Sambhogakāya

Sambhogakāya (T. longs sku ལོངས་སྐུ་; C. baoshen 報身) is defined as a 'form body' of a buddha, which appears only to bodhisattvas and is the basis for the arising of the nirmanakaya. It is adorned with the major and minor marks of a great being.

It is identified as:

• one of the three kayas
• one of the four kayas

Etymology

Thinley Norbu states:

Sambhogakāya in Tibetan is Longs.spyod.rdzogs.sku. Longs means wealth, spyod means to use or enjoy, rdzogs means complete, sku means body. Sambhogakāya means the body of complete enjoyment of the wealth of pure perceptions.

Description

Chogyal Namkhai Norbu states:

Sambhogakaya, in Sanskrit, means "body" or "dimension" of wealth, the wealth being the infinite potentiality of manifestations of wisdom. This potentiality is comparable to that of a mirror at the centre of the universe which reflects all the different types of beings. Sambhogakaya manifestations are beyond time and beyond the limits of the material dimension, and their arising does not depend on there being any intention on the part of a realized being. What this means is that the manifestation of the Kalachakra divinity was not something created by the Buddha at a given moment of historical time, but is something that always existed, because the Sambhogakaya dimension is beyond time. Those who received transmission of it, through the pure perception of a manifestation of the Buddha, explained it in words and symbols, thus giving rise to the Kalachakra.

Alternative Translations

• Buddha Body of Perfect Resource (Dorje & Coleman)

Sources

• Buswell, Robert E.; Lopez, Donald S. (2014), The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism, Princeton University 
• Chogyal Namkhai Norbu (1996), Clemente, Adriano, ed., Dzogchen: The Self-Perfected State, Snow Lion Publications 
• Thinley Norbu (1993), Small Golden Key, Shambhala 

Further reading

• Thinley Norbu, The Small Golden Key (Shambhala Publications, 1999), ‘15. Saṃbhogakāya’.
• Sambhogakaya, Rigpa Shedra Wiki