Sambhogakaya
Sambhogakaya (Sanskrit: संभोगकाय, also Sambhoakaya or Saṃbhogakāya, "body of completion", "body of joy" or "body of bliss") is the name given to the transfigured body of a Buddha after he has ascended to Buddha-dignity through enlightenment (Bodhi) and now reaches up to the Nirvana plane with his consciousness. From now on, he no longer has to be reborn in an earthly incarnation. Everything that he had before as a Bodhisattva only by being permeated by an Archangel being down to his etheric body, has now become his own human ability, which expresses itself down to the physical body. In Rudolf Steiner's words, this is "that body which such a being forms, which it has in itself, and in which it expresses in the physical body all that it has in itself; this body is called the 'body of perfection', Sambhoyakaya." (Lit.:GA 114, p. 72) The Sambhoakaya as such, however, can only be perceived by people who, through their initiation, have a higher degree of clairvoyant abilities that include inspiration. The mental faculty of perception then reaches up to devachan. The sambhoakaya then appears as a transfigured body of light (→ Tabor light) similar to that described at the transfiguration of Christ on Mount Tabor.
„1 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. 3 And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4 And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 5 He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son,[1] with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. 7 But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” 8 And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. 9 And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.”“
The Buddha's entry into nirvana is the same as the transfiguration, but he ends his efficacy with it, whereas that of the Christ actually only begins with it.
See also
Literature
- Rudolf Steiner: Das Lukas-Evangelium, GA 114 (2001), ISBN 3-7274-1140-6 English: rsarchive.org German: pdf pdf(2) html mobi epub archive.org
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References to the work of Rudolf Steiner follow Rudolf Steiner's Collected Works (CW or GA), Rudolf Steiner Verlag, Dornach/Switzerland, unless otherwise stated.
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