Dharmakaya, Dharma-kaya, Dharmakāya: 13 definitions
Introduction:
Dharmakaya means something in Buddhism, Pali, Hinduism, Sanskrit. If you want to know the exact meaning, history, etymology or English translation of this term then check out the descriptions on this page. Add your comment or reference to a book if you want to contribute to this summary article.
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In Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana or tantric Buddhism)
Source: Google Books: The Inner Kalacakratantra: A Buddhist Tantric View of the IndividualThe four aspects of the Dharmakāya are part of the Sixteen Aspects (ṣoḍaśākārā) of Gnosis (jñāna) in terms of ultimate reality.
- the Dharma-body (dharma-kāya)
- the Dharma-mind (dharma-citta)
- the Dharma-speech (dharma-vāc)
- the Dharma-gnosis (dharma-jñāna)
Dharmakāya (धर्मकाय) refers to the “reality body”, according to Buddhist teachings followed by the Newah in Nepal, Kathmandu Valley (whose roots can be traced to the Licchavi period, 300-879 CE).—In the Mahāyāna, the Buddha became understood as has having "three bodies", the trikāya, which consists of the dharmakāya, "the reality body", the Buddha as the ultimate reality of emptiness, sambhogakāya, "the enjoyment body", the Buddha as a divine mystical being, and nirmāṇakāya, "the transformation body", the Buddha in human form. The sambhogakāya, is seen as the form of the Buddha which taught the Mahāyāna sūtras. This celestial understanding of buddhahood lead to a burgeoning of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in divine form.
Tibetan Buddhism includes schools such as Nyingma, Kadampa, Kagyu and Gelug. Their primary canon of literature is divided in two broad categories: The Kangyur, which consists of Buddha’s words, and the Tengyur, which includes commentaries from various sources. Esotericism and tantra techniques (vajrayāna) are collected indepently.
Mahayana (major branch of Buddhism)
Source: Wisdom Library: Maha Prajnaparamita SastraDharmakāya (धर्मकाय) refers to the “body of the Dharma”, according to the 2nd century Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra chapter 1.—Accordingly: [The Buddha] preaches the Mahāprajñāpāramitāsūtra to mark the difference in retribution between worship of the body of birth and the worship of the body of the Dharma (dharmakāya). Refer to the chapter of the Śarīrastuti.
Source: academia.edu: A Study and Translation of the GaganagañjaparipṛcchāDharmakāya (धर्मकाय) refers to “(one who has) an absolute body”, according to the Gaganagañjaparipṛcchā: the eighth chapter of the Mahāsaṃnipāta (a collection of Mahāyāna Buddhist Sūtras).—Accordingly, “[...] The Bodhisattva Gaganagañja then sustained the jewel-canopy of ten thousand yojanas high over the Lord’s lion throne in the sky, joined the palms of his hands, saluted, and praised the Lord with these suitable verses: ‘[...] (2) Victorious One (jīna) whose absolute body (dharmakāya) is the same as the manifested (prabhāvita) body, displayed his beautiful body (abhirūpa) as endowed with well-shaped forms (surūpa), having produced (prajanita) compassion (karuṇā) that brings benefits for living beings, reveals the supreme body which has the marks of hundredfold merits (śatapuṇya-lakṣaṇa). [...]’”.
Mahayana (महायान, mahāyāna) is a major branch of Buddhism focusing on the path of a Bodhisattva (spiritual aspirants/ enlightened beings). Extant literature is vast and primarely composed in the Sanskrit language. There are many sūtras of which some of the earliest are the various Prajñāpāramitā sūtras.
General definition (in Buddhism)
Source: Wisdom Library: BuddhismDharmakaya:—The mind of any Buddha.
Source: WikiPedia: BuddhismThe Dharmakaya may be considered the most sublime or truest reality in the Universe. Buddhas are manifestations of the Dharmakaya, and are called Nirmanakayas. Unlike ordinary unenlightened persons, Buddhas (and Arhats) do not die (though their physical bodies undergo the cessation of biological functions and subsequent disintegration). In the Lotus Sutra (sixth fascicle) Buddha explains that he has always and will always exist to lead beings to their salvation. This eternal aspect of Buddha is the Dharmakaya.
Source: Shambala Publications: GeneralDharmakāya Skt. See Trikāya.
Languages of India and abroad
Pali-English dictionary
Source: BuddhaSasana: Concise Pali-English Dictionarydhammakāya : (adj.) the Normal body.
Pali is the language of the Tipiṭaka, which is the sacred canon of Theravāda Buddhism and contains much of the Buddha’s speech. Closeley related to Sanskrit, both languages are used interchangeably between religions.
Sanskrit dictionary
Source: DDSA: The practical Sanskrit-English dictionaryDharmakāya (धर्मकाय).—
1) an epithet of Buddha.
2) a Jaina saint.
Derivable forms: dharmakāyaḥ (धर्मकायः).
Dharmakāya is a Sanskrit compound consisting of the terms dharma and kāya (काय).
