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Dharmakaya, Sambhogakaya, Nirmanakaya

taiyakitaiyaki Veteran
edited January 2012 in Philosophy
"I used to imagine that the Buddha was so very far away. Enlightenment was so inconceivably difficult to attain, and the path there so very long. With my swirling emotions and obscurations, how long the journey seemed, and how very hard I had to strive in order to reach the state of perfect Awakening. When imagining what the Enlightened 'state' must be like, I projected it out, as the 'Transcendental', some glittering, mysterious plane of being that I aspired to reach. Did I have this 'Transcendental' now? ... not at all! .... it was unimaginably far away, and remote from my experience.

But the three Kayas of the Buddha are not truly so far away. They aren't something even which need to be created anew, nor something which are not present at this very moment.

The Dharmakaya is the ungraspable, unfathomable, intangible unborness of mind, which resists all efforts to hold or conceptualise. Looking at mind, I try to somehow get hold of it, to get a hold on it, but it's utterly resistant to all those efforts. I let go of grasping, and its 'nothingness' fills awareness. Not a blank nothingness, but an utter unfindability which is the matrix of being. The Dharmakaya is my fertile voidness, and is present whether experienced or not. It doesn't come fresh into being when realised, but is our very nature. A glimpse of utter indescribableness reveals our Dharmakaya, a jewel waiting to be seen. All that is needed is to see what is already there (which cannot be seen by grasping mind), and keeping that in awareness, allow it to blossom forth. The Prajnaparamita sutras say that 'do not think that this body is the real Buddha, the real Buddha is the Dharmakaya'. This Dharmakaya is not so far away .. it's our inheritance, and our inheritance is present right now, hidden by only our foolish seeing. Calling the Dharmakaya 'ungraspable' is another label, and potential source of grasping or holding on to something. The Dharmakaya is not 'ungraspable', but it is truly ungraspable. There is no point of reference whatsoever, and this description doesn't provide one.

The Sambhogakaya is also here right now. Looking deeply at our own mind, there is a knowingness, a luminous clarity which co-exists with the empty unfathomableness. That very luminosity is the Sambhogakaya. Not something needing to be created, our minds reveal that aspect of clarity, of knowingness, that capacity to experience and know. It's not a thing, not a quality that can be grasped. When looked for ... it hides from view, and yet it is there .... radiant and bright. Though only experienced fully by the highest Bodhisattvas, the Sambhogakaya is not something which will arise from scratch. Our mind is luminous, aware of that or not. Looking deeply at mind, though there is no qualities there at all, nevertheless luminosity is apparent ... the Sambhogakaya within.

The Nirmanakaya is revealed in our minds. Our mind gives rise to appearances, which seemingly ebb and flow. The unobstructed appearance of 'thought' is the Nirmanakaya, the body of the Buddha. Not far away, not needing to be conjured from the start, our minds capacity for spontaneous appearance is the Nirmakaya within. Continuous seeming manifestation ... this is Nirmanakaya. Not solid or real, but seeming to arise and fall. Without anything tangible or real, the Nirmanakaya of appearances are revealed within.

The three Kayas are not far off, but are our very nature of mind. Looking again and again, the Kayas come into view. Not created where they previously didn't exist, but just seen where they were previously unseen.

It's not that I've given up on an imagined projected goal, the 'Transcendental' which lies so very far away. And that I've replaced that with another fantasy, that of 'already Enlightened' which lies comfortingly close. The three Kayas are not entirely manifest, or realised, but they are already there. They don't change or come into being, or are something which is utterly remote from experience. Looking deeply, they reveal themselves within. Our nature is Buddha Nature, the three Kayas are already there. Our experience of them is the path, Taking Mahamudra as the Path. Fully realised they are the goal, the Awakening that benefits all beings.

Not looked for elsewhere, our inheritance awaits us. What we already are, though we forget."

-

http://luminousemptiness.blogspot.com/2004/11/dharmakaya-sambhogakaya-nirmanakaya.html
Joeykins37a

Comments

  • JeffreyJeffrey Veteran
    edited January 2012
    The variety of appearances we see outside. You teach us the're not real. They are illusory. And awareness meets it's mother pure reality. The movement of the mind its magical display.

