The Sambhogakāya and Nirmāṇakāya of all Buddhas are never apart from the world

Question: The seventh consciousness accomplishes the Sambhogakāya Buddha, and countless sixth consciousnesses accomplish the Nirmāṇakāya. Is that so?

Answer: The Nirmāṇakāya is also accomplished by the manas. All dharmas are initiated by the manas, with the tathāgatagarbha manifesting and cooperating to bring them forth. All mind-made bodies (manomaya-kāya) are accomplished by the manas, manifested by the tathāgatagarbha.

Question: The Sambhogakāya Buddha teaches the Dharma to great bodhisattvas who still have transformational birth-and-death, at Akaniṣṭha Heaven. The manifested Nirmāṇakāya Buddha teaches the Dharma to sentient beings who have segmented birth-and-death, mainly in the human world. Both the reward body and the manifested body are in the world, greatly performing buddha-deeds, propagating the Dharma and delivering sentient beings. Is that so?

Answer: "World" (世) represents transmigration, and transmigration involves the flowing change of time; "realm" (间) represents geographical orientation and spatial position, that is, the lands and the receptacle world. The arising of all dharmas must occur within the world; apart from "world" and "realm," there are no dharmas conjured by the tathāgatagarbha. The world means there is a "world" and a "realm." As for dharmas without world and realm, there is only the single dharma of the tathāgatagarbha—the Dharma body of all buddhas. The reward bodies and manifested bodies of all buddhas all have world and realm, having lifespans and lands.

In the buddha-lands of the ten directions, wherever a buddha dwells in the world, there are great bodhisattvas who have attained the bhūmis studying and cultivating with that buddha, and the buddha must teach the profound seed-wisdom of Consciousness-Only. Take the land of bliss (Sukhāvatī), for example: the great bodhisattvas there are immeasurably numerous, and Amitābha Buddha certainly teaches these bodhisattvas the seed-wisdom of Consciousness-Only. Otherwise, why would those great bodhisattvas surround Amitābha Buddha's side?

Śākyamuni Buddha also taught the Dharma of the seed-wisdom of Consciousness-Only in our Sahā world. There are sūtras that have been left behind, and there must also be sūtras that were not left behind. What we do not know does not mean it does not exist.