Tathagatakaya, Tathāgatakāya, Tathagata-kaya: 1 definition
Introduction:
Tathagatakaya means something in Buddhism, Pali. If you want to know the exact meaning, history, etymology or English translation of this term then check out the descriptions on this page. Add your comment or reference to a book if you want to contribute to this summary article.
In Buddhism
Mahayana (major branch of Buddhism)
Source: De Gruyter: A Buddhist Ritual Manual on AgricultureTathāgatakāya (तथागतकाय) refers to “having the body of a Tathāgata” and is used to describe the Bhagavān, according to the Vajratuṇḍasamayakalparāja, an ancient Buddhist ritual manual on agriculture from the 5th-century (or earlier), containing various instructions for the Sangha to provide agriculture-related services to laypeople including rain-making, weather control and crop protection.—Accordingly, “Now the Bhagavān was residing in the abode of Brahmā. [...] The Bhagavān had a body ornamented with a net of ten million million thousand rays. He was blazing brightly like a golden pillar. He was brilliant like the Sun, displayed the thirty-two marks of beauty and the eighty minor marks of beauty. He was embellished with a radiance measuring a fathom. He had the body of a Tathāgata (tathāgatakāya), extremely pure, extremely spotless and brilliant”.
Mahayana (महायान, mahāyāna) is a major branch of Buddhism focusing on the path of a Bodhisattva (spiritual aspirants/ enlightened beings). Extant literature is vast and primarely composed in the Sanskrit language. There are many sūtras of which some of the earliest are the various Prajñāpāramitā sūtras.
See also (Relevant definitions)
Partial matches: Tathagata, Kaya.
Full-text: Abhinivritta, Vibhavita, Samketa, Nirjata.
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Search found 3 books and stories containing Tathagatakaya, Tathāgatakāya, Tathāgata-kāya, Tathagata-kaya; (plurals include: Tathagatakayas, Tathāgatakāyas, kāyas, kayas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Buddha-nature (as Depicted in the Lankavatara-sutra) (by Nguyen Dac Sy)
4.2. Dharmakāya in the Laṅkāvatāra-sūtra < [Chapter 4 - The Thought of Buddha-Nature in the Laṅkāvatārasūtra]
Lankavatara Sutra (by Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki)
A Dictionary Of Chinese Buddhist Terms (by William Edward Soothill)