Skip to main content
dharmakaya

dharmakaya

1 9.9
A formless, unchanging truth that shows a Buddha's true nature
  • noun
  • /ˌdɑrməˈkaɪə/
  • Specialized
: dharmakaya
  • In Buddhist philosophy, the dharmakaya represents the ultimate truth that transcends all physical forms.

Examples

  • But the ground and fruition—the ocean of Dharmakaya, the Truth-Body, Pure Awareness, Awakeness itself—is timelessly available.

    Blog text (3)
  • Far above them in the scheme of things is Nirvana, Brahman, the Dharmakaya.

    Academic text (2010)
  • Heart Drops of the Dharmakaya

    Blog text (18)
  • Could this possibly suggest that the role of meaning, as Bohm explains it, is somehow analogous to the Dharmakaya, that endlessly fertile, unconditioned totality from which all things rise?

    Academic text (1993)
  • Meditation helps practitioners connect with the dharmakaya, the formless essence of enlightenment.

  • Understanding the concept of dharmakaya is essential for those studying the nature of reality in Buddhism.

Surface Forms

dharmakaya singular
dharmakayas plural

Etymology

Dharmakaya comes from the Sanskrit words dharma ('truth' or 'teaching') and kaya ('body'), so it literally means 'truth body' and points to the Buddha's unchanging, formless reality beyond the physical body.