Originally Posted by
Jundo
Well, I would say that the Vimalakirti Sutra also does not comment on the big questions ... such as whether the universe is finite or infinite, cause or uncaused, one thing or many, created or uncreated, eternal in time or not eternal, etc. etc. ... but rather leaps through all such questions to something more, transcendent. In fact, it answers all such questions by leaping past the questions and all such opposites. I would say that it is the same leap that the historical Buddha made in leaping through Samsara, and all its broken pieces and measures. The leap is not an ignoring or ducking of the questions, but their ultimate resolution by declaring the questions are wrong, narrow, artificial dichotomies of the human brain ... and there is this more.
Someone like Dogen and the Huayan Buddhists of the Mahayana then emphasized that this leaping past, and ultimate resolutions, is ALSO precisely this world of finite things and measures, such that each grain of sand and moment fully embodies this which leaps through all individual pieces and measures.
YES! All of the above. Technically, in the story, the Buddha is a particular emanation or aspect of the Wholeness, but the man Shakyamuni in India was also an emanation of the Wholeness. Since Buddha just means "Awakened One," what was awakened too was this Wholeness and all emanations of this Wholeness are One ... all Buddha. In fact, this includes you and me too who are also Buddha, right now, but just may not realize so in our divided thinking. In fact, such is every grain of sand, planet and rusty tin can on the street.
And this fact, we believe, is precisely what the Buddha in India discovered, then kept his mouth closed about because the usual questions and descriptions do not apply. Like your questions above.
Gassho, J
STLah