Episode 1512 – The Buddha’s Three Bodies Pervade the Universe
>> “The universe is vast like [the Buddha’s] great enlightenment to true emptiness. With the truth of the cessation of suffering’s causation, we can attain the Path to liberation. The ocean of wisdom of His intrinsic nature is infinite and boundless. The Dharma-nature of liberation pervades the universe.”
>> “This is the power of my wisdom; the light of my wisdom illuminates infinitely. My lifespan extends over countless kalpas. It was only attained through long practice.”
>> “At that time, the World-Honored One knew that those Bodhisattvas would not stop after three requests, so He told them, ‘All of you must listen carefully to the Tathagata’s mysterious and secret spiritual powers.'” [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 16 – On The Tathagata’s Lifespan]
>> “All throughout the world, heavenly beings, humans and asuras all say that the present Buddha, Sakyamuni, left the Sakya Palace and went somewhere not far from the city of Gaya, where He sat at the place of enlightenment and attained Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.” [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 16 – On The Tathagata’s Lifespan]
>> He described how people were attached to the near. Throughout the Three Periods, the Buddha has three bodies. Throughout all this [time], this secret could not be shared. So, all the heavenly beings, humans and asuras said that the present Buddha first attained these three bodies when He sat beneath the Bodhi-tree. Thus, they were attached to the near and doubted the far.
>> The present Buddha, Sakyamuni, left the Sakya Palace: Sakyamuni, who expounded the Lotus Sutra at. Vulture Peak, left the palace of. King Suddhodana of the Sakya clan.
>> He went somewhere not far from the city of Gaya where He sat at the place of enlightenment and attained Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi: In the place He went to at that time, He sat beneath the Bodhi-tree and manifested the attainment of perfect enlightenment. Thus, He was said to have “sat at the place of enlightenment.”
>> Speaking of the three bodies altogether, they are all one Buddha. They have no individual appearances because the three bodies are one body. If one were to speak of them individually, they could be divided into two kinds, the manifested body and the true body.
>> For the sake of Two Vehicle practitioners and ordinary beings, He manifests three kinds of Nirmanakaya; these are all His manifested bodies. As for the Buddha’s Dharmakaya and Sambhogakaya, they are His bodies of joyful use. These are His true bodies.
>> Moreover, among the bodies of joyful use, the body of benefitting others is also called His manifested body. For newly-inspired Bodhisattvas and. Two Vehicle practitioners, the body of benefitting others is also called the true body. Though their capabilities are all different, what He taught was appropriate for everyone.
“The universe is vast
like [the Buddha’s] great enlightenment to true emptiness.
With the truth of the cessation of suffering’s causation,
we can attain the Path to liberation.
The ocean of wisdom of His intrinsic nature
is infinite and boundless.
The Dharma-nature of liberation
pervades the universe.”
We must be mindful. “The universe is vast like [the Buddha’s] great enlightenment to true emptiness.” Can we feel it? The universe is vast and boundless. Recently we have continually talked about “pervading the universe.” The Buddha’s lifespan is unlimited. The Buddha has repeatedly returned to this world for infinite kalpas, pervading the universe and all Dharma-realms. Previously, we talked about the three bodies, the Dharmakaya (Dharma-body), Sambhogakaya (reward-body) and the Nirmanakaya (transformation-body). They exist everywhere. We can comprehend the universe’s vastness. It is so expansive. We are unable to measure its boundaries. It is the same with the Buddha’s wisdom, “[His] great enlightenment to true emptiness.”
We often talk about how conditioned good deeds bring us back to unconditioned Dharma. All of us must continuously recall this. Regarding the Dharma we have heard, we must keep the memory there and apply this Dharma in our everyday lives. Although it talks about “emptiness,” I have continuously been telling everyone about “wondrous existence. Wondrous existence” means we must have this “goodness” ourselves. We must do conditioned good deeds and seize the time within our lifespan. We are ordinary people. These few days I have continually told everyone, “With each passing day, we draw closer to death.” Each day that passes shortens our lives. However, if we hear the Dharma and take it to heart, using it in our everyday lives, then we will grow in our wisdom-life. I often say, “Without experience we cannot grow in wisdom.” If we do not experience something, how are we able to experience the Dharma?
