CLASSICS 2K03 Lecture Notes - Lecture 18: Mahayana Sutras, Budai, Bodhicitta
21 Nov 2017
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Document Summary
New sutras start to appear around year 0. They are all buddhavacana (words of the buddha) They represent the second turning of the dharma wheel. Mahayana sutras continued to appear up to 650 ce. Many people think that mahayana literature is mostly focused on laypeople. How can these words be the words of the buddha if he is dead: the buddha still existed and was accessible, they were products of prajnaparamita, hidden treasure texts. The mahayana"s believe that the buddha didn"t actually pass into parinirv na, they think he pretended to and that it was a teaching lesson. Buddhism takes a long time to understand-> so people were not advanced enough to follow the mahayana teaching. Mahayana texts are always blown out of proportion and are situated in a cosmic world. So he hid them until the people were ready to find them and practice them properly. It is huge-> touch his forehead and cover his face.
