Five kayas
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The five kayas (Skt. pañcakāya; T. sku lnga) are a system of describing enlightenment, according to Buddhist tantra.[1] The five kayas correspond to the five wisdoms, the five families and so on.
There are different systems for naming the five kayas, according to different tantric traditions or lineages.[1][2]
A common system of five kayas is:[1][2]
- dharmakaya
- sambhogakaya
- nirmanakaya
- svabhavikakaya
- avikāra vajrakāya ("unchanging vajrakāya")
In some Nyingma tantras, the last two of the five kayas are listed as:[2]
- 4. avikāra vajrakāya ("unchanging vajrakāya")
- 5. abhisaṃbodhikāya (མངོན་པར་བྱང་ཆུབ་པའི་སྐ་; "fully enlightened body")
Brief explanation
Thinley Norbu states:
- All the Buddhas are inherent in and are described by the aspects of the Three Kayas; or from another point of view, all the Buddhafields and all of enlightenment are pervaded by the aspects of the Three Kayas and defined by them. These Three Kayas can be described in terms of the five Buddha families, the five wisdoms, and the Five Kayas. The Five Kayas represent a specifically tantric system of describing enlightenment, while the Sutra tradition refers mainly to Three or Four Kayas. In general, all Buddhas and all Buddhist deities can be considered from the point of view of the Three Kayas, and this is the most general system. The Hinayana, however, does not refer to the Three Kayas, the five certainties, or the five uncertain aspects of the Nirmanakaya. It is important to understand the systems used within the different vehicles and not to confuse them.
- I have been asked to talk about the five Buddha families as they relate to the Five Kayas and the five wisdoms. This is a Vajrayana approach to the nature of realization but does not contradict the Mahayana approach, although the Mahayana does not normally speak in those terms. The Mahayana teachings are vast, however, and in one or two Mahayana scriptures the five families are nonetheless mentioned, and the Dharmakaya, Sambhogakaya, and Nirmanakaya plus the Svabhavikakaya, or Essence Kaya, which is the Three Kayas as indivisible, not distinct from the other three. This is an involved topic on which much has been written, but in brief the Three Kayas are not independent things but aspects of the same essence. The essence of the three aspects undivided is the Svabhavikakaya. The Vajrayana also refers to a fifth aspect, the Vajrakaya or aspect of actual enlightenment, which means the perfect expression of all the qualities of the enlightened nature.[1]
Notes
Sources
- Thinley Norbu (2016), Echoes: The Boudhanath Teachings, Boston: Shambhala
- Tulku Thondop (1999), Masters of Meditation and Miracles, Boston: Shambhala