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སྐུ་གསུམ་པའི་མདོ།

The Sūtra on the Three Bodies

Trikāya­sūtra
འཕགས་པ་སྐུ་གསུམ་ཞེས་བྱ་བ་ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོའི་མདོ།
’phags pa sku gsum zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo
The Noble ‌Mahāyāna Sūtra “The Three Bodies”
Ārya­trikāya­nāma­mahā­yāna­sūtra
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Toh 283

Degé Kangyur, vol. 68 (mdo sde, ya), folios 56.a–57.a

Translated by the Buddhavacana Translation Group
under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha

First published 2013
Current version v 2.21.9 (2022)
Generated by 84000 Reading Room v2.16.15

84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha is a global non-profit initiative to translate all the Buddha’s words into modern languages, and to make them available to everyone.

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co.

Table of Contents

ti. Title
im. Imprint
co. Contents
s. Summary
ac. Acknowledgments
i. Introduction
tr. The Translation
+ 1 section- 1 section
1. The Sūtra on the Three Bodies
n. Notes
b. Bibliography
g. Glossary

s.

Summary

s.­1

As the title suggests, this sūtra describes the three bodies of the Buddha. While the Buddha is dwelling on Vulture Peak in Rājgṛha, the Bodhisattva Kṣitigarbha asks whether the Tathāgata has a body, to which the Buddha replies that the Tathāgata has three bodies: a dharmakāya, a saṃbhogakāya, and a nirmāṇakāya. The Buddha goes on to describe what constitutes these three bodies and their associated meaning. The Buddha explains that the dharmakāya is like space, the saṃbhogakāya is like clouds, and the nirmāṇakāya is like rain. At the end of the Buddha’s elucidation, Kṣitigarbha expresses jubilation, and the Buddha declares that whoever upholds this Dharma teaching will obtain immeasurable merit.


ac.

Acknowledgments

ac.­1

Translation by the Buddhavacana Translation Group, Vienna, under the supervision of Khenpo Konchok Tamphel. Translated into English by Rolf Scheuermann and Casey Kemp.

This translation has been completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.


i.

Introduction

i.­1

The setting of this sūtra is Vulture Peak in Rajgir (Rājgṛha), said to be the location where the Buddha, explaining the doctrine of emptiness in the second turning of the wheel of Dharma, taught the Prajñā­pāramitā and other topics associated with Mahāyāna Buddhism. It is here that the bodhisattva Kṣitigarbha asks the Buddha a series of questions regarding the body of the Buddha, which the Buddha answers by expounding the teaching on the three bodies.

i.­2

The doctrine of the Buddha’s three bodies (trikāya) has tended to be associated with the Yogācāra school of Buddhist thought, although the terms dharmakāya and rūpakāya (“form body”) are certainly to be found in sūtras such as the Aṣṭa­sāhasrikā­prajñā­pāramitā­sūtra.1 It has been suggested that sūtras such as the Trikāyasūtra may have evolved after such Yogācāra treatises as the Mahā­yāna­sūtrālaṃkāra.2

i.­3

This trifold scheme can also be interpreted as describing different aspects of enlightenment or buddhahood itself. The dharmakāya, sometimes translated as the “truth body” or “reality body,” generally refers to the essential nature of the Buddha, as is stated in this sūtra. The saṃbhogakāya and the nirmāṇakāya, known collectively as the form bodies, are understood as emanations of the dharmakāya, or essential nature, of the Buddha. In other words, they are the manifestations of the enlightened activity of the Buddha. The saṃbhogakāya, sometimes translated as “enjoyment body,” is the apparitional form the Buddha takes for bodhisattvas and practitioners in meditative states or in dreams. The nirmāṇakāya, sometimes translated as “manifestation body,” is the physical form of the Buddha that can be seen by any sentient being. The Buddha, who is able to emanate in countless forms, does so in order to liberate beings through the illumination and demonstration of the Dharma. All three bodies3 are ultimately considered inseparable.

i.­4

This is the only known sūtra in the Tibetan Kangyur solely dedicated to teaching the doctrine of the three bodies. The Buddha explains here how one should view the bodies of the Buddha using analogies, and relates the three bodies to other relevant Buddhist doctrines such as the four wisdoms.4

i.­5

This sūtra was first translated by W. Woodville Rockhill in his 1884 publication of The Life of the Buddha and the Early History of His Order. There is currently no known extant version in Sanskrit, and among the different published Tibetan versions of the source text, there do not seem to be any significant variants.


