''Saṃbhogakāya'' (, zh, t=報身, p=bàoshēn, Tib: ''longs spyod rdzog pa'i sku'') is the second of three aspects of a buddha. ''Sambhogakāya'' is a "subtle body of limitless form". Buddhas such as

Bhaisajyaguru Bhaiṣajyaguru (, zh, t= , , , , ), or ''Bhaishajyaguru'', formally Bhaiṣajya-guru-vaiḍūrya-prabha-rāja ("Medicine Master and King of Lapis Lazuli Light"; zh, t=藥師琉璃光(王)如來, , , ), is the Buddha of healing and medicine i ...

and

Amitābha Amitābha (, "Measureless" or "Limitless" Light), also known as Amituofo in Chinese language, Chinese, Amida in Japanese language, Japanese and Öpakmé in Tibetan script, Tibetan, is one of the main Buddhahood, Buddhas of Mahayana, Mahayana Buddh ...

, as well as advanced bodhisattvas such as

Avalokiteśvara In Buddhism, Avalokiteśvara (meaning "the lord who looks down", International Phonetic Alphabet, IPA: ), also known as Lokeśvara ("Lord of the World") and Chenrezig (in Tibetan), is a Bodhisattva#Bhūmis (stages), tenth-level bodhisattva associ ...

and

Manjusri Manjushri () is a ''bodhisattva'' who represents ''Prajñā (Buddhism), prajñā'' (transcendent wisdom) of the Buddhas in Mahāyāna Buddhism. The name "Mañjuśrī" is a combination of Sanskrit word "wikt:%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%9E%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%9C%E0 ...

can appear in an "enjoyment-body." A Buddha can appear in an "enjoyment-body" to teach bodhisattvas through visionary experiences. Those

Buddhas In Buddhism, Buddha (, which in classic Indic languages means "awakened one") is a title for those who are spiritually awake or enlightened, and have thus attained the supreme goal of Buddhism, variously described as awakening or enlighten ...

and

Bodhisattva In Buddhism, a bodhisattva is a person who has attained, or is striving towards, '' bodhi'' ('awakening', 'enlightenment') or Buddhahood. Often, the term specifically refers to a person who forgoes or delays personal nirvana or ''bodhi'' in ...

s manifest themselves in their specific

pure land Pure Land is a Mahayana, Mahayana Buddhist concept referring to a transcendent realm emanated by a buddhahood, buddha or bodhisattva which has been purified by their activity and Other power, sustaining power. Pure lands are said to be places ...

s. These worlds are created for the benefits of others. In those lands it is easy to hear and practice the

Dharma Dharma (; , ) is a key concept in various Indian religions. The term ''dharma'' does not have a single, clear Untranslatability, translation and conveys a multifaceted idea. Etymologically, it comes from the Sanskrit ''dhr-'', meaning ''to hold ...

. 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. 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 is real; ''Sambhogakāya'' and '' Nirmāṇakāya'' 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. One manifestation of ''Sambhogakaya'' in Tibetan Buddhism is the rainbow body. 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 as rendered by John Myrdhin Reynolds conveyed the relationship of the

mindstream Mindstream (Pali: ''citta-santāna'', Sanskrit: ''citta-saṃtāna;'' Ch: ''xin xiangxu'' 心相續) in Buddhist philosophy is the moment-to-moment continuum of sense impressions and mental phenomena ( citta), which is also described as continui ...

(Sanskrit: ''citta santana'') of ''Sambhogakaya'' that links ''Dharmakaya'' with ''Nirmanakaya''.

Chan Buddhism

Chan Buddhism 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 Song ...

(Japanese

Zen Zen (; from Chinese: ''Chán''; in Korean: ''Sŏn'', and Vietnamese: ''Thiền'') is a Mahayana Buddhist tradition that developed in China during the Tang dynasty by blending Indian Mahayana Buddhism, particularly Yogacara and Madhyamaka phil ...

), the Sambhogakāya, along with the Dharmakāya and the Nirmāṇakāya, are given metaphorical interpretations. In the ''

Platform Sutra Double page from the Korean woodblock print of "''The Sixth Patriarch's Dharma Jewel Platform Sutra''", Bibliothèque_Nationale_de_France.html" ;"title="Goryeo, c. 1310. Bibliothèque Nationale de France">Goryeo, c. 1310. Bibliothèque National ...

'', Huineng describes the Sambhogakāya as a state in which the practitioner continually and naturally produces good thoughts:

Notes

References

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Understanding in Buddhist tradition

Tibetan Buddhism

Chan Buddhism

See also

Notes

References

Further reading