Aspects of Mahayana Buddhism and its Relation to Hinayana c7.s2.t12.6

c7.s2.t12.6

Though this conception of the refulgent body of Buddha found currency in the Prajñāpāramitās, the expression Sambhogakāya was still unknown to them. It was usually called by them Prakṛtyātmabhāva (natural body) or Āsecanaka-ātmabhāva (all-diffusing body). As a matter of fact, the Aṣṭasāhasrikā is not even aware of the Prakṛtyātmabhāva or Āsecanaka-ātmabhāva, showing clearly its priority to the other Prajñāpāramitās. It speaks only of Rūpakāya and Dharmakāya¹ and the long glorious description of Buddhakāya, which appears in the Śata- and Pañcaviṃśati-sāhasrikā as nidāna (introduction) to the text, is totally absent from it. It is only in the recast version of the Pañcaviṃśati that the expression Sāmbhogika-kāya was introduced by way of giving a gist of the topic.² In it the Sambhoga-kāya is described thus: Bodhisattvas, after attaining bodhi by means of the prajñāpāramitā, take a body endowed with thirty-two major and eighty minor signs with a view to preach the doctrines of Mahāyāna to the bodhisattvas and at the same time to arouse in their minds joy, delight and love for the excellent dharma. The original Prajñāpāramitā regarded this refulgent kāya as nirmita (created), and as such they included it in Rūpakāya and did not feel the necessity of introducing the conception of a third kāya, the Sāmbhogika.