Understanding Dhammakāya: A Scholarly Interpretation : หน้า 41/141
DIRI Journal : หน้า 41/141 An exploration of the term dhammakāya, focusing on its meanings and implications in Buddhist teachings, particularly the teachings of the Buddha.
This text delves into scholarly interpretations of the term 'dhammakāya', emphasizing the need for a nuanced understanding of 'dhamma' as both a realized reality and a verbal expression. It identifies three interconnected issues for further analysis: the criterion of saddhā as the Tathāgata's son, the parallels between monks and brahmins, and the use of the terms dhamma and brahma. The discussion references a key passage illustrating the dual meanings of dhamma as experienced by the Buddha and communicated in his teachings. The aim is to provide a re-interpretation of dhammakāya that is mindful of these complexities while enhancing comprehension of the Buddha's insights, specifically how deep and profound dhamma is perceived and articulated. For further insights, please visit dmc.tv.
หัวข้อประเด็น
-Meaning of dhammakāya -Interpretation of dhamma -Role of saddhā in Buddhism -Comparative analysis of monks and brahmins -Dual meanings of dhamma in Buddhist texts
ข้อความต้นฉบับในหน้า
Points to Consider
It may be observed that the difference in previous scholarly interpretations of the term dhammakāya in this passage mainly pertains to the inter-relatedness of two distinctive meanings of the term dhamma, i.e., the reality the Buddha has realized and its verbal expression, i.e., his teaching(s).36 Closer attention is therefore required regarding prior fine distinctions, in order to re-interpret the term dhammakāya more precisely. Also, more attention needs to be paid to the nuance of the context. At least, three inter-connected issues required a close reading:
1. saddhā: the criterion of being the Tathāgata’s son
2. implication of parallel descriptions between monks and brahmins
3. implication of parallel usage of the terms dhamma and brahma
The following section will assess these points more closely. It will then determine the most probable meaning of the term’s first component, ‘dhamma’, followed by considering the most appropriate meaning of the term’s second component, ‘kaya’.
36 The two inter-related meanings of dhamma may be distinguished according to the context of the following passage:
Adhigato kho me ayaṃ dhammo gambhiro duddo sa duranubodho santo paṇito atakkavacaro nipuṇo paṇḍitavedaniyo. ... Ahaṅ c’eva kho pana dhammaṃ deseyyaṃ pare ca me na ajāneyyum. Vin.I.4-5, M.I.167-168, S.I.136.
This dhamma attained by me is deep, hard to see, hard to comprehend, serene, subtle, beyond the dominion of reasoning, recondite, apprehensible only to the wise. ... Would I preach the dhamma, others will not understand.
In this passage, which is generally regarded as a revelation of the Buddha’s thought after his perfect enlightenment and prior to his first teaching, the word dhamma is used in two distinct contexts. Its first appearance in the phrase ‘dhamma attained by me’ (adhigato... dhammo) represents the ‘reality realised’ or spiritually experienced by the Buddha. Its occurrence in the second phrase ‘would I preach the dhamma’ (dhammañ ca deseyyaṃ) stands for the ‘teaching taught’ by the Buddha which can be regarded as the ‘verbal expression’ of the reality he has realised.