Saṃbhogakāya
One of the (usually) three kayas in Buddhism.
Saṃbhogakāya (Sanskrit: संभोगकाय, lit. 'body of enjoyment', Chinese: 報身; pinyin: bàoshēn, Tib: ལོངས་སྤྱོད་རྫོག་པའི་སྐུ། longs spyod rdzog pa'i sku) is the second of three aspects of a buddha.
Sambhogakāya is a "subtle body of limitless form". Buddhas such as Bhaisajyaguru and Amitābha, as well as advanced bodhisattvas such as Avalokiteśvara and Manjusri can appear in an "enjoyment-body." A Buddha can appear in an "enjoyment-body" to teach bodhisattvas through visionary experiences.
Those Buddhas and Bodhisattvas manifest themselves in their specific pure lands. These worlds are created for the benefits of others. In those lands it is easy to hear and practice the Dharma. A person can be reborn in such a pure land by "the transfer of some of the huge stock of 'merit' of a Land's presiding Buddha, stimulated by devout prayer."
One of the places where the Sambhogakāya appears is the extra-cosmic realm or pure land called Akaniṣṭha. This realm should not be confused with the akanistha of the pure abodes, for it is a realm that completely transcends it.
Absolutely seen, only Dharmakāya is real; Sambhogakāya and Nirmāṇakāya are "provisional ways of talking about and apprehending it."
Understanding in Buddhist tradition
Tibetan Buddhism
There are numerous Sambhogakāya realms almost as numerous as deities in Tibetan Buddhism. These Sambhogakaya-realms are known as Buddha-fields or Pure Lands.
“Saṃbhogakāya” enters the record as one of the (usually) three kayas in Buddhism. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Saṃbhogakāya, usually and three can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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