大方廣佛華嚴經隨疏演義鈔 4.45

4.45

疏「或分三異約體相用說」者，第五通會三身也。若直說者，法身約體、報身約相、化身約用。然《起信．立義分》云「所言義者則有三種：一者體大，謂一切法真如平等不增減故。二者相大，謂如來藏具足無量性功德故。三者用大，能生一切世間出世間善因果故。」藏和尚釋相大云「二種藏中，唯取不空如來藏也。用大者，謂隨勝業，約自體大用。報化二身，約麁細之用。令諸眾生始成世善，終成出世善也。」釋曰：依此解者，體相二大俱名法身，以性功德本自有故。用即報化，亦是約三大說。若各配者，一以不空之藏修成方顯，為真報故，用大中報；他受用故，顯勝名報；若應約登地之機，亦是化故。

Regarding the Commentary's statement: 'Or distinguishing three differences, this is spoken in terms of essence, characteristic, and function': this is the fifth, reconciling the three bodies. Directly speaking, the dharmakāya pertains to essence, the sambhogakāya pertains to characteristic, and the nirmāṇakāya pertains to function. However, the 'Determining the Meaning' section of the Awakening of Faith states: 'What is called meaning has three kinds: first, the greatness of essence, because the tathatā of all phenomena is equal, neither increasing nor decreasing; second, the greatness of characteristic, because the tathāgatagarbha is replete with immeasurable inherent virtues; third, the greatness of function, because it can produce all mundane and supramundane good causes and fruits.' Preceptor Zang explains the greatness of characteristic: 'Between the two kinds of garbha, this refers only to the non-empty tathāgatagarbha. As for the greatness of function, it refers to following superior karmic deeds, spoken in terms of the great function of the self-essence. The two bodies of reward and transformation are spoken in terms of coarse and subtle functions, causing all sentient beings to first accomplish worldly goodness and ultimately accomplish supramundane goodness.' Exposition: Relying on this explanation, both greatnesses of essence and characteristic are called the dharmakāya, because the inherent virtues are fundamentally possessed inherently. Function is the reward and transformation bodies, which is also spoken in terms of the three greatnesses. If correlated separately: first, because the non-empty garbha is revealed only through cultivation, serving as the true retribution, it is the reward within the greatness of function; because it is for others' enjoyment, revealing superiority, it is called reward; if adapted to the capacities ascending the stages, it is also a transformation.