The Development of Mahayana Buddhism - Trikaya and the nature of Buddha

Dharmakaya: the truth body

Trikaya means three bodies, but body here can identify an aspect or dimension of Buddhahood rather than an anatomical object. Dharmakaya, the truth or Dharma body, concerns awakened reality and its realisation. It explains why the Buddha's significance is not exhausted by the visible form of one historical teacher.

The earlier refuge teaching distinguished transmitted Dhamma from truth realised directly. Dharmakaya develops that connection: Buddhahood embodies or realises the truth rather than manufacturing it. It should not simply be called a permanent material essence hidden inside Siddhartha or an independent personal soul. Mahayana explanations differ in emphasis, including emptiness, suchness and awakened qualities; terminology alone does not settle every metaphysical interpretation.

The Sutra on the Three Bodies, Toh 283, in the Buddhavacana Translation Group's translation, describes the truth body through pure nature and compares it with space. The analogy communicates unobstructed scope rather than proving that Buddhahood is literally empty air. It locates the other bodies in relation to the truth body instead of treating them as unrelated individuals.

Dharmakaya can thus ground a universal significance: a Buddha's wisdom is not merely a biography-specific opinion. A critic may ask whether speaking of universal awakened reality reintroduces the essence no-self challenged. A defence must explain how its account avoids independent own-being, rather than dismissing the problem because Dharma appears in the name.

Heavenly and earthly bodies

Sambhogakaya, the enjoyment body, corresponds to the specification's heavenly body. It expresses the glorious manifestation of Buddhahood accessible to advanced bodhisattvas, associated with pure realms and teaching. Heavenly is therefore shorthand for a mode of awakened manifestation, not an ordinary creator's heaven or a third-party soul which survives death unchanged.

Nirmanakaya, the transformation or manifestation body, corresponds to the earthly body. It is the appearance through which a Buddha can teach beings in their accessible world. Siddhartha Gautama's visible life illustrates this aspect: birth, teaching and final passing are encountered as a human biography while Buddhahood is not reduced to bodily appearance alone.

Toh 283 associates the enjoyment body with meditative absorption and the manifestation body with conduct benefiting beings. Its space, cloud and rain analogies distinguish aspects while connecting their activity. Rain reaches particular places; likewise an accessible manifestation meets particular beings. This is a paraphrased interpretation of the analogy, not a scientific account of how celestial bodies are generated.