Re-evaluating the Concept of Dhammakāya in the Pali Canon : หน้า 77/141

No-one can upset the (Padumuttara Buddhu) entire mine of jewels, who is demonstrating the dhammakāya; having seen him, who is not pleased? In order to clarify further regarding the precise connotation of dhammakāya in this latter case, it would be useful to look at a Pāli passage that refers to what the Buddha demonstrates. In the Sambuddha-sutta, the Buddha explains that he demonstrates the path:125 Monks, the Tathāgata, who is the perfectly enlightened Arhat, has given rise to the path that had not risen, has generated the path that had not been generated, has proclaimed the path that had not been proclaimed. He is the path-knowwer, wise in the path, skilled in the path. Monks, but the disciples now are the path followers who live endowed with the path later. This suggests that the term dhammakāya in this passage, which is demonstrated or proclaimed by the Buddha, refers to ‘the path’ (magga). Due to the inter-related nature of the ‘reality’ and ‘teaching,’ it is possible that the expression ‘the path’ may refer either to ‘attainable reality’ or ‘prescriptive teaching’ that is the method to realization. But the statement that monks ‘live endowed with the path’ seems to suggest the former interpretation. Hence, the interpretation of this Aḍāna passage, while being ambiguous, seems to lead to the same or similar conclusion regarding the term dhammakāya as in other passages. VIII. Conclusion The present study re-evaluated academic interpretations of the term dhammakāya used in the Pali canon. It identified the aspects omitted in previous studies of the term in the Pali canon and proposed to fill in the gap by means of a different approach.