Trikaya
Sign in to saveThe Trikāya (, lit. "three bodies"; , Jyutping: saam1 san1, ) is a fundamental Buddhist doctrine that explains the multidimensional nature of Buddhahood. As such, the Trikāya is the basic theory that grounds the Mahayana buddhology, that is, the theology of Buddhahood.
Article
23 sectionsContents
- Overview
- The relationship among the three
- Dharmakāya
- Saṃbhogakāya
- Nirmāṇakāya
- Indian Buddhist history
- Two bodies in Indian Mahayana
- Three bodies in Indian Mahayana
- Four body theories
- Interpretation in Buddhist traditions
- East Asian Buddhism
- Tibetan Buddhism
- Three Vajras
- Buddha-bodies
- Dakinis
- In Daoism
- Comparison with other divine triune concepts
- See also
- Notes
- References
- Sources
- Further reading
- External links
The Trikāya (, lit. "three bodies"; , Jyutping: saam1 san1, ) is a fundamental Buddhist doctrine that explains the multidimensional nature of Buddhahood. As such, the Trikāya is the basic theory that grounds the Mahayana buddhology, that is, the theology of Buddhahood.
This concept posits that a Buddha has three types of kayas or "bodies", aspects, or ways of being, each representing a different facet or embodiment of Buddhahood and ultimate reality. The three are the Dharmakāya (Sanskrit; Dharma body, the ultimate reality, the Buddha nature of all things), the Sambhogakāya (the body of self-enjoyment, a blissful divine body with infinite forms and powers) and the Nirmāṇakāya (manifestation body, the body which appears in the everyday world and presents the semblance of a human body). It is widely accepted in Buddhism that these three bodies are not separate realities, but functions, modes or "fluctuations" (Sanskrit: vṛṭṭis) of a single state of Buddhahood.