Seven Names of the Dharmakāya

Next, it should be understood that the transformed dharmakāya has seven names. First, submergence, because the aggregates of clinging are submerged; second, stillness, because conditioned formations no longer arise; third, relinquishment, because every remaining companion is relinquished; fourth, transcendence, because the two kinds of suffering are transcended; fifth, extraction, because the root consciousness is extracted; sixth, rescue, because the five fears are rescued from; seventh, severance, because the retribution of the six destinies is severed.

Explanation: as to "the aggregates of clinging are submerged" — "clinging" here means craving, and is of four kinds: clinging to desire, clinging to views, clinging to precepts and vows, and clinging to the assertion of self. Clinging carries two senses: taking hold through feeling, and taking hold of the resources that sustain existence. Taking hold through feeling is, for instance, how craving arises dependent on feeling. Taking hold of the resources means that, out of craving for this feeling, one takes hold of four kinds of resources — these four resources being precisely the four kinds of clinging.

As to the first, clinging to desire: this is craving for the six sense-objects of the desire realm. As to the second, clinging to views: within the desire realm, apart from the two views of clinging to precepts and the view of eternalism, the remaining four views are called simply "view," and craving for these views is called clinging to views. As to the third, clinging to precepts and vows: within the three realms, taking hold of the world's mistaken and correct paths as a means to leave suffering and attain bliss is what is called "precept," and craving attachment to such precepts is called "clinging." As to the fourth, clinging to the assertion of self: "the assertion of self" refers to what is conditioned upon the body within — every internal dharma is "the assertion of self," and craving attachment to these internal dharmas is called clinging to the assertion of self. The concentrations of the form and formless realms are accomplished by conditioning upon internal dharmas, and are hence called "the assertion of self"; craving attachment to these concentrations is what is called "clinging."

Of these four kinds of clinging, the first two belong to the view of annihilation, holding to the present alone and denying any future; the latter two belong to the view of eternalism, holding that a future exists. The first two arise in householders, while the latter two are attachments of renunciants. The first two are the cause of strife among both householders and renunciants, while the latter two are the cause of religious practice among both. And of the first two, clinging to desire is what is accomplished and clinging to views is what accomplishes it; of the latter two, clinging to the assertion of self is what accomplishes it and clinging to precepts is what is accomplished.

Next, "aggregates" carries many senses, as explained elsewhere. Here, briefly, there are two senses: able to give rise to clinging, since the ordinary person's five aggregates are able to serve as the cause and condition of clinging; and arising from clinging, since these very five aggregates are themselves the fruit belonging to the household of clinging — hence they are called "the aggregates of clinging." As to why it is called "submergence": within the dharmakāya, neither this cause nor this fruit exists at all. "Clinging" is submerged because it has been counteracted; "aggregates" is submerged because their retribution is exhausted. Hence it is said that, with respect to the dharmakāya, the aggregates of clinging are permanently absent — this is called submergence.

As to the second, "conditioned formations no longer arise": every conditioned dharma is called a "formation," being associated with four marks — arising, change, abiding, and cessation. Every conditioned dharma is, at its earlier moment, associated with the mark of arising; at its later moment, associated with the mark of cessation; and in between, associated with the marks of change and abiding — laboring on without rest, and hence called a "formation." The Tathāgata's dharmakāya is not like this at all: at its earlier moment there is no arising, at its later moment no cessation, and in the middle no sickness or aging — it is limpid and permanently abiding. Because there is no arising, it is called "still"; because there is no cessation, it is called "quiescent." As to its earlier moment, it does not arise again, being free from the mind-made body; as to its later moment, it does not die again, having already passed beyond inconceivable falling back. As to both its earlier and later moments, it is never damaged or defiled, being beyond the sickness of affliction that is the ground of ignorance.

As to the third, "every remaining companion is relinquished": followers of the two vehicles have three kinds of remainder — the remainder of affliction, namely the ground of ignorance; the remainder of karma, namely outflow-free karma; and the remainder of retribution, namely the mind-made body. The remainder of affliction should be extinguished, the remainder of the path should be cultivated, and the remainder of falseness should be removed. The Tathāgata, having already left falseness behind, is said to be without remainder; the two vehicles, not yet having left it behind, are said to still have remainder. The Tathāgata's transformed dharmakāya has already transcended the four kinds of birth-and-death, has already utterly extinguished every false affliction, has already fully cultivated the path, and has left behind both saṃsāra and even the truth of the path itself. These two lack the four virtues, while the dharmakāya alone abides fully and completely in all four — hence it is called the relinquishment of every remaining companion.

