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Dhammakaya: The Body of Enlightenment

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Dhammakaya is the body of enlightenment of the Buddha. To reach it, we must follow the Noble Eightfold Path completely:

    Right View – Understanding the truth of life

    Right Thought – Thinking in a wholesome way

    Right Speech – Speaking truthfully and kindly

    Right Action – Doing good deeds

    Right Livelihood – Having an honest and ethical job

    Right Effort – Always improving ourselves

    Right Mindfulness – Being aware of our thoughts and actions

    Right Concentration – Meditating to calm and focus the mind

When we practice these steps perfectly, we will realize Dhammakaya within ourselves, which is the true way to reach the Buddha.


Does everyone have Dhammakaya?

Yes! Dhammakaya exists inside every human being, at the center of the body.

What does Dhammakaya look like?

It appears as a radiant, crystal-clear Buddha image, with a lotus-bud-shaped crown and all 32 marks of a great being.

How can we reach Dhammakaya?

We must practice the Threefold Training:

    Morality (Sīla) – Living a good and ethical life

    Concentration (Samādhi) – Meditating to still the mind

    Wisdom (Paññā) – Gaining true insight

The key is to bring the mind to complete stillness at the 7th base in the center of the body. This is the point where birth, death, sleep, and awakening occur.

As the mind becomes still, we begin to see inner Dhamma spheres:

    

The first sphere is bright like the sun or moon.

    Going deeper, we see spheres of morality, concentration, wisdom, liberation, and the knowledge of liberation.

    We then experience higher spiritual bodies, one after another, until reaching Dhammakaya.

The 18 Inner Bodies

    Human Body

    Subtle Human Body (a more refined version of the human form)

    Celestial Body (body of a heavenly being)

    Subtle Celestial Body

    Form-Brahma Body (body of a Brahma in the form realm)

    Subtle Form-Brahma Body

    Formless-Brahma State (pure awareness beyond physical form)

    Subtle Formless-Brahma State

    Dhammakaya Gotrabhu (the transition to enlightenment)

    Subtle Dhammakaya Gotrabhu

    Dhammakaya Sotapanna (the body of a stream-enterer)

    Subtle Dhammakaya Sotapanna

    Dhammakaya Sakadagami (the body of a once-returner)

    Subtle Dhammakaya Sakadagami

    Dhammakaya Anagami (the body of a non-returner)

    Subtle Dhammakaya Anagami

    Dhammakaya Arahant (the body of full enlightenment)

    Subtle Dhammakaya Arahant


By continuing the practice, we progress through these states until reaching the highest level of enlightenment. 

 
 
 

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© 2019 Victor M Fontane.

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