Youthful vase body

Youthful vase body (Tib. shönnu bum pai ku, Wyl. gzhon nu bum pa'i sku) — a common metaphor in the Dzogchen teachings is that of a youthful image or 'body' enclosed within a vase. This signifies the dharmakaya in which all qualities are present but not visible from the outside. The body is described as youthful to indicate that these qualities are pure and pristine, untainted by samsara, and immune from birth and death.

Chökyi Drakpa says: "Since the essence of the dharmakaya is beyond birth and death, it is described as youthful, and since there is a clarity that comes from its knowing aspect, it is called the vase body."

Alternative Translations

• Youthful body in a vase (David Germano)

Further Reading

• Dudjom Lingpa, Buddhahood Without Meditation, translated by Richard Barron (Padma Publishing, 1994, revised edition 2002), page 149 (contains Ekajati's explanation to Dudjom Lingpa).