Mahayana Buddhism speaks of the Trikaya, or Three Bodies of the Buddha. These are not actually separate, distinct bodies; rather, they are personifications of different aspects or properties of the life of a Buddha. …

The first Buddha body is the Nirmanakaya, or Transformation-body. This is the historical aspect of a Buddha and refers to the Buddha as a person who is born, becomes awakened, teaches the Dharma, and then dies. This Buddha is an ordinary human being in every respect, except that he or she is awakened to the true nature of life.

The second Buddha body is the Sambhogakaya, or Enjoyment-body. This is the idealized aspect of the Buddha. This body is adorned with all kinds of special marks and characteristics symbolizing a buddha’s transcendent nature. This is the Buddha of limitless life and light, who resides in a pure land far removed from all suffering. The Enjoyment-body expresses the inner life of the historical Buddha and is the Buddha’s enjoyment of the Wonderful Dharma.

The third Buddha body is the Dharmakaya, or Dharma-body. This is the Buddha as universal truth, a personification of the true nature of reality itself. The Dharma-body is synonymous with other Buddhist terms such as Emptiness, Suchness, Buddha nature, or Dependent Origination. The Dharma-body expresses the Wonderful Dharma that is enjoyed by the Enjoyment-body and manifested physically by the Transformation-body.