華嚴五十要問答 1.40

1.40

問：佛身常耶無常耶？答：依小乘，佛無常。依三乘，佛亦常亦無常。法身佛究竟故常，離不離故無常也；應身一證究竟故常，隨對下位聲聞凡夫得見增減故是無常；化身如火，有處燃有處滅故是無常，化德相續故說常也，盡未來際故。一乘十佛是常、是無常、非常非無常。用不說為說，故佛是常；與阿含相應，故是無常；隨緣起際，故非常非無常也。

Question: Is the buddha's body permanent or impermanent? Answer: According to the Hīnayāna, the buddha is impermanent. According to the triyāna, the buddha is both permanent and impermanent: the dharmakāya buddha is permanent because it is ultimate, but impermanent because of separation and non-separation; the nirmāṇakāya is permanent because it is ultimately realized once, but impermanent because, depending on the lower stages of śrāvakas and ordinary beings, it is seen to increase and decrease; the transformation body is like fire—impermanent because it burns in some places and is extinguished in others, yet spoken of as permanent because the virtues of transformation are continuous, extending to the end of the future limit. The ten buddhas of the Ekayāna are permanent, impermanent, and neither permanent nor impermanent: because using non-preaching is preaching, the buddha is permanent; because it corresponds with the āgamas, it is impermanent; because it accords with the limit of pratītyasamutpāda, it is neither permanent nor impermanent.