Back to the heart of the matter...
On Part 5: "Instructions for Practice," pages 169-201.
*Here, the Buddha seems to shift tactics in teaching the Sangha. He relies less on elaborate logic than in previous sections, and more on concrete analogies: objects such as a scarf or the sound of a bell that can be experienced with the senses of those present. Why do you suppose the Buddha takes this approach at this point?
*What are some of the Buddha's specific instructions for the practice of the Path? How do these emerge from or relate to the material presented previously?
*This may be a good time to consider the elements of the supernatural that are described in the sutra. The Buddha's hands are webbed and his skin appears as purple-toned gold; at one point, the light of all the Buddhas in all directions floods the hall. How does this impact you as a reader? How do your values, preconceptions, and expectations interact with this spectacle? By contrast, how might the members of a Chinese farming village in the year 1000 respond to hearing it, do you imagine?
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