    When you don't engage in the arrogance of clinging to appearance or to emptiness. All demons are cut through within the mind and mind is free in the unborn expanse.

    Ha ha

    ppppppaaaaaaaaaat!!!!!!
  • without transcendental mind and transformation, I am not sure if one can even begin to comprehend these 3 kayas.
    It is possible one can fool himself that he got it, he realized it, he understood it... but the truth he definitely didn't...thats my opinion...

    once the mind transformed into transcendental mode, a person cannot live in mundane for too long unless he is well trained to control his subtle energies within the body, and according to Sadhguru onlu 1% of advanced yogis can do that.

    this person may not there yet...in fact I don't think he is even close based on his statement that "he is far away from transcendental"....
  • The thing is original mind or rigpa is the transcendent mind.

    Basic luminousity is always shining nakedly.

    Sure one can be more stable in relaxation and concentration thus the sense of abiding in presence/awareness is felt.

    But even so. The nature is always apparent. How funny is that?
  • @zen_world, what is the difference between the transcendent experience of the world and the mundane experience of the world?

  • But even so. The nature is always apparent. How funny is that?
    taiyaki, i dont think it is that apparent, otherwise everyone of us would have seen it...

  • Man awareness is the most obvious thing.

    Hence everyone misses it.

    Color, form, sounds, smells, tastes, thoughts all vividly appear. Yet the appear in no place, thus unborn.

    Can you not read these words?

  • @zen_world, what is the difference between the transcendent experience of the world and the mundane experience of the world?
    put all the physical and metaphysical experiences together, and multiply with infinite
    but at the same time realizing that there really is nothing...

    when your mind is transcendental, you just know everything...there really is no question.
    this can only be experienced...no words can describe
  • Man awareness is the most obvious thing.

    Hence everyone misses it.

    Color, form, sounds, smells, tastes, thoughts all vividly appear. Yet the appear in no place, thus unborn.

    Can you not read these words?

    please don't go zen-ish on me:)
    i cannot stand zen philosophy:)

  • There is no philosophy. Either awareness arises dependent on eye contact, eye sense, object of sense.

    Luminous is everything.

    If not luminous how can you know? The knowing faculty is the luminousity.

    If you chase some thing beyond this then you're going to run forever.

    This right here is the unborn buddha mind. Lacking references and having no essence.

    Whether having a negative thought or positive thought it is of one taste. Luminous and empty.
  • Jhanic and samadhi experiences do not liberate themselves.

    Without correct insight one will always grasp at states of this and that.

    Buddhas truth is shining clearly. Let the mind rest.
  • @zen_world, I just read in a text that realized people are overflowing. Wisdom learned with effort and then overflowing effortless.
  • Jhanic and samadhi experiences do not liberate themselves.

    Without correct insight one will always grasp at states of this and that.

    Buddhas truth is shining clearly. Let the mind rest.
    I am not talking about jhana or samadhi....they are not my center of focus...

  • Well atm there is no thing graspable or locatable.

    And everything is already shining in liberation.

    Whether we recognize it or not.

    Thus it isn't some thing we attain or master. Just confidence with rigpa.
  • Well atm there is no thing graspable or locatable.

    And everything is already shining in liberation.

    Whether we recognize it or not.

    Thus it isn't some thing we attain or master. Just confidence with rigpa.
    I follow Tibetan approach so in my path there is certain techniques and practices...reaching to arhant status is a goal or attainment for instance...so for me there is work to do:)
  • Oh i agree. Infinite work to do and infinite ways to go to reach full buddhahood.

    But everything already is so.

    Fun to balance the paradox.
  • Meditation gives legs and studying/thinking gives eyes
  • zen_worldzen_world Veteran
    edited January 2012
    off topic:
    i started with tibetan, then move to zen temple...then start following tibetan in a zen temple. i wanted to move to tibetan temple but my tibetan lama didnt accept my residency becaue I left tibetan for zen. And the zen temple moved to a new location which was a tibetan temple before. and those tibetan's bought this temple from zen people...:)
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