འཕགས་པ་བསད་ནམས་ཐམས་ཅད་བསྡས་པའ་ཏང་ང་འཛན་ཅས་བྱ་བ་ཐག་པ་ཆན་པའ་མད intro.12

intro.12

Prior to this, however, the section on the accumulation of learning in chapter 2 is noteworthy in that it provides another layer in both the plotline and thematic content of the sūtra. This occurs when the Buddha recounts a story from his past life as the great sage Uttara, who sacrificed his own body in order to receive spiritual instruction. The recitation of this selfless action is potent enough to summon Vimalakīrtirāja, a buddha from an entirely different world system, who proceeds to expound, coincidentally, on the teaching known as the absorption that encapsulates all merit. Thus is introduced another major theme of the text, namely the importance of undergoing hardship for the sake of the Dharma.