The Buddha says, “I have been living in this saha world for this great incalculable period of time, teaching the Dharma to innumerable living beings; and I have also been in an equally vast number of other world-spheres, teaching and helping beings.” The life span of the Buddha is not only spoken of in terms of time but also of space – immeasurable, infinite dimensions of time and space that are beyond the reach of intellectual conceptualization. So our idea of the Buddha as a purely historical person who lived 2,600 years ago, who passed into nirvana and is no longer able to be present with us here and now, is merely a misperception.

Other Mahayana sutras speak of the unborn and undying nature of the Buddha. For instance, the Vajracchedika Sutra says, “The Tathagata comes from nowhere and goes nowhere.” But in the Lotus Sutra, this truth is expressed in vivid images, like a beautiful painting, and for some it can be easier to understand and grasp through such visual imagery.