五種法身

The five kinds of a Buddha's (sa) dharmakāya. There are four groups.

I.

(1) 如如智法身 the spiritual body of (sa) bhūtatathatā-wisdom;

(2) 功德法身 of all virtuous achievement;

(3) 自法身 of incarnation in the world;

(4) 變化法身 of unlimited powers of transformation;

(5) 虛空法身 of unlimited space; the first and second are defined as (sa) saṃbhogakāya, the third and fourth as (sa) nirmāṇakāya, and the fifth as the (sa) dharmakāya, but all are included under (sa) dharmakāya as it possesses all the others.

II.

The esoteric cult uses the first four and adds as fifth 法界身 indicating the universe as pan-Buddha.

III.

Huayan gives

(1) 法性生身 the body or person of Buddha born from the dharma-nature.

(2) 功德生身 the (sa) dharmakāya evolved by Buddha virtue, or achievement;

(3) 變化法身 the (sa) dharmakāya with unlimited powers of transformation;

(4) 實相法身 the real (sa) dharmakāya;

(5) 虛 空法身 the universal (sa) dharmakāya. IV. Hīnayāna defines them as 五分法身 q. v.