འཕགས་པ་ཤན་ཏ་རྒྱས་པ་ཆན་པའ་སྡ་ཉ་མའ་སྙང་པ་ཞས་བྱ་བའ་མད 2.7

2.7

they do not benefit them, they cause them to fall into error, and they destroy the lineage of the Three Jewels.

“Your Majesty, if members of the kṣatriya class, the brāhmaṇa class, the vaiśya class, and the śūdra class remain on the side of the teaching of the monks who abide by the Dharma, and if they do not side with evil monks, even if they have not performed acts of generosity, since they side with the Dharma they are sublime benefactors of all the blessed buddhas of the three times. Since they protect the sacred Dharma, they should be regarded as the sacred upholders of the sacred Dharma. After they die they will be born within pure buddha realms, and before long they will awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood. Therefore, Your Majesty, wholesome member of the kṣatriya class, I entrust to you and place in your hands the followers of the Dharma and its teachings. Until the last five hundred years, support my Dharma followers! Thereby, my Dharma way and the lineage of the Three Jewels will endure for a long time, and the gods and humans will be benefited and experience happiness.”

Then King Bimbisāra asked the Blessed One, “Respected Blessed One, what are the criteria for someone to be called an attendant?”

“Your Majesty,” replied the Blessed One, “I have authorized two types of monks to be attendants. What are those two? They are worthy ones who cultivate the eight aspects of liberation and monks in training who have entered the stream. Your Majesty, I have authorized those two types of monks to perform the function of attendants.”