Dighanikaya 3.288

3.288

Tathārūpanti taṃ rūpaṃ. Kimettha aññena vattabbaṃ? Vuttametaṃ nāgasenatthereneva milindaraññā puṭṭhena – ‘‘dukkaraṃ, bhante, nāgasena, bhagavatā katanti. Kiṃ mahārājāti? Mahājanena hirikaraṇokāsaṃ brahmāyu brāhmaṇassa ca antevāsi uttarassa ca, bāvarissa antevāsīnaṃ soḷasabrāhmaṇānañca, selassa brāhmaṇassa ca antevāsīnaṃ tisatamāṇavānañca dassesi, bhanteti. Na, mahārāja, bhagavā guyhaṃ dassesi. Chāyaṃ bhagavā dassesi. Iddhiyā abhisaṅkharitvā nivāsananivatthaṃ kāyabandhanabaddhaṃ cīvarapārutaṃ chāyārūpakamattaṃ dassesi mahārājāti. Chāyaṃ diṭṭhe sati diṭṭhaṃyeva nanu, bhanteti? Tiṭṭhatetaṃ, mahārāja, hadayarūpaṃ disvā bujjhanakasatto bhaveyya, hadayamaṃsaṃ nīharitvā dasseyya sammāsambuddhoti. Kallosi, bhante, nāgasenā’’ti.

"Such a form" means that particular form. What else needs to be said here? This has indeed been stated by Nāgasena Thera himself when asked by King Milinda: "'Venerable Nāgasena, a difficult thing has been done by the Blessed One.' 'What, great king?' 'The Blessed One displayed to the great multitude the area of modesty—to the pupil of the brāhmaṇa Brahmāyu, Uttara; to the sixteen brāhmaṇa pupils of Bāvarī; and to the brāhmaṇa Sela and his three hundred youths, venerable sir.' 'No, great king, the Blessed One did not show the secret part. The Blessed One displayed a shadow. Having fashioned it by psychic potency, he showed merely a shadow-image wearing an undergarment, fastened with a waist-band, and covered with a robe, great king.' 'Venerable sir, when a shadow is seen, surely the thing itself is seen?' 'Leave that aside, great king; if there were a being who would awaken upon seeing the form of the heart, the fully awakened Buddha would take out the flesh of his heart and display it.' 'You are clever, venerable Nāgasena!'"