The Sambhogakāya and Nirmāṇakāya of All Buddhas Are Not Separate from the World

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

Answer: The Nirmāṇakāya Buddha is also accomplished by the manas. All dharmas are initiated by the manas, manifested and brought forth in coordination with the tathāgatagarbha. All mind-made bodies (manomayakāya) are accomplished by the manas, transformed by the tathāgatagarbha.

Question: The Sambhogakāya Buddha teaches the Dharma to great bodhisattvas who still have transformational birth-and-death, at the Akaniṣṭha Heaven. The 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 transformation 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 direction and spatial position, that is, the vessel-world of lands. The arising of all dharmas must occur within the world and realm; apart from the world and realm, there are no dharmas conjured by the tathāgatagarbha. The world means there is a "world" and a "realm." Apart from dharmas possessing world and realm, there is only the single dharma of the tathāgatagarbha, the Dharma body of all buddhas. The Sambhogakāya and Nirmāṇakāya bodies of all buddhas both have world and realm, having lifespans and lands.

In the buddha-lands of the ten directions, as long as a buddha remains in the world, there will be great bodhisattvas who have attained the bhūmis studying and practicing with that buddha, and the buddha will teach the profound wisdom of the varieties of paths and omniscience (consciousness-only seed-wisdom). For example, in the land of bliss (sukhāvatī), there are immeasurably many great bodhisattvas; Amitābha Buddha certainly teaches these bodhisattvas the consciousness-only seed-wisdom. Otherwise, why would those great bodhisattvas surround Amitābha Buddha's side?

Śākyamuni Buddha also taught the consciousness-only seed-wisdom dharma in our Sahā world. There are sūtras that have been left behind, and there must also be sūtras that have not been passed down. What we do not know does not mean it does not exist.