all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in the past have practiced Prajñāpāramitā. Prajñāpāramitā

3900-639: The accumulation of merit and help one reach awakening. Esoteric Prajñāpāramitā sutras include texts such as the Adhyardhaśatikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra (150 lines), the famous Heart Sutra ( Prajñāpāramitāhṛdaya ), the Ekaślokikā prajñāpāramitā, Svalpākṣarā Prajñāpāramitā, Kauśikā Prajñāpāramitā, Saptaślokikā Prajñāpāramitā , the *Prajñāpāramitānāmāṣṭaśataka and the Candragarbha Prajñāpāramitā. Some of these sources, like

3978-407: The author. Though both Buddhaghoṣa and Dhammapāla describe dhammakāya as the nine supramundane states ( navalokuttaradhamma ), their interpretations differ in other aspects. Buddhaghoṣa always follows the canonical interpretation, referring to the teaching of the lokuttaradhamma s, but Dhammapāla interprets dhammakāya as the spiritual attainments of the Buddha. Dhammapāla's interpretation

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4056-459: The basis for the (7) Indian PP Commentaries, (8) Tantric PP works and (9) Chinese Chan texts. Jan Nattier also defends the view that the Aṣṭasāhasrikā developed as various layers were added over time. However, Matthew Orsborn has recently argued, based on the chiastic structures of the text that the entire sūtra may have been composed as a single whole (with a few additions added on the core chapters). A number of scholars have proposed that

4134-465: The concept of the dharmakaya in the prajnaparamita sutras: First, the dharmakaya is the collection of teachings, particularly the Prajñaparamita itself. Second, it is the collection of pure dharmas possessed by the Buddha, specifically pure mental dharmas cognizing emptiness. And third, it comes to refer to emptiness itself, the true nature of things. The dharmakaya in all these senses

4212-468: The development of East Asian Mādhyamaka and on Chinese Buddhism . Xuanzang (fl. c. 602–664) was a Chinese scholar who traveled to India and returned to China with three copies of the Mahāprajñāpāramitā Sūtra which he had secured from his extensive travels. Xuanzang, with a team of disciple translators, commenced translating the voluminous work in 660 CE using the three versions to ensure

4290-557: The dharmakaya or Truth Body, having the aspects of purity (a mirror is clear of pollution) and wisdom (a mirror reflects all phenomena without distinction). Prajnaparamita#Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā The Transcendent Wisdom of the Prajanaparamita also transcends any single vehicle (yana) of Buddhist philosophy, as explained in the "Heart Sutra" through the replies Avalokiteshvara gives to Shariputra 's question of how should sons and daughters of noble qualities practice

4368-441: The earlier Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra . Examining the language and phrases used in both the Aṣṭasāhasrikā and the Vajracchedikā , Gregory Schopen also sees the Vajracchedikā as being earlier than the Aṣṭasāhasrikā . This view is taken in part by examining parallels between the two works, in which the Aṣṭasāhasrikā seems to represent the later or more developed position. According to Schopen, these works also show

4446-607: The earliest sūtra in the Prajñāpāramitā class to be the Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra or "Perfection of Wisdom in 8,000 Lines", which was probably put in writing in the 1st century BCE. This chronology is based on the views of Edward Conze , who largely considered dates of translation into other languages. This text also has a corresponding version in verse format, called the Ratnaguṇasaṃcaya Gāthā , which some believe to be slightly older because it

4524-424: The first and the last of the great elements. It is the origin and precondition of the other four, and it is also their culmination... The Sanskrit word for space is the same as for the sky: akasha , which means "shining and clear." What is it that we call the sky? It marks the boundary of our vision, the limit our sight can reach. If we could see more clearly, the sky would extend infinitely into outer space. The sky

4602-438: The four jhāna s here; the dharmakāya refers to the attainment of the first eight of the nine lokuttaradhamma s; the nimittakāya refers to the final lokuttaradhamma : Nibbāna with a physical remainder ( sopadisesanibbāna ); and the suñyakāya refers to Nibbāna without physical remainder ( anupādisesanibbāna ). However, even this teaching of four kāya s does not really stray outside of orthodox Theravāda tradition. In

