SO TO ZEN - Shasta Abbey

74 Sōtō Zenconsider the origin of Buddhism to be in Buddhagaya (the placewhere the Buddha attained enlightenment). We may thereforesay that the object of veneration of the S‡t‡ School isShakyamuni Buddha who attained enlightenment under theBodhi tree in Buddhagaya and who is the model for all Buddhas.He is neither a Buddha conjured up in the imagination, nor anidealized Buddha devoid of a real personality, but an actualhistorical person. Later generations viewed the nature (body) ofa Buddha from three different aspects: 1) The Body of the Law(Skt. Dharmakya, J. Hosshin) which is a personification of theTrue Laws of the Universe and hence transcending all finitelimitations; 2) The Body of Bliss (Skt. Sambhogakya, J.H‡jin) which is the reward for all the religious trainingundertaken before enlightenment and 3) The Body of Transformation(Skt. Nirmanakya, J. †jin) which comes into beingso that the Buddha may adapt himself to varying individualitiesand capacities. The S‡t‡ School emphasizes the most fundamentalform of the Buddha which transcends this division: thehistorical Buddha who unites the three aspects in his ownpersonality. He is termed in the S‡t‡ School ÒDaion Ky‡shuHonshi Shkamuni Butsu Daiosh‡Ó which may be translatedÒThe Great Benefactor, Founder of the Religion, OriginalTeacher, Shakyamuni Buddha, the Great Monk.Ó Great MasterKeizan said about him: ÒEven though He had the thirty-twomarks of a Buddha, the good aspects and eighty appearances,