This Dharma, our Dharma-nature, is not something we just listen to. We must truly comprehend it; this comprehension comes from connecting principles with matters. It is like scientists. They must also do research. They research how many things come together, then they say, this is the reality of physics. Whether it is physiology or physics, we must be very mindful to research them so we can truly comprehend the principles within. Only then will we truly have attainments. Otherwise, all principles will be very vague. The principles are inherently without form and appearance, but each and everything contains principles within.
When principles of “emptiness” converge, we get the truth of “existence.” A seed needs to have soil [to grow]. After it enters the soil, it needs air, warmth, water and so on. When these causes and conditions converge, that seed will become a sapling. With time, that sapling will grow into a tree, a big tree; it will become a thick-trunked tree. Even a 1000-year-old tree began with a seed. When the genes in the seed converged with causes and conditions, they came together to form this big tree, which we can experience when we wrap our arms around it. In fact, tracing the origin of that tree, it comes from the genes of that seed. This is where the source of this Dharma lies. In truth, is [the source] really that tangible seed? [The source] is the principle within the seed.
In the same way, in learning the Buddha-Dharma, how can we attain Buddhahood, gain great awakening and comprehend the principles of true emptiness? The Buddha’s enlightenment encompasses the universe and pervades all Dharma-realms. This also took a very long time, going among people throughout many lifetimes, giving selfless great love to serve. He bore witness to “suffering, causation, cessation and the Path.” Thus, the Buddha attained enlightenment. We have been repeatedly discussing this these days. After six years of ascetic practice, finally, when He meditated beneath the Bodhi tree, He saw the bright star in the night and instantly attained enlightenment. In that instant, He became one with the universe.
Because of this, He suddenly became one with time, space and all things in the universe. It was this feeling of having a “mind tranquil and clear and vows as vast at the universe.” We often talk about this. All of us have heard this very often. We should all be able to clearly understand and be very familiar with this. Have we all comprehended it? This is what the Buddha spoke of in “the teaching of the manifest.” The previous 14 [sutra] chapters gave the teaching of “the manifest” on how the Buddha spent countless kalpas to repeatedly return to this world, going among sentient beings. So, through this experience, He was tempered. Because of this, He finally manifested the appearance of being born, becoming a monastic, engaging in ascetic practice and attaining enlightenment. That feeling in the instant. He attained enlightenment was what He wanted to share with everyone.
Sentient beings are, after all, ordinary people. We have accumulated afflictions and ignorance, while the Buddha accumulated experience. So, as an experienced person, He succeeded and attained enlightenment. And what about us? We are lost and confused and, without control, follow our afflictions and ignorance in this world, moving in circles. We suffer from love, hate, passion, animosity, from parting with those we love and so on. We follow our desires, which bring us unbearable suffering. The Buddha’s enlightenment, an awakening accumulated over dust-inked kalpas and attained in an instant, was a state of mind He wanted to share with us; the mind, the Buddha and sentient beings “are no different [in their nature].” We ordinary people “are all different.” However, the Buddha wanted to tell us that. “There is no difference.” This idea can be traced back to this origin.
As we wrap our arms around this tree, [He] wanted to tell us that its cause is this seed. Suddenly we [think], “This tree [came from] a seed?” We are unable to believe it. So, we need a thorough explanation. However, without anything tangible, how is it to be believed? It is like that big group of Bodhisattvas. Maitreya Bodhisattva continued to raise doubts. He could not believe it. He made an analogy of a 25-year-old person pointing to a group of 100-year-old men and saying, “These men are my children.” Who would believe that? It is so far removed from the principles. So, Maitreya Bodhisattva used this analogy to express the principle they were unable to believe and asked the Buddha to explain.
“Venerable Buddha, You said that all these many sentient beings have been transformed by You.” Everyone’s feeling was that. “The Buddha has just attained Buddhahood. You engaged in practice for 11 years before attaining enlightenment; afterwards, You have only taught the Dharma for less than 50 years. How are we to believe that You have transformed so many people in this time?” We should be very mindful to heed this dialogue, taking the thoughts of those unable to believe and contemplate them. How should the principles be explained so that everyone can believe them? Not only must they have faith, we also help them comprehend it. This takes time for them to understand. It really is not an easy thing.
