The Sambhogakaya and Nirmanakaya of Buddhas Are Not Separate from the World

Question: Does the seventh consciousness (manas) accomplish the Sambhogakaya Buddha, and do countless sixth consciousnesses accomplish the Nirmanakaya Buddha? Is that correct?

Answer: The Nirmanakaya Buddha is also accomplished by the manas. All dharmas are initiated by the manas and born through the manifestation and cooperation of the Tathagatagarbha. All mind-made bodies (manomaya-kaya) are accomplished by the manas and transformed by the Tathagatagarbha.

Question: The Sambhogakaya Buddha expounds the Dharma for great bodhisattvas with transformative birth and death in the Akanistha Heaven. The Nirmanakaya Buddha expounds the Dharma for sentient beings with segmented birth and death, primarily in the human realm. Both the Sambhogakaya and Nirmanakaya are within the world, performing Buddha's work and propagating the Dharma to liberate beings. Is that correct?

Answer: "World" (世) represents cyclic existence (samsara), which involves the flow and change of time. "Realm" (间) represents geographical orientation and spatial location, that is, the land or vessel realm. The appearance of all dharmas necessarily occurs within the world. Apart from the world and the realm, there are no dharmas magically transformed by the Tathagatagarbha. The "world" implies the existence of both time (世) and space (间). Dharmas without time and space consist solely of the Tathagatagarbha itself, the Dharmakaya of all Buddhas. The Sambhogakaya and Nirmanakaya of all Buddhas possess both time and space; they have lifespan and reside in a Buddha-land.

In all Buddha-lands of the ten directions, wherever a Buddha dwells in the world, there are great bodhisattvas who have attained the grounds (bhumis) studying with the Buddha. The Buddha must then expound the profound wisdom of consciousness-only (vijnapti-matrata) and seed wisdom (bijajnana). For example, in the Land of Ultimate Bliss, where there are immeasurably many great bodhisattvas, Amitabha Buddha certainly expounds the wisdom of consciousness-only and seed wisdom to these bodhisattvas. Otherwise, why would those great bodhisattvas surround Amitabha Buddha?

Sakyamuni Buddha also expounded the Dharma of consciousness-only and seed wisdom in our Saha World. There are sutras that have been preserved, and there are certainly also sutras that have not been preserved. What we do not know does not mean it does not exist.