འཕགས་པ་ལྷག་པའ་བསམ་པ་བརྟན་པའ་ལའ་ཞས་བྱ་བ་ཐག་པ་ཆན་པའ་མད intro.2

intro.2

The Episode of Dṛḍhādhyāśaya is a relatively short sūtra that begins by introducing the bodhisattva-monk Dṛḍhādhyāśaya, who instantly falls in love with a merchant’s daughter while on an alms round. He tries to remedy his desire with thoughts of the unpleasantness of her body but fails, and so removes himself from her presence without receiving alms. The Buddha, who is nearby, is aware of Dṛḍhādhyāśaya's situation and, in order to tame him, chases him with an apparition of the beautiful girl. The bodhisattva flees in fright, but the apparition catches up with him and tells him that fleeing will not help—only relinquishing his desire will. Distressed, the bodhisattva Dṛḍhādhyāśaya goes to the Buddha to request a teaching through which he can understand the nature of these events.