Definition:
In Mahayana Buddhism, a buddha is said to be one with absolute reality yet also to manifest in the relative world. This existence is explained in the doctrine of trikaya, or three bodies of buddha. The three bodies are dharmakaya, sambhogakaya and nirmanakaya.
Sambhogakaya is the body of bliss, or the body that experiences the fruits of Buddhist practice. It is sometimes explained as the communion of the absolute (dharmakaya) with the relative (nirmanakaya), where the relative body experiences the bliss of realization of the absolute.
Some teachers compare dharmakaya to vapor or atmosphere, sambhogakaya to clouds, and nirmanakaya to rain. Clouds are a manifestation of atmosphere than enable rain.