As to the fourth, "the two kinds of suffering are transcended": "suffering" carries the sense of what runs contrary. This contrariness is of two kinds: what runs contrary to the sage's own intention, being an enemy to the sage, able to trouble him; and what the sage's own intention runs contrary to, since the sage is able to remove it. As to the two kinds of suffering: the ordinary person's twin feelings of pleasure and pain, and the sage's suffering inherent in all conditioned activity, that is, the feeling of neutrality itself. There is, further, another pair: bodily suffering and mental suffering. And another: the suffering of name, and the suffering of form. And another: the suffering internal to the realm of the two vehicles, and the suffering external to that realm, belonging to the bodhisattva. Hence, at the stage of the dharmakāya, there is no coarse suffering of the two vehicles — hence it is called "transcendence" — and no subtle suffering of the bodhisattva's four kinds of birth-and-death either — hence it is called "passing beyond." This is what is meant by transcending the two kinds of suffering.

As to the fifth, "the ālaya consciousness is extracted": "ālaya" carries the sense of dependence and concealment, being the root of saṃsāra, able to give rise to four kinds of derivative. These four derivatives are: two of affliction, one of karma, one of retribution. As to the two roots of affliction: first, every view has ignorance as its root, and the gate of liberation through signlessness is the antidote; second, apart from views, every other affliction has craving as its root, and the gate of liberation through wishlessness is the antidote. As to the one root of karma: this has the nature of the ordinary person as its root, this nature being precisely the view of a bodily self. As to the one root of retribution: every fruit of saṃsāric retribution has the ālaya consciousness as its root — and it is because, so long as this consciousness is not left behind, its fruit of retribution never ceases, that, within the dharmakāya, by means of two paths, both these states are utterly extinguished, and this is called extraction. As to these two paths: first, non-discriminating wisdom, able to extract present falseness, purifying the dharmakāya — this is called the wisdom of exhaustion. Second, the subsequent non-discriminating wisdom, able to prevent future falseness from ever arising again, perfecting the dharmakāya — this is called the wisdom of non-arising. "Extraction" is purification, extinguishing present delusion; "removal" is perfection, cutting off future delusion — hence it is called extraction and removal.

As to the sixth, "rescue from the five fears": the five fears are fear of self-reproach, fear of others' reproach, fear of punishment, fear of the evil destinies, and fear of the assembly. Fear of self-reproach is as when a person, having committed various evils, is fearful day and night. Fear of others' reproach is when, having done evil oneself, one constantly dreads that others, or the unseen gods, may witness it. Fear of punishment is when, having done evil bodily deeds, one constantly dreads punishment by the ruler. Fear of the evil destinies is when, one's own transgressions following after oneself, one dreads being reborn into an evil destiny. Fear of the assembly is when, the three karmic actions being impure and one's own understanding not yet deep, one constantly fears the assembly of the virtuous. If a person has already realized and seen the dharmakāya, he is free from these five fears — hence the dharmakāya is said to be rescue from the five fears.

As to the seventh, "severance of the retribution of the six destinies": the meaning of "destiny" is manifold, but briefly there are two senses. First, it is called "destiny" as a place traversed: the five aggregates are that which is traversed, the three times are what does the traversing, and it is further the place where the four sufferings of birth, aging, sickness, and death roam. Second, it is called "destiny" on account of the six kinds of sameness-and-difference: as a human being is the same as other humans yet different from the other five destinies, and so on for the rest. As to this sameness-and-difference — why is it called "destiny"? There are two senses: the place where sentient beings revolve, and the place traversed by karma — it is by these two senses that the name "destiny" is established. The Tathāgata's dharmakāya no longer has any of these destinies at all. In the case of nirvāṇa with residue, karma is exhausted but the fruit of sentient beings' revolving has not yet been exhausted. In nirvāṇa without residue, both cause and effect are utterly exhausted — hence it is called the severance and extinction of the six destinies.

Wherever the Tathāgata's dharmakāya is spoken of, it should be understood as corresponding to these seven names. This concludes the explanation of the names.