应身

(sa) nirmāṇakāya, one of the 三身 q.v. Any incarnation of Buddha. The Buddha-incarnation of the 真如q.v. Also occasionally used for the (sa) saṃbhogakāya. There are various interpretation (a) The 同性經 says the Buddha as revealed supernaturally in glory to (sa) bodhisattvas is應身, in contrast with 化身, which latter is the revelation on earth to his disciples. (b) The 起信論 makes no difference between the two, the 應身 being the Buddha of the thirty-two marks who revealed himself to the earthly disciples. The 金光明經 makes all revelations of Buddha as Buddha to be 應身; while all incarnations not as Buddha, but in the form of any of the five paths of existence, are Buddha's 化身. Tiantai has the distinction of 勝應身 and 劣應身, i.e. superior and inferior (sa) nirmāṇakāya, or supernatural and natural.