4680-436: The helpless, a defender of the defenceless, a refuge to those without refuge, a place to rest to those without resting place, the final relief of those who are without it, an island to those without one, a light to the blind, a guide to the guideless, a resort to those without one and....guide to the path those who have lost it, and you shall become a support to those who are without support." Tathātā (Suchness or Thusness) and

4758-538: The integrity of the source documentation. Xuanzang was being encouraged by a number of the disciple translators to render an abridged version. After a suite of dreams quickened his decision, Xuanzang determined to render an unabridged, complete volume, faithful to the original of 600 fascicles. An important PP text in East Asian Buddhism is the Dazhidulun (大智度論, T no. 1509), a massive commentary on

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4836-576: The largest of the PP sutras. According to Joseph Walser, there is evidence that the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra (25,000 lines) and the Śatasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra (100,000 lines) have a connection with the Dharmaguptaka sect, while the Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra (8,000 lines) does not. Other PP texts were also composed which were much shorter and had a more independent structure from

4914-487: The limits of conceptual elaboration ( spros-pa'i mtha'-bral ), empty of inherent existence ( rang-bzhin-gyis stong-pa ), naturally radiant, beyond duality and spacious like the sky. The intermediate state of the time of death ( chi-kha'i bar-do ) is considered to be an optimum time for the realisation of the Buddha-body of Reality. The Dalai Lama defines the dharmakaya as "the realm of the Dharmakaya—the space of emptiness—where all phenomena, pure and impure, are dissolved. This

4992-551: The middle of the 3rd century CE, it appears that some Prajñāpāramitā texts were known in Central Asia , as reported by the Chinese monk Zhu Zixing , who brought back a manuscript of the Prajñāpāramitā of 25,000 lines: When in 260 AD, the Chinese monk Zhu Zixing chose to go to Khotan in an attempt to find original Sanskrit sūtras , he succeeded in locating the Sanskrit Prajñāpāramitā in 25,000 verses, and tried to send it to China. In Khotan, however, there were numerous Hīnayānists who attempted to prevent it because they regarded

5070-512: The nature of reality, and the appearances of a Buddha. The dharmakaya doctrine was possibly first expounded in the Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā , composed in the 1st century BCE. Around 300 CE, the yogacara school systematized the prevalent ideas on the nature of the Buddha in the trikaya "three-body" doctrine. According to this doctrine, buddhahood has three aspects: Tulku Thondup states that dharmakaya must possess three great qualities: According to Guang Xing, two main aspects of

5148-418: The original Sanskrit, which was found in Gilgit . It also exists in four Chinese translations. According to Nattier, the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā is basically the Aṣṭasāhasrikā base text which has been "sliced" up and filled with other material, increasing the length of the text considerably. This process of expansion continued, culminating in the massive Śatasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra (100,000 lines),

5226-421: The orthodox Buddhists. Basing itself on the Pali suttas and meditative experience, the tradition teaches that the dhammakaya is the eternal Buddha within all beings. The dhammakaya is nibbāna , and nibbāna is equated with the true self (as opposed to the non-self). In some respects its teachings resemble the buddha-nature doctrines of Mahayana Buddhism. Paul Williams has commented that this view of Buddhism

5304-437: The prose of the Aṣṭasāhasrikā . This base text was further expanded with (3) material from the Abhidharma , and (4) concessions to the "Buddhism of Faith" (referring to Pure Land references in the sūtra). This process led to (5) further expansion into larger PP sūtras as well as (6) contraction into the shorter sūtras (i.e. Diamond Sūtra , Heart Sūtra , down to the Prajñāpāramitā in One Letter ). This expanded corpus formed

5382-413: The related term Dharmatā (the nature of Dharma), and Tathāgata are also important terms of the Prajñāpāramitā texts. To practice Prajñāpāramitā means to practice in accord with 'the nature of Dharma' and to see the Tathāgata (i.e. the Buddha). As the Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra states, these terms are generally used equivalently: "As the suchness ( tathatā ) of dharmas is immovable ( acalitā ), and

