Chaoyang North Stupa (Chaoyang beita 朝陽北塔) is a famous landmark in Liaoning 遼寧, which was renovated upon the pre-existing Tang stupa during the Liao 遼 Dynasty. The upper part is a 13-layered hallow square-shaped brick structure while the lower brick structure is decorated with the four Vajrayana Buddhas in low relief. During a thorough checking and repairment project in 1988, 2 Shakyamuni's relics were found in the highest two levels, the "palace in the sky" (tiangong 天宮), where a huge amount of rare Liao Dynasty Buddhist artifacts were excavated subsequently. Among all the exquisite sacred objects, there was a wooden miniature sarcophagus decorated with silver plates. However, after being struck by a thunder, all the organic matters in the tiangong were burnt to ash, including the wooden part of the sarcophagus. The four surviving silver plates are Preaching Maitreya Buddha on the front, a heavenly King on the rear, Shakyamuni Buddha's Nirvana, and the Trikaya Buddhas (sanshenfo 三身佛) on either side. This earliest known Liao representation of the Trikaya Buddhas was different from most other ones while the Dharmakaya (fashen 法身) as the central figure, Sambhogakaya (baoshen 報身)on the proper left side, and Nirmanakaya (yingshen 應身) on the proper right side. In the Chaoyang North Stupa, the Trikaya Buddhas are presented with Sambhogakaya as the central Buddha, Dharmakaya on the proper left side, and Nirmanakaya on the proper right side. Furthermore, the Sambhogakaya is represented by the Buddha who embodies all sentient beings within (fajierenzhong xiang 法界人中像), the Dharmakaya is represented as the Vajrayanic Vairocana Buddha (Darirulai 大日如來), and the Nirmanakaya is the most commonly seen generic Buddha. What is the logic behind this arrangement? Why are they presented as such? What is the doctrinal element behind this representation? Research showed that Tiantai school established the Trikaya system during the Sui Dynasty yet was not accepted across the board by the Tang Dynasty. Several centuries later, images of the Trikaya started to appear after the Song Dynasty which led to this particular Trikaya image on the silver plates found in Chaoyang North Stupa. Designating Sambhogakaya as the central Buddha signifies that during the Liao Dynasty, Huayan Buddhism was the mainstream and Tantric Buddhism was not uncommon. Under this specific consideration that the synthesis of Huayan and Tantric as the complete teaching, the Buddha who embodies all sentient beings was chosen to be the Sambhogakaya and Vairocana Buddha as the Dharmakaya.
