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dharma-kāya

A Dictionary of Buddhism | 2004 | 700+ words | Copyright

dharma-kāya (Skt.). The Truth Body, one aspect of the ‘three bodies of the Buddha’ (trikāya), which functions as the ground for the other two aspects, namely the Enjoyment Body (saṃbhoga-kāya) and the Emanation Body (nirmāṇa-kāya). In earlier forms of Buddhism it was simply seem as the posthumous presence of the Buddha in the form of his teachings (Dharma), while in the Mahāyāna it is considered to be synonymous with perfect enlightenment (saṃbodhi), primordially existent, transcending all perceptual forms (animitta) and hence not possible to perceive. Among its qualities (guṇa) are freedom from all conceptualization (nirvikalpa), liberation from all defilements (kleśa), and the intrinsic ability to perform all activities. In later forms of Indian and Tibetan Buddhism, under the influence of tantric thought, the dharma-kāya is considered to be equivalent to the mind of the Buddha.

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