''Saṃbhogakāya'' ( sa, संभोगकाय lit. "body of enjoyment", zh, t=報身, p=bàoshēn,
Tib: ''longs spyod rdzog pa'i sku'') is the second mode or aspect of the
Trikaya
The Trikāya doctrine ( sa, त्रिकाय, lit. "three bodies"; , ) is a Mahayana Buddhist teaching on both the nature of reality and the nature of Buddhahood. The doctrine says that Buddha has three ''kāyas'' or ''bodies'', the '' Dharm ...
.
Definition
Celestial manifestations
''Sambhogakāya'' is a "subtle body of limitless form". Buddhas such as
Bhaisajyaguru
Bhaiṣajyaguru ( sa, भैषज्यगुरु, zh, t= , ja, 薬師仏, ko, 약사불, bo, སངས་རྒྱས་སྨན་བླ), or ''Bhaishajyaguru'', formally Bhaiṣajya-guru-vaiḍūrya-prabhā-rāja ("Medicine Master ...
and
Amitābha
Amitābha ( sa, अमिताभ, IPA: ), also known as Amitāyus, is the primary Buddha of Pure Land Buddhism. In Vajrayana Buddhism, he is known for his longevity, discernment, pure perception, purification of aggregates, and deep awarene ...
, as well as advanced bodhisattvas such as
Avalokiteśvara
In Buddhism, Avalokiteśvara (Sanskrit: अवलोकितेश्वर, IPA: ) is a bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas. He has 108 avatars, one notable avatar being Padmapāṇi (lotus bearer). He is variably depicted, ...
and
Manjusri
Mañjuśrī (Sanskrit: मञ्जुश्री) is a ''bodhisattva'' associated with '' prajñā'' (wisdom) in Mahāyāna Buddhism. His name means "Gentle Glory" in Sanskrit. Mañjuśrī is also known by the fuller name of Mañjuśrīkumārab ...
can appear in an "enjoyment-body." A Buddha can appear in an "enjoyment-body" to teach bodhisattvas through visionary experiences.
Those
Buddhas and
Bodhisattva
In Buddhism, a bodhisattva ( ; sa, 𑀩𑁄𑀥𑀺𑀲𑀢𑁆𑀢𑁆𑀯 (Brahmī), translit=bodhisattva, label=Sanskrit) or bodhisatva is a person who is on the path towards bodhi ('awakening') or Buddhahood.
In the Early Buddhist schools ...
s manifest themselves in their specific
pure land
A pure land is the celestial realm of a buddha or bodhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism. The term "pure land" is particular to East Asian Buddhism () and related traditions; in Sanskrit the equivalent concept is called a buddha-field (Sanskrit ). Th ...
s. These worlds are created for the benefits of others. In those lands it is easy to hear and practice the
Dharma
Dharma (; sa, धर्म, dharma, ; pi, dhamma, italic=yes) is a key concept with multiple meanings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and others. Although there is no direct single-word translation for '' ...
. A person can be reborn in such a pure land by "the transfer of some of the huge stock of 'merit' of a Land's presiding Buddha, stimulated by devout prayer."
One of the places where the ''Sambhogakāya'' appears is the extra-cosmic realm or pure land called
Akaniṣṭha
In classical Buddhist Cosmology, ''Akaniṣṭha'' (Pali: ''Akaniṭṭha,'' meaning "Nothing Higher", "Unsurpassed") is the highest of the Pure Abodes, and thus the highest of all the form realms. It is the realm where devas like Maheśvara live.
...
. This realm should not be confused with the akanistha of the pure abodes, for it is a realm that completely transcends it.
