Understanding Dhammikāya in Buddhist Philosophy : หน้า 81/141

Dhammapāla, like Buddhaghosa, employs the term dhammikāya mostly as a noun, and relates it either with the Buddha’s mental qualities and purity,134 with the Enlightenment either of the Buddha135 or his noble disciples,136 with reality visible through the ‘seeing’ (dassana) of the noble truths137 or with ‘self.’138 As an adjective, he identifies the dhamma that is the Tathāgatas’ body as the ninefold transcendental dhamma (nava-lokuttara-dhamma).139 In one instance, he uses the term dhammikāya in the sense which may be interpreted either as ‘teaching’ or ‘truth’ that can be expressed by the preaching of true dhamma.140 ____________________________ 134 At ThrA.I.115 and ĐT.II.201, Dhammapāla follows Buddhaghosa that the Buddha’s dhammikāya is prosperous with treasured qualities such as the overall-pure aggregate of virtue. At ItA.I.13, ThrA.II.121, CpA.332, UdA.87-88, VvA.213, ĐT.I.130, ĐT.II.4, MT.II.51, AṬ.III.76, AṬ.III.216, and AṬ.III.261, he refers to dhammikāya as bodies of those extraordinary qualities connected with the Buddha’s mental purity such as the ten powers (dasa bala), four causes of intrepidity (catu vesārajja), six kinds of unshared knowledges (cha asādhāranāṇa.) and eighteen exclusive Buddha’s qualities (atthārasavēnabuddhadhammā). Note that the qualities enumerated here are similar to those expressed by the Sarvāstivādīn, but the details of the qualities mentioned in both traditions are slightly different. At ItA.II.102, UdA.310, he refers to the equality of the Buddha with previous Buddhas by means of his physical body and dhamma-body (dhammikāya). 135 MT.I.46-7, АṬ.I.40. The connection of the term dhammikāya to the Buddha’s own benefit, rather than to others’ benefit, indicates its relation to the Buddha’s spiritual realisation or enlightenment. 136 ItA.II.115, ThrA.I.37. 137 UdA.310, ThrA.28. 138 CpA.332 and ĐT.I.86.’ 139 In his explanation of the term dhammabhūta (having become dhamma) at ThrA.II.205, Dhammapāla connects the Buddhas’ dhammikāya with the ninefold transcendental dhamma and the Buddhas’ attainment of the dhamma. 140 ĐT.I.449: Evarūpassāti sammāsambuddhatā aviparīta dhammadesanātāya evampākaṭa dhammakayassa satthu. The Buddha is said to have the dhamma-body (dhammikāya) revealed as such because of his preaching of true dhamma, because he is the perfectly self-enlightened one (sammāsambuddha).