{"id":1943,"date":"2021-10-25T04:31:41","date_gmt":"2021-10-25T04:31:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/prajnaquest.fr\/blog\/?p=1943"},"modified":"2021-10-25T04:31:42","modified_gmt":"2021-10-25T04:31:42","slug":"dharmakaya-ceased","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/prajnaquest.fr\/blog\/dharmakaya-ceased\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cdharmak\u0101ya ceased\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In the sample translation of verse 1 of the Book of Dzyan given by H. P. Blavatsky when retaining the foreign technical terms (The Secret Doctrine<\/em>, vol. 1, p. 23), we find the phrase, \u201cDharmakaya ceased.\u201d This is a highly unusual idea in Buddhism, as noted by Michael Lewis and reported by Ken Small. The dharma-k\u0101ya, \u201cdharma body\u201d or \u201cbody of dharmas,\u201d is a kind of ultimate in Buddhism, and we would not expect it to ever \u201ccease.\u201d An authoritative description of it is given in the first verse of the K\u0101ya-traya-stotra<\/em>, \u201cPraise of the Three Bodies,\u201d attributed to N\u0101g\u0101rjuna. Here is the original Sanskrit and my English translation:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

yo naiko n\u0101py aneka\u1e25 sva-para-hita-mah\u0101-sampad-\u0101dh\u0101ra-bh\u016bto<\/p>\n\n\n\n

naiv\u0101bh\u0101vo na bh\u0101va\u1e25 kham iva sama-raso durvibh\u0101vya-svabh\u0101va\u1e25 |<\/p>\n\n\n\n

nirlepa\u1e43 nirvik\u0101ra\u1e43 \u015bivam asama-sama\u1e43 vy\u0101pina\u1e43 ni\u1e63prapa\u00f1ca\u1e43<\/p>\n\n\n\n

vande praty\u0101tma-vedya\u1e43 tam aham anupama\u1e43 dharma-k\u0101ya\u1e43 jin\u0101n\u0101m ||<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat is not one and not many, is the great basis of perfect benefit for self and others, is not non-existent and not existent, is of the same taste like space, whose nature is hard to be realized, is stainless, is immutable, is quiescent, is equal to the unequaled, is [all-]pervading, is without diversification, is [only] to be known inwardly, I praise that incomparable dharma-k\u0101ya of the victors.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So could such a thing ever cease? From the descriptions and usages of it throughout the Buddhist texts, we would think not. There is, however, a Buddhist text that speaks of the dharma-k\u0101ya coming into being or arising, which of course implies that it would also cease. The K\u0101lacakra-tantra<\/em> says that the dharma-k\u0101ya comes into being or arises from the \u015buddha-k\u0101ya (chap. 4, verse 107: \u015br\u012b-\u015buddh\u0101d dharma-k\u0101yo bhavati), or from the sahaja-k\u0101ya (chap. 5, verse 89: sahaja-tanur iya\u1e43 dharma-k\u0101yo babh\u016bva), or in the closely related Hevajra-pi\u1e47\u1e0d\u0101rtha-\u1e6d\u012bk\u0101<\/em>, from the sv\u0101bh\u0101vika-k\u0101ya (chap. 3, verse 22: sv\u0101bh\u0101vik\u0101t bhavet dharma). The sv\u0101bh\u0101vika-k\u0101ya or sahaja-k\u0101ya or \u015buddha-k\u0101ya are all synonyms for the fourth body in the four-body scheme, as opposed to the more common three-body scheme. From this fourth body comes the dharma-k\u0101ya, the third body. From this body comes the sambhoga-k\u0101ya, the second body, and from this body comes the nirm\u0101\u1e47a-k\u0101ya, the first body.

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This teaching may perhaps find some warrant in the Ratna-gotra-vibh\u0101ga<\/em>, which teaches that the dharma-k\u0101ya is twofold (chap. 1, verse 145): the completely pure (sunirmala) dharma-dh\u0101tu, and its natural outcome (tan-ni\u1e63yanda). The first is only in the range of nonconceptual wisdom (avikalpa-j\u00f1\u0101na-gocara-vi\u1e63aya) and pertains to the dharma to be realized inwardly (praty\u0101tmam adhigama-dharmam). The second is the cause for attaining that (tat-pr\u0101pti-hetu) first kind of dharma-k\u0101ya, which cause is the teaching (de\u015ban\u0101) whose methods (naya) are deep (g\u0101mbh\u012brya) and varied (vaicitrya). Although the Ratna-gotra-vibh\u0101ga<\/em> does not describe the second kind of dharma-k\u0101ya as coming into being or arising, that it is described as the natural outcome (ni\u1e63yanda) of the first kind would fit in with the K\u0101lacakra-tantra\u2019<\/em>s teaching of its coming into being or arising. Of course, what comes into being or arises must cease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the sample translation of verse 1 of the Book of Dzyan given by H. P. Blavatsky when retaining the foreign technical terms (The Secret Doctrine, vol. 1, p. 23), we find the phrase, \u201cDharmakaya ceased.\u201d This is a highly unusual idea in Buddhism, as noted by Michael Lewis and reported by Ken Small. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1943","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/prajnaquest.fr\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1943","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/prajnaquest.fr\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/prajnaquest.fr\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/prajnaquest.fr\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/prajnaquest.fr\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1943"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/prajnaquest.fr\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1943\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1944,"href":"http:\/\/prajnaquest.fr\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1943\/revisions\/1944"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/prajnaquest.fr\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1943"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/prajnaquest.fr\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1943"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/prajnaquest.fr\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1943"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}