The Essence of Dhamma-Milk in Spiritual Growth : หน้า 70/141

related also to the happiness arisen from the realisation of truths, as mentioned in the previous verse. In verse 33, Gotami is said to have been fed on the ‘dhamma-milk.’105 Because it is fed to her by the Buddha, it sounds likely that such ‘milk’ refers to his ‘teaching.’ However, its quality as ‘unceasingly peaceful’ indicates the state to which the teaching has brought her. That is to say, she is led from the initial introduction to the inner experience of the reality, so that she can eventually and actually ‘taste’ or realize it through her spiritual attainment. Rather than being sustenance to her physical body, the dhamma-milk is fed to nourish the growth of her dhamma-body (dhammakāya). Thus, in her declaration ‘I was fed by you,’ the ‘I’ refers here to her dhamma-body (dhammakāya) rather than her physical body. This expression implies her identification with the dhammakāya. It affirms the earlier statement that the dhammakāya is ‘a new and now true identity’ that corresponds to her spiritual rebirth in the noble plane. This could also, in a way, clarify why the Buddha is designated ‘dhammakāya,’ as mentioned earlier.106 It implies his identity with dhammakāya from the time of his enlightenment. This is affirmed by the parallel usage of dhammakāya and dhammadhūta (become dhamma). Therefore, observations regarding dhammakāya from this declaration may be made as follows: —————— 105 Dhammakhirom. This is a Kammadhāraya compound, translated literally as ‘milk that is dhamma.’ 106 D.III.84.