The Translation
The Noble ‌Mahāyāna Sūtra
The Three Bodies

1.

The Sūtra on the Three Bodies

[F.56.a]


1.­1

Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas!


1.­2

Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was dwelling on Vulture Peak Mountain in Rājgṛha. He was accompanied by his entire retinue, by immeasurable, countless bodhisattvas, and by gods and nāgas. They paid respect to the Blessed One and made offerings to him.

1.­3

At that time, the bodhisattva Kṣitigarbha, who was sitting among the retinue, rose from his seat and asked, “Has the Blessed One a body?”

The Blessed One replied, “Kṣitigarbha, the Blessed One, the Tathāgata, [F.56.b] has three bodies: a dharmakāya, a saṃbhogakāya, and a nirmāṇakāya. Son of a noble family, the three bodies of the Tathāgata are these: the pure nature is the dharmakāya, pure meditative absorption is the saṃbhogakāya, and pure conduct is the nirmāṇakāya of all buddhas.

1.­4

“Son of a noble family, the dharmakāya of the Tathāgata consists in the fact that he has no nature, just like the sky. His saṃbhogakāya consists in the fact that he comes forth, just like a cloud. His nirmāṇakāya consists in the activity of all the buddhas, the fact that it soaks everything, just like rain.”

1.­5

The bodhisattva Kṣitigarbha then asked the Blessed One, “How should one view this explanation on the three bodies of the Blessed One?”

The Blessed One answered the bodhisattva Kṣitigarbha, “Son of a noble family, you should view the three bodies of the Tathāgata in the following way. The dharmakāya should be viewed as that which is the essence of the Tathāgata. The saṃbhogakāya should be viewed as that which is the essence of the bodhisattvas. The nirmāṇakāya should be viewed as that which is the essence of ordinary beings who conduct themselves devotedly.

1.­6

“Son of a noble family, the dharmakāya remains the same nature for all the buddhas. The saṃbhogakāya remains the same meditative absorption for all the buddhas. The nirmāṇakāya remains the same awakened activity for all the buddhas.

“Son of a noble family, the basis-of-all in its pure state is mirror-like wisdom, the dharmakāya. The afflicted mind in its pure state is the wisdom of equality. Mental cognition in its pure state is discriminating wisdom, the saṃbhogakāya. The five sense cognitions in their pure state are all-accomplishing wisdom, the nirmāṇakāya.”

1.­7

The bodhisattva Kṣitigarbha then exclaimed to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, the noble Dharma that I have heard from the Blessed One [F.57.a] is excellent, Sugata, really excellent!”

The Blessed One then declared, “Son of a noble family, whoever fully upholds this Dharma discourse of the Blessed One will obtain merit that is immeasurable, inexpressible, incalculable, and unfathomable.”

1.­8

When the Blessed One had spoken, the world, including the bodhisattva Kṣitigarbha, the gods, nāgas, yakṣas, and gandharvas, rejoiced and praised the teachings of the Blessed One.


1.­9

This concludes the Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra, “The Three Bodies.”5


n.

Notes

n.­1
For more on the philosophical considerations of the three bodies, see Harrison (1992), pp. 44–94.
n.­2
See Makransky (1997), p. 274.
n.­3
Some Mahā­yāna works such as the Abhi­samayālaṃkāra of Maitreya also mention a fourth body, a svā­bhāvika­kāya, or “innate body.” There are conflicting interpretations by Indian and Tibetan commentators as to the relationship between the svā­bhāvika­kāya and the dharma­kāya. For more on the four bodies, see Makransky (1997).
n.­4
For information on the relationship between the three bodies and four wisdoms in Buddhist literature, see Brunnhölzl (2009), pp. 71–76.
n.­5
The colophon makes no mention of who the Tibetan translators were, and the Degé catalog (dkar chag, vol. 103, lak+Sh+mI, F.133.a.3) states that this is not known.

b.