5460-417: The same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Dhammakaya . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dhammakaya&oldid=1170185803 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description

5538-497: The seventeen Mothers and Sons: There are various Indian and later Chinese commentaries on the Prajñāpāramitā sutras, some of the most influential commentaries include: A key theme of the Prajñāpāramitā sutras is the figure of the Bodhisattva (literally: awakening-being) which is defined in the 8,000-line Prajñāpāramitā sutra as: A Bodhisattva is then a being that experiences everything "without attachment" ( asakti ) and sees reality or suchness ( Tathātā ) as it is. The Bodhisattva

5616-665: The suchness ( tathatā ) of dharmas is the Tathāgata ." The Tathāgata is said in the Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra to "neither come nor go". Furthermore, the Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra includes a list of synonyms associated with Tathāgata as also being "beyond coming and going", these include: 1. Suchness ( tathatā ); 2. Unarisen ( anutpāda ); 3. Reality limit ( bhūtakoṭi ); 4. Emptiness ("Śūnyatā"); 5. Division ( yathāvatta ); 6. Detachment ( virāga ); 7. Cessation ( nirodha ); 8. Space element ( ākāśadhātu ). The sutra then states: Apart from these dharmas, there

5694-486: The sum of the Buddha's teachings Dhammakaya Tradition , Thai Buddhist tradition, mostly known through Wat Phra Dhammakaya Dhammakaya Tradition UK , specific lineage of Thai Buddhism in Britain Dhammakaya meditation , a Buddhist meditation technique Dhammakaya Media Channel, former name of Global Buddhist Network , Buddhist television channel owned by Wat Phra Dhammakaya Topics referred to by

5772-415: The term dhammakāya with a metaphysical or unrealistic connotation. Jantrasrisalai disagrees though, arguing that the term originally was more connected with the process of enlightenment than the way it later came to be interpreted. In all references to dhammakāya in early Buddhist usage, it is apparent that dhammakāya is linked always with the process of enlightenment in one way or another. Its relation with

5850-422: The term could be translated as "knowledge gone to the other (shore)", or transcendental knowledge. The Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra says: A further passage in the 8,000-line Prajñāpāramitā sutra states that Prajñāpāramitā means that a Bodhisattva stands in emptiness ( shunyata ) by not standing ( √sthā ) or supporting themselves on any dharma (phenomena), whether conditioned or unconditioned. The dharmas that

5928-698: The text as heterodox . Eventually, Zhu Zixing stayed in Khotan, but sent the manuscript to Luoyang where it was translated by a Khotanese monk named Mokṣala. In 296, the Khotanese monk Gītamitra came to Chang'an with another copy of the same text. In China, there was extensive translation of many Prajñāpāramitā texts beginning in the second century CE. The main translators include: Lokakṣema (支婁迦讖), Zhī Qīan (支謙), Dharmarakṣa (竺法護), Mokṣala (無叉羅), Kumārajīva (鳩摩羅什, 408 CE), Xuánzàng (玄奘), Făxián (法賢) and Dānapāla (施護). These translations were very influential in

6006-457: The unmanifested, "inconceivable" ( acintya ) aspect of a Buddha out of which Buddhas arise and to which they return after their dissolution. Buddhas are manifestations of the dharmakāya called the nirmāṇakāya , "transformation body". The Dhammakāya tradition of Thailand and the Tathāgatagarbha sūtras of the ancient Indian tradition view the dharmakāya as the ātman (true self) of

6084-482: The world, can truly say: 'I am a true son of Blessed Lord (Bhagavan), born of his mouth, born of Dhamma, created by Dhamma, an heir of Dhamma.' Why is that? Because, Vasettha, this designates the Tathagata: 'The Body of Dhamma,' that is, 'The Body of Brahma,' or 'Become Dhamma,' that is, 'Become Brahma'. The trikaya doctrine (Sanskrit, literally "three bodies" or "three personalities") is a Buddhist teaching both on

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