ལས་བརྒྱ་ཐམ་པ་པ 19.8

19.8

, ‘No one is our equal in form, strength, and knowledge—needless to speak of their being better!’

“ ‘Children,’ their archery teacher told them, ‘don’t say such things. Your form, strength, and knowledge aren’t even a hundredth or a thousandth of that of the prince who went to live in the great forest.’

“As soon as they heard this, the youths were eager to meet the sage, so they went to see him along with the archery teacher. All five hundred youths saw the sage in the distance and he was resplendent, agreeable, and happy. His senses were tamed, and his mind was at peace.¹⁴² When they saw him, whatever arrogance they had about their own forms disappeared, and they thought, ‘Since his good qualities and the splendor of his form are as great as our teacher claimed, and we ourselves are certain it is so, let’s give up living at home and, in his presence, practice the conduct that leads to enlightenment.’ With this thought, they went forth in his presence. Having thus gone forth, they generated the four meditative states and five superknowledges.

“O monks, what do you think? I am the one who was that sage then, and lived the life of a bodhisattva. Those who were the five hundred youths then are none other than these youths. The one who was their archery teacher then is none other than Sahadeva. At that time, after they were put in Sahadeva’s care, I destroyed their arrogance and placed them in the four meditative states and five superknowledges. Now as well, they have been in the sole care of Sahadeva, and I have established them in the unsurpassed, supreme welfare of nirvāṇa.

“They also went forth in the doctrine of the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa