As I was falling asleep last night, it occurred to me to
double-check regarding this...
...the implications of this are that we really
can take the Mahayana sutras
literally. We really shouldn't be reading them only as
analogy or "skilful means"? Yes/No?
u mean some miraculous power or unimaginable feats that were
mentioned in Mahayana sutras, like example VIMALAKIRTI NIRDESA
SUTRA
As soon as all these precious parasols had been laid down,
suddenly, by the miraculous power of the Lord, they were
transformed into a single precious canopy so great that it formed a
covering for this entire billion-world galaxy. The surface of the
entire billion-world galaxy was reflected in the interior of the
great precious canopy, where the total content of this galaxy could
be seen: limitless mansions of suns, moons, and stellar bodies; the
realms of the devas, nagas, yaksas, gandharvas, asuras, garudas,
kimnaras, and mahoragas, as well as the realms of the four
Maharajas; the king of mountains, Mound Sumeru; Mount Himadri,
Mount Mucilinda, Mount Mahamucilinda, Mount Gandhamadana, Mount
Ratnaparvata, Mount Kalaparvata, Mount Cakravada, Mount
Mahacakravada; all the great oceans, rivers, bays torrents,
streams, brooks, and springs; finally, all the villages, suburbs,
cities, capitals, provinces, and wildernesses. All this could be
clearly seen by everyone. And the voices of all the Buddhas of the
ten directions could be heard proclaiming their teachings of the
Dharma in all the worlds, the sounds reverberating in the space
beneath the great precious canopy.
or Amitabha Sutra:-
"Shariputra, as I now praise the inconceivable
benefit from the merit and virtue of Amitabha, thus in the East are
also Aksobhya Buddha, Sumeru Appearance Buddha, Great Sumeru
Buddha, Sumeru Light Buddha, Wonderful Sound Buddha; all Buddhas
such as these, numberless as Ganges sands. In his own country each
brings forth the
appearance of a vast and long tongue, everywhere covering the Three
Thousand Great Thousand Worlds, and speaks the sincere and
actual words: 'All you living beings should believe, praise, and
hold in reverence the inconceivable merit and virtue of this Sutra
of the Mindful One of whom all Buddhas are protective.'
i can only say from Diamond sutra, that Buddha never lie or
say a single false/unreal word.
金刚经云:如来是真语者,实语者,如语者,不诳语者,不异语者。if it's an analogy, He would say so
it's an analogy. Buddha is very clear One. :)
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