Bibliography

’phags pa sku gsum zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Ārya­trikāya­nāma­mahā­yāna­sūtra). Toh 283. Degé Kangyur vol. 68 (mdo sde, ya), folios 56a–57a.

’phags pa sku gsum zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo. bka’ ’gyur (dpe bsdur ma) [Comparative Edition of the Kangyur], krung go’i bod rig pa zhib ’jug ste gnas kyi bka’ bstan dpe sdur khang (The Tibetan Tripiṭaka Collation Bureau of the China Tibetology Research Center). 108 volumes. Beijing: krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang (China Tibetology Publishing House), 2006–9, vol. 68 (mdo sde, ya), pp. 168–70.

Brunnhölzl, Karl. Luminous Heart: The Third Karmapa on Consciousness, Wisdom, and Buddha Nature. Ithaca: Snow Lion Publications, 2009.

Harrison, Paul. “Is the Dharma-kāya the Real ‘Phantom Body’ of the Buddha?” The Journal of the International Association for Buddhist Studies 15, no. 1 (1992): 44–94.

Makransky, John J. Buddhahood Embodied: Sources of Controversy in India and Tibet. SUNY Series in Buddhist Studies. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1997.

Nagao, Gadjin M. Mādhyamika and Yogācāra: A Study of ‌Mahāyāna Philosophies. Translated by Leslie S. Kawamura. Albany: State University of New York, 1991.

Rockhill, W. Woodville, trans. The Life of the Buddha and The Early History of His Order Derived from Tibetan Works in the Bkah-hgyur and Bstan-hgyur. London: Trübner & Co., Ludgate Hill, 1884.


g.

Glossary

g.­1

Afflicted mind

  • nyon mongs pa’i yid
  • ཉོན་མོངས་པའི་ཡིད།
  • kliṣṭamana

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­6
g.­2

All-accomplishing wisdom

  • bya ba grub pa’i ye shes
  • བྱ་བ་གྲུབ་པའི་ཡེ་ཤེས།
  • kṛtyānuśṭhāna­jñāna

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­6

Links to further resources:

  • 1 related glossary entry
g.­3

Basis-of-all

  • kun gzhi
  • ཀུན་གཞི།
  • ālaya

Here, probably the short form for ālayavijñāna.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­6

Links to further resources:

  • 7 related glossary entries
g.­4

Blessed one

  • bcom ldan ’das
  • བཅོམ་ལྡན་འདས།
  • bhagavat

Epithet of the buddhas.

5 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­2
  • 1.­3
  • 1.­5
  • 1.­7
  • 1.­8

Links to further resources:

  • 110 related glossary entries
g.­5

Bodhisattva

  • byang chub sems dpa’
  • བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའ།
  • bodhisattva

According to the Mahāyāna, an individual with the intent to achieve awakening for the sake of all beings.

11 passages contain this term:

  • s.­1
  • i.­1
  • i.­3
  • 1.­1
  • 1.­2
  • 1.­3
  • 1.­5
  • 1.­7
  • 1.­8
  • g.­12
  • g.­21

Links to further resources:

  • 33 related glossary entries
g.­6

Dharmakāya

  • chos kyi sku
  • ཆོས་ཀྱི་སྐུ།
  • dharmakāya

“Body of dharma”; refers to the Buddha’s realization of reality. Sometimes translated “truth body” or “reality body.” In other contexts, particularly in early texts, the term may also refer to the Buddha’s qualities as a collective whole, or to his teachings as embodying him.