But, during that time, Maitreya Bodhisattva also said, “We do, in fact, believe the Buddha. The Buddha’s character and His words are all true and real. It is just that so many Bodhisattvas have suddenly appeared. The achievements of these Bodhisattvas are inconceivable. The numbers and achievements of these Bodhisattvas [are so great] that to say they were all transformed by the Buddha is something we are unable to accept. Other than that, we all absolutely believe in the Dharma the Buddha has taught us.”
So, the Buddha admonished them three times, four times. “You must believe that the Buddha tells the truth and does not speak falsehoods. What I am teaching is the True Dharma.” This is what He said over and over. The fourth time, He still reminded them like this, “If you really want me to teach, I will teach you. But you must have faith in it.”
We can see that in the Chapter on [the Tathagata’s Lifespan], He needed to be challenged as a verification for others to see. As it is, in the Chapter on the Tathagata’s Lifespan, the measure of “lifespan” is very abstract in terms of time. Time continues to pass, second by second. [Seconds] accumulate into long periods of time. Our lifespan is nothing more than a number. If we want to talk about large numbers, very large numbers can be found in the sutras. [Numbers as great as] the Ganges River’s sands continuously accumulate. Neither a mathematician nor his apprentices could calculate these amounts. Isn’t this also very abstract? The “amount” is impossible to compare or measure.
It is like the vast and boundless universe. How can we measure the space in the universe and how big it is? That is very difficult. It is like gauging the Buddha’s “great enlightenment to true emptiness.” The Buddha’s intrinsic nature and ocean of wisdom are also boundless. He has such great enlightenment, and He wants us sentient beings to know, “You have this too. The Buddha has it, and you have it too.” Look how many wise people are in this world. How much do they know? They know a lot! They are specialists. In the world, they are very specialized. So, through their research, these PhD’s and professors can teach others, but what they know is only their own area of expertise. In contrast, the Buddha clearly understands all principles in the universe.
To help us understand “the length of time,” He needed to explain the length of His “lifespan.” To explain to us the “span” of His lifespan is not an easy thing to do. [These concepts] are meant for us to apply in our everyday lives. So, the Buddha came to teach the Bodhisattva Way; He did not just give theoretical teachings for us to just listen to. No, what He taught us was real. The reality of the world is “suffering” and “causation,” these principles of “suffering” and “causation.” Through the Buddha’s explanation to us, [we understand that] life is suffering. We can see the suffering, and we have experienced it too.
Take for example the suffering in Sierra Leone. From the situation in that place, we see the life of everyone there, their physical conditions and their environment. This is not something that we can comprehend with our environment and way of living. They all live in a kind of environment that is unimaginable to us.
Why is there such suffering there? In fact, Sierra Leone produces diamonds. Diamonds have been discovered there. This brought about greed and attachment in people. The greed in people’s minds led to conflict among people. The civil war there lasted for 11 years. The war cost many lives; 100,000 to 200,000 people lost their lives. Those 11 years of war occurred not long ago. The war began in 1991, and it continued for 11 years. The manmade calamity of Sierra Leone’s civil war has created such poverty.
Following this, there were subsequent natural disasters. Since there are diamonds in the mountain ores, excessive mining has caused severe devastation to the land. In the past few years, there have been continuous natural disasters of wind and rain. These mountains where people were living could not bear the heavy rain. There were landslides burying many people. This time, during the end of August (of 2017), there was more heavy rain that caused another landslide on the mountain that buried over 1000 people. They continuously searched, but all they found were dead bodies.
There was a four-year-old child who is now an orphan. His family of nine were all buried [in the landslide]. Only this child was left, orphaned. A charity organization is taking care of him. There was also a young man whose family of 11 were buried. This young man was buried for three days before being rescued. Now he is all alone. Our Tzu Chi volunteers from USA were in Sierra Leone. Among them was a Mr. Xie. He is a psychotherapist who also went to that place to give counseling to those who were severely traumatized. When speaking about this innocent young child and the suffering of that young man, he was very upset. [Tragedies] like this young man and this child are very numerous. This is suffering!
