Nirmanakaya is your very visible body, when you realize Buddhahood. Transformation body, another name for it, relates with our practice of following Buddha’s way. It is like, when you want to be a flower, you become a flower; when you want to be a thief, you do the thief’s thing, and you realize what a thief is. So practice, itself, is realization. This word, nirmana, means “roll of mind.” When we see something, when things appear, that is called nirmana. It is a very ordinary thing we are always experiencing. Shakyamuni Buddha, the historical Buddha, is called “Nirmanakaya Buddha,” who actualized the Reward body and the Law body on this earth. And when we realize, when our true nature is realized, we become Shakyamuni Buddha, as the Transformation body. There is no division of Shakyamuni Buddha’s body and our present body. Reward Body and Law Body can also be experienced. They cannot be expressed but they can be experienced. You don’t need to ask others, “Am I Buddha?” when you realize this is it. Law body, Dharmakaya, and
Editors’ noteends, “Having said this, the Great Master ceased talking. Suddenly, at midnight, he entered Nirvana. The Great Master was seventy-six years old.” describes various miracles, in-
Reward body, Sambhogakaya, are usually invisible, but when Transformation body, Nirmanakaya, is realized, all three arise as one body. So three bodies are not three. It’s just one thing, one body. To realize this body, we were born and we are living in this way. It is not a matter of pride. When you hear the world of sound, see the world of light, when you recognize a time, these are Reward body. When you see the forms and shapes and colors of all beings, that is Reward body. When you breathe air and feel that the air is breathing you, when you even get rid of the sense that you are breathing, then you understand air is Reward body, and you are also Reward body. You do not recognize “I am breathing, air is breathing me,” there is just breathing. True respect toward our own existence depends on this idea. This is acceptance of the joy of Buddha, which is Sambhogakaya. Dogenzenji wrote a poem about this:
“The form of mountains,
Sounds of valley,
All my Buddha’s figure and
voice.”
cluding fragrances, natural wonders, and light flashing, which occurred upon the death of the Sixth Patriarch. repeats the statement that this scripture was compiled by Head Monk Fa-hai, who passed it on to his fellow student, Tao-chi, who passed it to his student, Wu-chen. You have to say, “my Buddha’s body and voice” because it’s not someone else’s. This word, reward, is very dualistic. Because we are human, we speak like this. In another example, we may say, “I hold this paper like this.” But Sambhogakaya, Reward body, includes the whole thing, so we could also say, “This paper is holding me.” The paper doesn’t need to express this, but because of our body, we speak. With words, all of our actions are for the use of humankind, but if we see things in a very pure state, there are no words. So when we express Sambhogakaya, it comes through words, forms, through the five senses. When you point to the moon, this action is like using words. You can say, “see the moon.” But words and finger are not moon. If you seek Buddha outside it is a dualistic way. You see just a shadow. But if you seek Buddha inside, it means you seek Buddha within yourself. Buddha is realizing Buddhahood.