廣弘明集 21.37

21.37

法身虛寂。遠離有無之境。獨脫因果之外。不可以智知。不可以識識。豈是稱謂所能論辯。將欲顯理不容默然。故隨從言說。致有法身之稱。天竺云達摩舍利。此土謂之法身。若以當體則是自性之目。若以言說則是相待立名。法者軌則為旨。身者有體之義。軌則之體故曰法身。略就言說粗陳其體。是常住身。是金剛身。重加研覈其則不爾。若定是金剛即為名相。定是常住。便成方所。所謂常住。本是寄名稱曰金剛。本是譬說。及談實體。則性同無生。故云佛身無為不墮法。故涅槃經說。如來之身非身。是身無量無邊無有足迹。無知無形畢竟清淨。無知清淨而不可為無垢。稱曰妙有而復非有。離無離有所謂法身。

The dharmakāya is open and quiescent, far removed from the realms of existence and non-existence, singularly liberated beyond causes and conditions. It cannot be known by wisdom; it cannot be cognized by consciousness. How could it be discussed and debated through designations? Yet wishing to reveal the principle, one cannot remain silent; hence, conforming to speech, there arose the designation 'dharmakāya'. In India it is called *dharma-śarīra*; in this land it is called *fashen* ('Dharma-body'). In terms of its immediate substance, it is the name of its own-nature; in terms of speech, its name is established through mutual dependence. 'Dharma' has the meaning of a standard or model; 'body' has the sense of possessing substance. The substance of the model is therefore called dharmakāya. Briefly speaking in terms of language and roughly presenting its substance: it is the eternally abiding body, it is the vajra body. Yet if one examines it closely, its principle is not like this. If it were definitely vajra, it would be a name and characteristic; if it were definitely eternally abiding, it would become a spatial location. That which is called 'eternally abiding' was originally a provisional designation; that which is called 'vajra' was originally a metaphorical expression. When discussing its true substance, its nature is identical to non-arising. Therefore it is said: 'The Buddha's body is unconditioned and does not fall into conditioned phenomena.' Thus the *Nirvāṇa Sūtra* states: 'The Tathāgata's body is a non-body. This body is measureless and boundless, without footprints, without knowledge, without form, and ultimately pure.' Without knowledge and pure, yet it cannot be considered defiled; called 'wondrous existence', yet it is again non-existent. Free from non-existence and free from existence—this is what is called the dharmakāya.