Due to the diamonds found in that place, many people were led to fight over them. It led to excessive mining and civil war. This has brought about so many manmade calamities and natural disasters. There has been so much suffering from this. Think about it; this is how in life there are the principles of suffering, causation, cessation and the Path. Ignorance and afflictions lead to one another, and they bring about great disasters and damages.
The Buddha teaches us how to use “the truth of the cessation of suffering’s causation.” This is the principle for ceasing suffering, for “cessation” and “the Path. The [Noble] Truths” refer to true principles. How do we eliminate this “suffering” by destroying the source of its “causation”? The “causation” [in Sierra Leone] is strife. The diamonds are there in the ground. When people discover them, they should not fight over them. They should leave them at peace in nature. Why must they fight over them? When they fight for them, it results in manmade calamities and destruction of nature, of mountains and rivers. [The mountains] now cannot withstand heavy rains. See how heavy rains lead to landslides that buried so many people. This is “suffering” due to “causation.”
This is why the Buddha had to teach so many principles to help us “attain liberation.” Did the psychotherapist’s counseling there have any effectiveness in the end? To this, Mr. Xie said that the best way was to lead them to volunteer, so they are not idling with discursive thoughts. So, he counseled them to do volunteer work.
It is the same principle. Our world is full of ignorance and afflictions. We must open the door to our hearts and go among people to serve. We must not take issue with things but give without expectation and with gratitude. This is the Bodhisattva-path. It is returning to the “intrinsic ocean of wisdom,” the Buddha’s ocean of enlightenment. It is “Infinite and boundless”; our minds encompass the universe and are without bounds. The Buddha’s [mind] encompasses it, and our [minds] can encompass it too. This is a potential that we all have. It is just that all of us have layers of ignorance and afflictions covering us. We take issue over gains and losses with people. If we can eliminate these afflictions, isn’t this the “intrinsic ocean of wisdom” that is infinite and boundless? Indeed! Is this difficult to attain? It is not difficult to attain Buddhahood or to understand the Dharma. So, “The Dharma-nature of liberation pervades the universe.” If we eliminate afflictions, our nature of True Suchness will emerge from its shell and converge with the awakened nature that the Buddha talked about. We will converge with the true principles of the universe. This is our “awakened nature,” so we must exercise great mindfulness.
In the sutra, there is a passage. The Buddha said,
“This is the power of my wisdom; the light of my wisdom illuminates infinitely. My lifespan extends over countless kalpas. It was only attained through long practice.”
If we are able to comprehend a “lifespan of countless kalpas,” this is wisdom. We must have wisdom. When our nature of True Suchness comes forth, our wisdom will shine like lamplight. This is like a room that has been dark for thousands of years; a single light, a single torch, can illuminate it and make it become bright. The Buddha described His power of wisdom as such. It is an ocean of enlightened wisdom, because He has already completely experienced and understood [all truths]. He had to go through a long time [to get there]. It “was attained through long practice.”
Conditioned actions relating to. His mission in the world “were attained through long practice.” It took a long time, not only this lifetime. “The conditioned good deeds” must be continuously performed as He repeatedly returned to go among people. In this “door of the manifest,” [the Buddha] repeatedly returned to this world [and went among people]. We must also do the same. It is convenient to go through this door. Thus, we repeatedly return, accumulating [experience]. “Without experience we cannot grow in wisdom.” We continue to accumulate [wisdom], [until] the light of wisdom illuminates infinitely. “My lifespan extends over countless kalpas.” With the Dharmakaya, Sambhogakaya and Nirmanakaya, the “three bodies” we have been discussing in the last few days, He comes to the world to give what is needed. This will take a very long time. So, everyone must be very mindful.
The previous sutra passage says,
“At that time, the World-Honored One knew that those Bodhisattvas would not stop after three requests, so He told them, ‘All of you must listen carefully to the Tathagata’s mysterious and secret spiritual powers.'”
Now, we begin the Chapter on [the Tathagata’s] Lifespan, so we really need to understand how open and spacious the Buddha-nature is. It is very broad and contains profound wonders. So, the Buddha [admonished them] three times; not just three times but four times. The Bodhisattvas asked Him three times, and three times, the Buddha reminded and admonished everyone, “You must listen to the Dharma. You must believe. Believe and accept that the Buddha’s words are the true principles. You must really be sincere and listen to the principles. Listen carefully and earnestly, without doubt in your minds.” He kept reminding them like this. This is what we talked about previously.
