...Saddharmapundarikasutra expresses this: Thus, since I attained Buddhahood, an extremely long period of time has passed. My life span is an immeasurable number...the Thus Come One uses to teach and convert living beings.46 Here the pre-Mahayana understanding of the Third Noble Truth is still not questioned: A Buddha...

...practised the bodhisattva way, and the life-span I acquired then has yet to come to an end, and it will last twice the number of years that have already...however, although in fact I do not actually enter parinirvdna, I announce that I am going to adopt the course of parinirvdna. This is an expedient means...