Trikāya

trikāya (T. sku gsum སྐུ་གསུམ་; C. sanshen; J. sanshin; K. samsin 三身), or "three kayas", refers to three aspects (kaya) of buddhahood, according to the Sanskrit Mahayana tradition.

The three aspects, or dimensions, of buddhahood are:

1. The dharmakāya ("dharma body") which embodies the very principle of enlightenment and knows no limits or boundaries;
2. The sambhogakāya ("enjoyment body") which is a body of bliss or clear light manifestation;
3. The nirmāṇakāya ("created body") which manifests in time and space.

Brief explanation

The Rangjung Yeshe Dharma Dictionary states:

The three kayas of buddhahood are:

• the dharmakaya, which is free from elaborate constructs and endowed with the 'twenty-one sets of enlightened qualities;'
• the sambhogakaya, which is of the nature of light and endowed with the perfect major and minor marks perceptible only to bodhisattvas; and
• the nirmanakaya, which manifests in forms perceptible to both pure and impure beings.

Three aspects of mind (in Vajrayana)

Further information: Nature of mind

In the Vajrayana, the trikāya of the buddhas is said to correspond to three different aspects of the nature of mind. Ringu Tulku states:

The mind is emptiness and awareness, or emptiness and clarity. Within the clarity aspect, the thoughts, emotions, and sensations arise. These are the mind’s manifestations. In Vajrayana terminology, these three aspects of the mind are known as the three kayas: the mind’s nature is emptiness, which is the dharmakaya; the mind has clarity or awareness, which is the sambhogakaya; and the mind is continuously manifesting and displaying, which is the nirmanakaya. Please don’t get confused by these terms—sometimes using Sanskrit is more of a drawback than a help. Just as these three aspects describe one single mind, the kayas are merely different aspects of the mind and not three separate things.

Etymology

The etymology of the Sanskrit term trikāya:

• tri - means 'three'
• kāya - literally means ‘body’ but can also signify dimension, field or basis. In this context, the term designates the different manifestations or dimensions of a buddha.

Quotations

Patrul Rinpoche stated:

The nature as it appears is the nirmanakaya mandala,

The nature as it is is the sambhogakaya mandala,

The all-pervading aspect is the dharmakaya mandala.

See also

• Kāya
• Four kayas
• Pañcakāya

Sources

• Buswell, Robert E.; Lopez, Donald S. (2014), The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism, Princeton University 
• Khenpo Ngawang Pelzang (2011), A Guide to the Words of My Perfect Teacher, translated by Padmakara Translation Group, Shambhala 
• Ringu Tulku (2012), Confusion Arises as Wisdom, Shambhala 

Further reading

• Guang Xing. The Concept of the Buddha: Its Evolution from Early Buddhism to the Trikaya Theory. 2004.

External links

• སྐུ་གསུམ་, Christian-Steinert Dictionary
• Three_Kayas, Rangjung Yeshe Wiki
• Three kayas, Rigpa Shedra Wiki
• trikāya, Encylopedia.com