It was not just three times. Finally, Maitreya Bodhisattva still told the Buddha. “We definitely believe you.” Everyone adjusted their attitude and expressed a mindset of reverence and faith. So, after the fourth time, Maitreya Bodhisattva and the others still said, “We only hope that You will teach this. We absolutely respect and believe the words taught by the Buddha.” This was the fourth time.
Later, there is this passage spoken by the Buddha. The Buddha also told them, “All of you must listen carefully.” This was another reminder to them. “You must be very sincere and earnest. You must be very mindful and listen well.” Moreover, the sutra speaks of “mysterious spiritual powers.” We have already explained what “mysterious” means. In fact, only the Buddha comprehended this. It is as we said previously; this is the Buddha’s intrinsic ocean of wisdom. This ocean of enlightened wisdom was realized by the Buddha through dust-inked kalpas of coming to serve among people. After experiencing this, only the Buddha clearly understands this.
“This is how I realized these things one by one. Now, I will tell you about it without any reservations. I have comprehended it, while you have not yet. So, you must have faith in it. Because I have experienced it while you do not know it yet, it is called ‘mysterious and secret.’ Only I am able to comprehend them. All Buddhas have experienced this. Those who have attained this state have comprehended it. This is the mystery hidden within all Buddhas. All Buddhas have comprehended this, but the average person cannot yet comprehend it. So, you must now listen very mindfully without any doubts in your minds.”
Following this, the sutra passage says,
“All throughout the world, heavenly beings, humans and asuras all say that the present Buddha, Sakyamuni, left the Sakya Palace and went somewhere not far from the city of Gaya, where He sat at the place of enlightenment and attained Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.”
In this passage, the Buddha again explained, “Your doubts now are due to only seeing what is near. Being attached to the near, you ‘doubt the far.'” We are “attached to the near and doubt the far.” I have been explaining this for several days. So, we are attached to the near and doubt the far. Now, He was telling everyone that we should “transcend our attachments.”
He described how people were attached to the near. Throughout the Three Periods, the Buddha has three bodies. Throughout all this [time], this secret could not be shared. So, all the heavenly beings, humans and asuras said that the present Buddha first attained these three bodies when He sat beneath the Bodhi-tree. Thus, they were attached to the near and doubted the far.
We must transcend these attachments. We are “attached to the near and doubt the far.” People were attached to the near, which is the Buddha’s present lifetime, how He engaged in spiritual practice and ascetic practice for a total of 11 years. Yet He taught the Dharma for less than 50 years. Everyone was attached to this concept of “years,” the “years” in this lifetime, the time the Buddha spent in this lifetime.
In fact, “Throughout the Three Periods, the Buddha had three bodies.” The Three Periods are the infinite lifetimes in the past, this lifetime and the future, which is also infinite. So, everyone was attached to just this one lifetime, this one period. They did not consider or listen to the fact that the Buddha mentioned dust-inked kalpas of the past. Those were infinite lifetimes in the past. This was already such a long time. This is to say nothing of the infinite periods of the future. So, we must not be attached just to this one lifetime. This is only a few decades of time. We must [consider] the past, present and future. There is the past, present and future, so there are “three bodies in the Three Periods.”
The same applies for every period; there is the Dharmakaya, Sambhogakaya and Nirmanakaya. The Dharmakaya is everlasting, lasting through the past, present and future, from ancient times to today, without arising or ceasing. It is the true principles. And what about the Sambhogakaya? It is how [the Buddha] engaged in practice. Everyone could see. His process of attaining Buddhahood in the past. It is using the Sambhogakaya of this lifetime. And what about the Nirmanakaya? In response to the principles, He makes use of this body to employ the spirit and ideals of education. As for the “three bodies,” this was how He had to use them in the past, this is how He must use them in the present and this is how He must use them in the future. These are the “three bodies.”
So, “Throughout all this [time], this secret could not be shared.” This process, for any one person can only be felt by that person. You are not me; I am not you. I can tell you, “I am really joyful, so joyful!” What does joy look like? You cannot experience it. Indeed, neither of us can understand the other. When we talk about our feelings, how can we really experience them?