7 passages contain this term:

  • s.­1
  • i.­2
  • i.­3
  • 1.­3
  • 1.­4
  • 1.­5
  • 1.­6

Links to further resources:

  • 30 related glossary entries
g.­7

Discriminating wisdom

  • so sor kun du rtog pa’i ye shes
  • སོ་སོར་ཀུན་དུ་རྟོག་པའི་ཡེ་ཤེས།
  • pratyavekṣaṇā­jñāna

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­6

Links to further resources:

  • 1 related glossary entry
g.­8

Emptiness

  • stong pa nyid
  • སྟོང་པ་ཉིད།
  • śūnyatā

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Emptiness denotes the ultimate nature of reality, the total absence of inherent existence and self-identity with respect to all phenomena. According to this view, all things and events are devoid of any independent, intrinsic reality that constitutes their essence. Nothing can be said to exist independent of the complex network of factors that gives rise to its origination, nor are phenomena independent of the cognitive processes and mental constructs that make up the conventional framework within which their identity and existence are posited. When all levels of conceptualization dissolve and when all forms of dichotomizing tendencies are quelled through deliberate meditative deconstruction of conceptual elaborations, the ultimate nature of reality will finally become manifest. It is the first of the three gateways to liberation.

1 passage contains this term:

  • i.­1

Links to further resources:

  • 32 related glossary entries
g.­9

Five sense cognitions

  • sgo lnga’i rnam par shes pa
  • སྒོ་ལྔའི་རྣམ་པར་ཤེས་པ།
  • —

2 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­6
  • g.­14
g.­10

Form bodies

  • gzugs kyi sku
  • གཟུགས་ཀྱི་སྐུ།
  • rūpakāya

See “rūpakāya.”

2 passages contain this term:

  • i.­3
  • g.­20

Links to further resources:

  • 9 related glossary entries
g.­11

Gandharva

  • dri za
  • དྲི་ཟ།
  • gandharva

Literally “smell eaters,” these are a class of spirits, sometimes described as celestial musicians. In other contexts the term can also refer to beings in the bardo state.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­8

Links to further resources:

  • 109 related glossary entries
g.­12

Kṣitigarbha

  • sa’i snying po
  • སའི་སྙིང་པོ།
  • Kṣitigarbha

An important bodhisattva disciple of the Buddha.

6 passages contain this term:

  • s.­1
  • i.­1
  • 1.­3
  • 1.­5
  • 1.­7
  • 1.­8

Links to further resources:

  • 8 related glossary entries
g.­13

Mahāyāna

  • theg pa chen po
  • ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོ།
  • mahāyāna

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

When the Buddhist teachings are classified according to their power to lead beings to an awakened state, a distinction is made between the teachings of the Lesser Vehicle (Hīnayāna), which emphasizes the individual’s own freedom from cyclic existence as the primary motivation and goal, and those of the Great Vehicle (Mahāyāna), which emphasizes altruism and has the liberation of all sentient beings as the principal objective. As the term “Great Vehicle” implies, the path followed by bodhisattvas is analogous to a large carriage that can transport a vast number of people to liberation, as compared to a smaller vehicle for the individual practitioner.

4 passages contain this term:

  • i.­1
  • 1.­9
  • g.­5
  • g.­27

Links to further resources:

  • 17 related glossary entries
g.­14

Mental cognition

  • yid kyi rnam par shes pa
  • ཡིད་ཀྱི་རྣམ་པར་ཤེས་པ།
  • manovijñāna

Just as the five sense cognitions occur on the basis of the five sense faculties, mental cognition is the cognition that occurs on the basis of the mind faculty.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­6

Links to further resources:

  • 3 related glossary entries
g.­15

Mirror-like wisdom

  • me long lta bu’i ye shes
  • མེ་ལོང་ལྟ་བུའི་ཡེ་ཤེས།
  • ādarśajñāna

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­6

Links to further resources:

  • 1 related glossary entry
g.­16

Nāga

  • klu
  • ཀླུ།
  • nāga

Snake-like mystical creatures with supernatural powers, which belong to the animal realm.