Absolutely seen, only
Dharmakāya
The ''dharmakāya'' ( sa, धर्म काय, "truth body" or "reality body", zh, t=法身, p=fǎshēn, ) is one of the three bodies ('' trikāya'') of a buddha in Mahāyāna Buddhism. The ''dharmakāya'' constitutes the unmanifested, "incon ...
is real; ''Sambhogakāya'' and ''
Nirmāṇakāya
Nirmāṇakāya (Sanskrit; zh, t=應身, p=yīngshēn; Tib. སྤྲུལ་སྐུ་, ''tulku'', Wyl. ''sprul sku'') is the third aspect of the trikāya and the physical manifestation of a Buddha in time and space. In Vajrayāna it is descr ...
'' are "provisional ways of talking about and apprehending it."
Understanding in Buddhist tradition
Tibetan Buddhism
There are numerous ''Sambhogakāya'' realms almost as numerous as deities in Tibetan Buddhism. These ''Sambhogakaya''-realms are known as Buddha-fields or
Pure Lands
A pure land is the celestial realm of a buddha or bodhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism. The term "pure land" is particular to East Asian Buddhism () and related traditions; in Sanskrit the equivalent concept is called a buddha-field (Sanskrit ). T ...
.
One manifestation of ''Sambhogakaya'' in Tibetan Buddhism is the
rainbow body
In Dzogchen, rainbow body
(, Jalü or Jalus) is a level of realization. This may or may not be accompanied by the 'rainbow body phenomenon'. The rainbow body phenomenon is pre-Buddhist in origin, and is a topic which has been treated fairly serio ...
. This is where an advanced practitioner is walled up in a cave or sewn inside a small yurt-like tent shortly before death. For a period of a week or so after death, the practitioners' body transforms into a ''Sambhogakaya'' (light body), leaving behind only hair and nails.
Lopön Tenzin Namdak
Lopön Tenzin Namdak (, born 1926 in Khyungpo Karu – – in Kham) is a Tibetan religious leader and the most senior teacher of Bon, in particular of Dzogchen and the Mother Tantras.
Early life
Tenzin Namdak's father was a farmer in Ch ...
as rendered by John Myrdhin Reynolds conveyed the relationship of the
mindstream
Mindstream (''citta-santāna'') in Buddhist philosophy is the moment-to-moment continuum (Sanskrit: ''saṃtāna'') of sense impressions and mental phenomena, which is also described as continuing from one life to another.
Definition
' (Sanskri ...
(Sanskrit: ''citta santana'') of ''Sambhogakaya'' that links ''Dharmakaya'' with ''Nirmanakaya''.
Chán Buddhism
In the
Chán
Chan (; of ), from Sanskrit '' dhyāna'' (meaning " meditation" or "meditative state"), is a Chinese school of Mahāyāna Buddhism. It developed in China from the 6th century CE onwards, becoming especially popular during the Tang and ...
(禪) (Jp.
Zen
Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), and ...
) tradition, ''Sambhogakāya'' (Chin. 報身↔''baoshen'', lit. "retribution body"), along with ''
Dharmakaya'' and ''
Nirmanakaya'', are given metaphorical interpretations.
In the ''
Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch'', Chan Master
Huineng
Dajian Huineng (); (February 27, 638 – August 28, 713), also commonly known as the Sixth Patriarch or Sixth Ancestor of Chan (traditional Chinese: 禪宗六祖), is a semi-legendary but central figure in the early history of Chinese Chan Buddhi ...
describes the ''Samboghakaya'' as a state in which the practitioner continually and naturally produces good thoughts:
See also
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Refuge tree
The imagery of the Refuge Tree, also referred to as Refuge Assembly, Refuge Field, Merit Field, Field of Merit or Field of Accumulation ( Tibetan: ཚོགས་ཞིང་།, Wylie: ''tshogs zhing'') is a key part of a visualization and foun ...
*
Yidam
''Yidam'' is a type of deity associated with tantric or Vajrayana Buddhism said to be manifestations of Buddhahood or enlightened mind. During personal meditation (''sādhana'') practice, the yogi identifies their own form, attributes and mi ...
Notes
References
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Further reading
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sambhogakaya
Buddhist philosophical concepts
Sanskrit words and phrases