So, to talk about how to spread [the Dharma], we must discuss whether those who truly listen and receive the Dharma are willing to comprehend it themselves. What we comprehend is our own attainment. So, “Throughout all this [time], this secret could not be shared. I am unable to share it; I have always wanted to tell you, but you yourselves must put it into practice and experience it.”
“So, all heavenly beings, humans and asuras,” whether they are in heaven or on earth or they are asuras, “all said that the present Buddha first attained these three bodies when He sat beneath the Bodhi-tree.” Everyone thought that the three bodies the Buddha talked about were attained in this lifetime. They were attached to this lifetime. The Buddha had already taught so many principles, but they did not receive or experience them. So, they did not receive the transmission.
The Buddha taught so much, but they still did not experience it. Heavenly beings, human beings and asuras still had their doubts. When the Buddha explained that, in this lifetime, He left the palace to engage in spiritual practice, this went on until He reached the city of Gaya, where He sat at the Bodhimanda. He saw the morning star in the night sky and attained Buddhahood. They thought this is how He attained the three bodies, the Dharmakaya, Sambhogakaya and Nirmanakaya. In fact, it was not like this. But everyone thought it was like this. They were attached to this, attached to these few decades of time.
So, what they doubted was the past beyond the past. All of them had doubts. Had there really been such past lifetimes? They could not see it. This is because ordinary people are unable to understand the past. It is like how, when we talk about our ancestors’ ancestors, we are unable to see them. There are the ancestors of our ancestors. Can it be that we have no ancestors of ancestors? Of course we do. This is being attached only to the present. This is how not having faith leads to doubt.
So, “All throughout the world, heavenly beings, humans and asuras all say….” In [the Chinese word for] world, the first character means time. The second character is for the boundary of space. So, [the Chinese word for] “world” includes both time and space. This is a very large scope that we call “the world.”
So, “All throughout the world” includes heavenly beings, humans and asuras. All these sentient beings felt that the Buddha’s lifetime was only these few decades of time.
So, “The present Buddha, Sakyamuni, left the Sakya Palace.”
The present Buddha, Sakyamuni, left the Sakya Palace: Sakyamuni, who expounded the Lotus Sutra at. Vulture Peak, left the palace of. King Suddhodana of the Sakya clan.
Everyone felt this period of time was from when the Buddha left the palace of the Sakya clan until He expounded the Dharma at the assembly. “Sakyamuni, who expounded the Lotus Sutra at. Vulture Peak….” Vulture Peak was the place of practice on Mount Grdhrakuta. This is where Sakyamuni Buddha taught the Lotus Sutra. From the Bodhi tree where He attained Buddhahood all until the place of practice where He taught the Lotus Sutra, He only traveled around this region. There was also Sakyamuni’s father, King Suddhodana. The Buddha’s place of birth was the palace. Everyone was attached to this. So, in present-day India, there are many ancient sites, such as the ancient palace, the Buddha’s birthplace, Lumbini etc. These historical sites are all there as a testimony to the world that such a person appeared in the world over 2000 years ago.
So, everyone felt that. “[He] left the Sakya Palace and went somewhere not far from the city of Gaya where He sat at the place of enlightenment and attained Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.”
He went somewhere not far from the city of Gaya where He sat at the place of enlightenment and attained Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi: In the place He went to at that time, He sat beneath the Bodhi-tree and manifested the attainment of perfect enlightenment. Thus, He was said to have “sat at the place of enlightenment.”
We understand all these things very clearly. As we discussed it before, we are clear about this. He left the palace and went to the city of Gaya. In that forest, He sat under the Bodhi tree and saw the morning star in the night sky. We have talked about this before.
So, “In the place He went to at that time….” It was in this place, the place of practice not far from Gaya city that He attained Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. In that place, He attained enlightenment. So, that is the “place He went to.” He went from the palace and arrived at the place where He attained Buddhahood. This continued until He expounded the Lotus Sutra. So, He “manifested the attainment of perfect enlightenment.” This is “sitting in the place of enlightenment.” He began to teach the Dharma everywhere.
