The Greatest Show on Earth

“At one time the Buddha was in Rajagriha, staying on Mount Gridhrakuta.  Accompanying him were a multitude of leading monks… Their names were Ajnata Kaudinya … Shariputra … nun Mahapajapati … nun Yashodhara … Bodhisattva Manjushri … Bodhisattva Maitreya … heavenly king Shakra … King Brahma … eight dragon kings … And there was King Ajatashatru, the son of Vaidehi, with several hundreds of thousands of followers.”  (LSOC1, p35-37)

EAGLE PEAK

Like many of Shakyamuni’s teachings, the introduction begins with a list of those that were attending this lecture and the place, which in this case was Eagle Peak, a rocky patch of land on Mount Gridhrakuta, which is probably suitable for a group of about a 100 people at most.

A CAST OF THOUSANDS…

In the next section we will look at some of the specific people present at the lecture, but in general terms, this is the largest gathering of men, women, monks, nuns, gods, creatures, etc. and is estimated to be anywhere from 300,000 to several million individuals!   The sheer size would make this particular meeting impossible for the venue, but the magnitude of characters present is testament to the greatness of this teaching and shows that people (and creatures) from all walks of life, realms and stages of learning can benefit from this teaching.

In “The Wisdom of The Lotus Sutra: Volume 1”, Katsuji Saito observes that this assembly has representatives from the nine worlds of hell to bodhisattva and that “the assembly of the “Introduction” chapter is a manifestation of all beings of the nine worlds enfolded within the Buddha’s own life.” (p86)

And we also see that as well as monks, there are nuns, laymen and laywomen.  So already we have an indication that this teaching is for everyone – it is not exclusively for monks, but also for laymen, and we also have an assembly that includes women (both nuns and laywomen)

…INCLUDING THESE INDIVIDUALS

Ajnata Kaudinya & King Ajatashatru	The first person mentioned in the assembly is Ajnata and the last person mentioned is King Ajatashatru.  This is another major sign that this is a teaching for everyone as Ajnata was Shakyamuni’s first disciple 42 years ago and King Ajatashatru is believed to be the last disciple at the time of this preaching.  So already we knoe that this is a teaching for ALL of his former students.  Everyone that has followed the earlier teachings has come to hear this latest and most complete teaching.  Incidentally, prior to becoming a follower of the Buddha, King Ajatashatru killed his father, tried to kill his mother, and even worked with Devadatta to try and kill Shakyamuni!!  This teaching really is for EVERYONE, even people that have commited the worst of crimes!
Shariputra, Manjushri & Maitreya	These were three of Shakyamuni’s most accomplished and wise disciples, so even people that have studied, learnt everything there is to know (so far) and faithfully carried out the way of bodhisattvas are going to benefit from this teaching.
Mahapajapati, Yashodhara*, Vaidehi (the mother of King Ajatashatru) & the eight dragon kings daughter	A mix of nuns, women, female creatures, etc. that are all here to show that they too can benefit from this great teaching.  Don’t forget in previous teachings, women couldn’t truly achieve enlightenment, unless through their wisdom and good causes in this lifetime, they were fortunate enough to be reborn as a man who could attain Buddhahood in the next life.

* One interesting fact about the Nun Yashodhara is that she is also Shakyamuni's wife, and the wife he abandoned (as well as his son) to embark on his journey to understand the causes of suffering and a method to overcome them.  This may seem like a terrible thing, but when Shakyamuni did return and started to preach about the workings of life and the Mystic Law, both his wife and son became disciples. In the Gosho "A Sage and An Unenlightened Man", Nichiren explains that "one can best repay one's debts of gratitude to one's parents and sovereign by embracing the correct Buddhist teaching and thus leading them to salvation."  (WND-1, p136) .  In Shakyamuni's case, I think the fact that both the wife and son he abandoned took faith demonstrates the eternal benefits they gained despite the sadness, doubts and challenges they may have faced while he was away.