Volume I Thus have I heard: At one time, the Buddha was in Śrāvastī, at the Jetavana Grove, with a great assem…
Volume I
Thus have I heard: At one time, the Buddha was in Śrāvastī, at the Jetavana Grove, with a great assembly of 1,250 bhikṣus. All were arhats, free from defilement, disciples upheld by the Buddha, transcending all existence; majestic in conduct, they upheld the Dharma, turning the wheel with the Buddha, worthy of his sacred charge. Stern in vinaya, they were models across the Three Realms; with boundless manifested forms, they liberated beings, delivering the future beyond worldly burdens. Present were Mahāprajñā Śāriputra, Mahāmaudgalyāyana, Mahākauṣṭhila, Pūrṇamaitrāyaṇīputra, Subhūti, Upāli, and others, leading the assembly. Also present were countless pratyekabuddhas and śrāvakas, along with those newly resolved, all gathered before the Buddha as the bhikṣus concluded their summer retreat. Bodhisattvas from the ten directions sought resolution to their doubts, revering the Compassionate and Stern One, yearning for esoteric truths. Then the Tathāgata, seated serenely, expounded profound doctrines to the assembly. The pure gathering at this Dharma feast witnessed the unprecedented. The kalaviṅka's divine voice filled the ten directions. Bodhisattvas as numerous as Ganges' sands converged upon the dais, with Mañjuśrī at their head.
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