| Around the third century,
a text known as the
Gandavyuha sutra introduced a new figure, a
metaphorical, spontaneous Buddha called Vairocana. (Interestingly, Nagarjuna
alludes to some precursors found in this later sutra). Vairocana is the
Universal Sun itself or the fractal recursion of a Universal Ray Flower
(Skt. Avatamsaka). Within the
Gandavyuha sutra, the name
Vairocana was no more than an epithet, an alias for Shakyamuni Buddha.
The Universal Ray Flower, Vairocana, was simply a metaphor for the Shakyamuni
Buddha's enlightened state.
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| Later, another text called
the Mahavairocana tantra (Skt. Mahavairocanabhisambodhi,
mid-seventh century), we find the same Vairocana in a starring role of
his own, as the central host of the Garba Mandala, or "Womb of the
time-conscious Universe." Vairocana reveals the Mandala as an explosion
through his eye, the eye of the Universal Sun, the light speed witness.
But, in this scripture, his timeless quality seems intended to illustrate
the length of time required by Bodhisattvas to reach Buddahood.
We might, with some justification, wonder how we can define all of these thousands of Buddhas, including Vairocana, and still be faithful to their timeless, non-spatial qualities? If these Buddhas are "heavenly bodies," then what makes them up? What are they really? Buddhists devised a special tripartite classification, known as the trikaya, or "three bodies," to explain. The three bodies are Dharmakaya, Sambhogakaya, and Nirmanakaya. The Dharmakaya, or Buddha
mind-body, is the true (absolute) aspect: the invisible enlightened mind.
From this, a secondary reflex occurs called the Sambhogakaya, the "enjoyable
aspect" or "body of bliss." This aspect of the enlightened mind is customarily
depicted wearing the luxurious clothing of ancient Indian princes. The
third reflex is called Nirmanakaya, or emanated body (Skt. nirma,
means to "drawout"). This aspect of the enlightened mind is customarily
depicted wearing ordinary costume in order to redeem ordinary beings. According
to this theory, we discover a three-stage descent from the absolute, unmodified
experience (Dharmakaya) to the modified experience of joyful meditation
(Sambhogakaya), and then to material existence, an incarnation (Nirmanakaya).
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