Life sized statue of the Buddha from the Tang Dynasty period (618-906 AD)
應以何身得度者，即現何身而為說法 does not translate to “Teach the Dharma in the local language”. The Chinese text would translate loosely to “Depending on the need of the audience, (one) shall manifest in whatever form/appearance to teach the (Buddha) Dharma”. This is the crux of the teachings in “妙法蓮花經 觀世音菩薩 普門品” Saddharma-puṇḍarīka sūtra, chapter on Samantamukhaparivarto nāmāvalokiteṡvara-vikurvaṇa-nirdeṡa.
Confused yet? Ya, thought so. For those of us who are do not read sanskrit or Chinese, the above lines might as well have been written in greek or an alien language, which brings me to the earlier statement, that one shall manifest in whatever form/appearance to teach the Dharma, depending on the need of the audience. That should include adopting whatever language is appropriate for conveying the message. The language is but a medium, a tool while style and prose just an expression of that medium. The intended message is what is important. And because of that, language, style and prose should be chosen to encourage communication. . . . → Read More: 應以何身得度者，即現何身而為說法 Teach the Dharma in the local language
