Exploring the Concept of Dhammakāya in the Aggañña-sutta : หน้า 37/141

IV. Reference 1: Dhammakāya as the Tathāgata’s Designation The first Pali reference to the term dhammakāya that is well known to all previous works is a passage in the Aggañña-sutta, wherein the term is said to designate the Tathāgata.17 The narrative setting is a conversation between the Buddha and two novices, namely Väsetṭha and Bhāradvāja, who went forth from Brahmin families and were awaiting higher ordination (upadampadā). In the Buddha’s discourse being delivered, the term dhammakāya is mentioned in the context of a definition of ‘an heir of dhamma’ or ‘the Tathāgata’s true son:’ yassa kho pan’ assa vāsetṭha tathāgate saddhā nivitṭhā múla-jāta pattiṭṭhita daḷha asamāhāri ka samaṇena vā brāhmaṇena vā devena vā mārena vā brahmuna vā kenaci vā lokasmiṁ, tass’etaṁ kallam vacanāya: 20 “bhagavato’mhi putto oraso mukhato jato dhamma-jo dhamma-nimmito dhamma-dāyādo” ti. Taṁ kissa hetu? Tathāgatassa h’etaṁ Väsetṭha adhivacanāṁ “dhamma-kāyo iti pi brahmaka|yo iti pi, dhamma-bhūto iti pi brahma-bhūto iti pīti.” 17 This passage is claimed in some scholarly works as being the sole appearance of dhammakāya in the Pali canon. For example, see Williams, op. cit., p. 284, note 5; Harrison, op. cit., p. 50. 18 The vocative ‘vāsetṭha’ in this passage is variably written in different editions of the Pali sutta. The PTS and CS versions put the word in singular form, while the BJ and SR versions show the word in plural form ‘vāsetṭha.’ The singular form implies that the Buddha was speaking to vasettha only, while the plural form implies both vāsetṭha and bhāradvāja. (The latter is a reduced form of a dvanda compound in which there remain only one component and the plural number.) the present paper takes this to be plural, as it is stated at the beginning of the story that both novices approached the Buddha together [D.III.80], and at the end of the story that both of them were delighted and rejoiced at the Blessed one’s speech.[D.III.98]. 19 Some manuscripts write ‘asamāhāriya.’ 20 SR edition writes, ‘vācāya.’