[Buddha-l] Re: Mahayana taught by the Buddha?

[Bruce Burrill]

At 04:45 PM 6/20/2005, you wrote:
>one can still sense a certain amount of tension
>between some historians and some Buddhists.


Tension is an under statement. On E-sangha, former Buddha-L resident 
Namdrol's (aka Malcolm Smith) present place of residence, I once innocently 
referred to the composition of Mahayana sutras and I was severely abused by 
the Mahayana literalist/fundamentalists, and never mind that I would also 
refer to the composition of the Pali suttas. Where do these people think 
these sutras come from? Divine revelation, no doubt.

Despite its numerous failings Paul Williams' book, BUDDHIST THOUGHT, gives 
an excellent discussion of the origins of the Mahayana, though it will 
hardly be satisfying to those whose faith is grounded in a literalism. As 
Gombrich subtitled his excellent book, HOW BUDDHISM BEGAN, "The Conditioned 
Genesis of the Early [and we may add: Middle and Late] Teachings"; that 
seems to be the truth of the matter.