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Edgerton Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit DictionaryDharmakāya (धर्मकाय).—m. (in Pali recorded only as [bahuvrīhi] adj. in quite different sense, having a body that is, or is characterized by, the Doctrine, Dīghanikāya (Pali) iii.84.24, said of the Buddha; see below for similar use in [Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit]); (1) the mass of conditions of existence, see s.v. kāya (2); (2) perhaps to be rendered spiritual body (?), contrasted with rūpa- kāya, q.v.: (dṛṣṭo mayopādhyāyānubhāvena) sa bhagavān dharmakāyena (in his spiritual form, or the like; he had not seen him physically) no tu rūpakāyena (but not in his physical form) Divyāvadāna 19.11; similarly 360.19 (…na dṛṣṭo rūpakāyo me 20—21); na rūpakāyatas tathāgataḥ prajñā- tavyaḥ…dharmakāyaprabhāvitāś ca buddhā bhagavanto na rūpakāya-prabhāvitāḥ Samādhirājasūtra 22.7 (Régamey, Absolute Body, Material Body; R. does not understand prabhāvita quite rightly; it means recognized, see [Boehtlingk and Roth] s.v. bhū with pra, caus., 3); similarly 22.9 and especially 34, with the explana- tion, dharmeṇa kāyu nirjito, (His) body is born (? see nirjita) by dharma; see Régamey p. 23; elsewhere, with the same contrast, the word dharma-k° is used as a [bahuvrīhi] adj. (compare the Pali usage above, with which this usage may be directly connected), na hi tathāgato rūpakāyato draṣṭavyaḥ, dharmakāyās tathāgatāḥ Aṣṭasāhasrikā-prajñāpāramitā 513.15; instead of rūpakāya, simply kāya may be used in contrast, dharma- kāyā buddhā bhagavantaḥ, mā khalu punar imaṃ bhik- ṣavaḥ satkāyaṃ kāyaṃ manyadhvaṃ, dharmakāya- pariniṣpattito māṃ bhikṣavo drakṣyanty Aṣṭasāhasrikā-prajñāpāramitā 94.11—13; (3) perhaps to be rendered in the same way as (2), but considered the highest of three bodies of a Buddha, the [Page277-b+ 71] others being saṃbhoga- and nirmāṇa-k°; this is a late formula (Régamey, l.c. above) and I have noted the triad only in Mahāvyutpatti 116—118 among texts included in this work (see under the others); (4) without specific contrast with other kāyas but most likely belonging to (2) rather than (3): sa dharmakāya-prabhāvito (see Samādhirājasūtra 22.7 above) darśanenāpi sattvānām arthaṃ karoti Śikṣāsamuccaya. 159.7; manomaya-dharmakāyasya tathāgatasya Laṅkāvatāra-sūtra 192.1 (Abhidharmakośa knows a manomaya-kāya, app. not identified with dharma-k°, see LaV-P. Index; according to ii.209 it pertains to the rūpa-dhātu); probably, na rājan kṛpaṇo loke dharma- kāyena saṃspṛśet Divyāvadāna 560.2 (verse). [In Lalitavistara 401.21 all mss. and Calcutta (see LV.) read Dharmakāya as name of one of the four devatās of the bodhi-tree; Lefm. Dharmakāma, with Tibetan chos ḥdod; the em. seems plausible.]
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary1) Dharmakāya (धर्मकाय):—[=dharma-kāya] [from dharma > dhara] m. ‘law-body’, Name of one of the 3 bodies of a Buddha, [Vajracchedikā; Monier-Williams’ Buddhism 246]
2) [v.s. ...] ‘having the l° for body’, a Buddha, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]
3) [v.s. ...] a Jaina saint, [Horace H. Wilson]
4) [v.s. ...] Name of Avalokiteśvara, [Buddhist literature]
5) [v.s. ...] of a god of the Bodhi tree, [Lalita-vistara]
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Yates Sanskrit-English DictionaryDharmakāya (धर्मकाय):—[dharma-kāya] (yaḥ) 1. m. A Jaina sage.
[Sanskrit to German]
Sanskrit, also spelled संस्कृतम् (saṃskṛtam), is an ancient language of India commonly seen as the grandmother of the Indo-European language family (even English!). Closely allied with Prakrit and Pali, Sanskrit is more exhaustive in both grammar and terms and has the most extensive collection of literature in the world, greatly surpassing its sister-languages Greek and Latin.
See also (Relevant definitions)
Partial matches: Dharma, Kaya, Tarma.
Ends with: Vajradharmakaya.
Full-text (+21): Nirjita, Dharmakala, Trikaya, Vajradharmakaya, Dharmatabuddha, Paramanu, Three Virtues, Ratnagotravibhaga, Ratnagotravibhagashastra, Threefold Body, Dharmakama, Rupakaya, Dhammakaya, Vajraratna, Kulodbhava, True Suchness, Deva, Buddha-body, Utpalavarna, Kaya.
Relevant text
Search found 42 books and stories containing Dharmakaya, Dharma-kaya, Dharmakāya, Dharma-kāya; (plurals include: Dharmakayas, kayas, Dharmakāyas, kāyas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
The Practice Manual of Noble Tārā Kurukullā (by Dharmachakra Translation Committee)
The Great Chariot (by Longchenpa)
Part 2 - How luminosity dwells within space and wisdom without adding or taking away < [B. The explanation of the kayas and wisdoms]
Part 3c - The peaceful dharmakaya < [B. The explanation of the kayas and wisdoms]
Part 2 - The fruition refuge < [B. The particular objects of refuge]
The Gospel of Buddha (by Paul Carus)
Mahayana Buddhism and Early Advaita Vedanta (Study) (by Asokan N.)
Chapter 4.2 - Reality in Madhyamika (b): Nature of Prajna
Chapter 5.7 - Madhyamika Interpretation of Dependent Origination
Chenian Short Lectures in America (by Yogi C. M. Chen)
Chapter 2 - Lecture Concerning Kurukula < [Part Two]
Chapter 2 - The Three Identifications < [Part One]
Chapter 3 - Deep Breathing < [Part One]
Stupas in Orissa (Study) (by Meenakshi Chauley)