འཕགས་པ་གསར་འད་དམ་པ་མཆག་ཏ་རྣམ་པར་རྒྱལ་བའ་མད་སྡའ་རྒྱལ་པ་ཐག་པ་ཆན་པའ་མད 2.6

2.6

and the basis consciousness.¹⁵⁹

“The engaging consciousness ceases through the path of subjugation.¹⁶⁰ The mentation that resides on the basis ceases through following the path of elimination. The basis consciousness is purified through the supreme path.

“The emanation body manifests because the engaging consciousness ceases. The enjoyment body manifests when the mentation that resides on the basis ceases. The Dharma body is attained because the basis consciousness is purified. That is why the tathāgatas possess the three bodies.

“Noble one, through the power of the first of those bodies,¹⁶¹ the buddhas have the same activity; through the power of the second of those bodies,¹⁶² the buddhas have the same intent; and through the power of the third body,¹⁶³ the buddhas have the same body.

“Noble one, that which is the first body of the buddhas has many forms in accord with the aspirations of beings, and therefore it manifests various characteristics and so it is taught to be multiple. The second body of the buddhas, because its disciples have one mentality, manifests a single characteristic, and so it is taught to be single. The third body of the buddhas pervades¹⁶⁴ all the forms of those two characteristics and is not a field of experience that possesses characteristics, and therefore it is taught to be neither the same nor different.

“Noble one, that which is the first body appears on the basis of the enjoyment body. That which is the second body appears on the basis of the Dharma body. That which is the Dharma body is not truly existent,¹⁶⁵ and so it is not based on anything.