“Speaking of the three bodies altogether,” His Dharmakaya, Sambhogakaya and Nirmanakaya are, in fact, “all one Buddha.” We have explained this before. “They have no individual appearances.” This is the way the Buddha-Dharma returns to this one principle, “because the three bodies are one body.” So, “If one were to speak of them individually they could be divided into two kinds, the manifested body and the true body.”
Speaking of the three bodies altogether, they are all one Buddha. They have no individual appearances because the three bodies are one body. If one were to speak of them individually, they could be divided into two kinds, the manifested body and the true body.
As for “the manifested body, for the sake of Two Vehicle practitioners and ordinary beings, He manifests three kinds of Nirmanakaya.” This is what the Buddha did for. Two Vehicle [practitioners] and ordinary people when He manifested in this world. He responded according to people’s capabilities. So, He was in the palace, left that palace and so on and so forth. He manifested in this world and left historical evidence behind in this world. According to sentient beings’ capabilities, He came to the world and “manifested three kinds of Nirmanakaya” according to sentient beings’ needs. This is where He taught the Dharma, returning to the Dharma, to His Dharmakaya. So, “These are all His manifested bodies.” According to this world’s capabilities, He manifested in this world personally to teach the Dharma.
For the sake of Two Vehicle practitioners and ordinary beings, He manifests three kinds of Nirmanakaya; these are all His manifested bodies. As for the Buddha’s Dharmakaya and Sambhogakaya, they are His bodies of joyful use. These are His true bodies.
“As for the Buddha’s Dharmakaya and Sambhogakaya, “they are His bodies of joyful use.” The Buddha’s Dharmakaya is something we must experience personally. We must truly experience it personally. The Dharma is what He attained for Himself. He could only share it for everyone to listen. This state of enlightenment the Buddha attained cannot be experienced by anyone else. Only through experiencing it can we [understand]. So, for all the Dharma that the Buddha taught, the Dharma has not diminished, but we ourselves must accept and apply it.
As I myself have discussed so much Dharma, not only has the Dharma not diminished in me, I must also be very grateful. This is because in teaching the Dharma, I myself have accepted and applied it. Can everyone accept it? Is [the Dharma] growing [in us]? Then, that is your own experience. My own experience is for my own application. As all of you listen, are you putting it to use? This is a matter of our individual experience. So, “They are His bodies of joyful use. These are all His true bodies.” The true body is the Dharmakaya.
It also says, “Among the bodies of joyful use, the body of benefitting others is also called His manifested body.”
Moreover, among the bodies of joyful use, the body of benefitting others is also called His manifested body. For newly-inspired Bodhisattvas and. Two Vehicle practitioners, the body of benefitting others is also called the true body. Though their capabilities are all different, what He taught was appropriate for everyone.
As I am explaining for everyone, if everyone can experience it, you can also put it to use. When it comes to the same phrase that I explain to everyone, everyone receives it differently. Through different experiences, we can apply them differently. We each have our own insights and experiences. This is “the body of benefitting others,” and it is also “His manifested body.” According to our own capabilities, we act to apply them in our ways.
“For newly-inspired Bodhisattvas and. Two Vehicle practitioners, the body of benefitting others is also called the true body.” The “true body” is the Dharma. After I teach you [the Dharma], you can bring your own feelings together with this Dharma. When our feelings converge with the Dharma, this is the Dharmakaya. “Though their capabilities are all different,” though we all have different capabilities, “what He taught was appropriate for everyone.” What everyone [received] was about the same.
Everyone, when it comes to the Dharma, if we summarize the teachings, this Dharma is the true principles. With the Dharma of the true principles, we must aim toward the true principles as we clear the path. Then every path leads to the state of the Buddha. It is up to everyone to put it to use, to take the Dharma to heart. We must take this Dharma and learn how to implement it in our daily lives. As we put it to use ourselves, we must learn how to apply it in our interpersonal relationships and to mutually enjoy the experience of the Dharma. This depends on everyone’s own mindfulness. Indeed, “The universe is vast like [the Buddha’s] great enlightenment to true emptiness. With the truth of the cessation of suffering’s causation, we can attain the Path to liberation.” This state of mind is only within our own intrinsic ocean of wisdom, which is infinite and boundless, for us to experience and feel. No one else can transmit this to us. Therefore, we must always be mindful!