ABSTRACT
The trikAya theory is one of the most important and fundamental doctrinal developments of Mahayana Buddhism. The concepts of the dharmakAya and the nirmAOakAya were already present in early Buddhism although the latter concept was expounded in the different form of rEpakAya that carries different implications. The concept of the saNbhogakAya, however, appeared much later. The Buddha worshipped by Mahayanist followers is an omnipotent divinity endowed with numerous supernatural attributes and qualities. This Buddha is none other than the saNbhogakAya. How and why the concept of the saNbhogakAya came into being is of great interest to the present writer because it is only with the advent of this concept that the trikAya theory came into existence. Besides, this question is closely related to a number of others. What position does the historical Buddha hold in Mahayana if its followers worship an almighty Buddha? How is this historical Buddha related to the dharmakAya?