2 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­2
  • 1.­8

Links to further resources:

  • 86 related glossary entries
g.­17

Nirmāṇakāya

  • sprul pa’i sku
  • སྤྲུལ་པའི་སྐུ།
  • nirmāṇakāya

“Body of manifestation.” Aspect of buddhahood perceptible to ordinary individuals with good karma.

7 passages contain this term:

  • s.­1
  • i.­3
  • 1.­3
  • 1.­4
  • 1.­5
  • 1.­6
  • g.­20

Links to further resources:

  • 10 related glossary entries
g.­18

Prajñā­pāramitā

  • shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa
  • ཤེས་རབ་ཀྱི་ཕ་རོལ་ཏུ་ཕྱིན་པ།
  • prajñā­pāramitā

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The sixth of the six perfections, it refers to the profound understanding of the emptiness of all phenomena, the realization of ultimate reality. It is often personified as a female deity, worshiped as the “Mother of All Buddhas” (Sarva­jina­mātā).

2 passages contain this term:

  • i.­1
  • g.­24

Links to further resources:

  • 18 related glossary entries
g.­19

Rājgṛha

  • rgyal po’i khab
  • རྒྱལ་པོའི་ཁབ།
  • Rājgṛha

Town close to Nālānda in the modern state of Bihar.

4 passages contain this term:

  • s.­1
  • i.­1
  • 1.­2
  • g.­24

Links to further resources:

  • 75 related glossary entries
g.­20

Rūpakāya

  • gzugs kyi sku
  • གཟུགས་ཀྱི་སྐུ།
  • rūpakāya

Used to refer to the two form bodies of the Buddha, i.e., the nirmāṇakāya and the saṃbhogakāya.

2 passages contain this term:

  • i.­2
  • g.­10

Links to further resources:

  • 9 related glossary entries
g.­21

Saṃbhogakāya

  • longs spyod rdzogs pa’i sku
  • ལོངས་སྤྱོད་རྫོགས་པའི་སྐུ།
  • saṃbhogakāya

“Body of enjoyment.” Aspect of buddhahood perceptible to bodhisattvas.

7 passages contain this term:

  • s.­1
  • i.­3
  • 1.­3
  • 1.­4
  • 1.­5
  • 1.­6
  • g.­20

Links to further resources:

  • 7 related glossary entries
g.­22

Tathāgata

  • de bzhin gshegs pa
  • དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ།
  • Tathāgata

Epithet of the Buddha.

4 passages contain this term:

  • s.­1
  • 1.­3
  • 1.­4
  • 1.­5

Links to further resources:

  • 95 related glossary entries
g.­23

Three bodies

  • sku gsum
  • སྐུ་གསུམ།
  • trikāya

9 passages contain this term:

  • s.­1
  • i.­1
  • i.­2
  • i.­3
  • i.­4
  • 1.­3
  • 1.­5
  • n.­1
  • n.­4

Links to further resources:

  • 1 related glossary entry
g.­24

Vulture Peak Mountain

  • bya rgod phung po’i ri
  • བྱ་རྒོད་ཕུང་པོའི་རི།
  • Gṛ̥dhra­kūṭa-parvata

Name of a mountain close to Rājgṛha. It is famous as the place where the Buddha is said to have taught the Prajñā­pāramitā and other teachings.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­2

Links to further resources:

  • 50 related glossary entries
g.­25

Wisdom of equality

  • mnyam pa nyid kyi ye shes
  • མཉམ་པ་ཉིད་ཀྱི་ཡེ་ཤེས།
  • samatājñāna

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­6

Links to further resources:

  • 1 related glossary entry
g.­26

Yakṣa

  • gnod sbyin
  • གནོད་སྦྱིན།
  • yakṣa

“Harm givers.” A class of mostly malevolent spirits.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­8

Links to further resources:

  • 93 related glossary entries
g.­27

Yogācāra

  • rnal ’byor spyod pa
  • རྣལ་འབྱོར་སྤྱོད་པ།
  • yogācāra

Influential philosophical school belonging to Mahāyāna Buddhism.

1 passage contains this term:

  • i.­2
0

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