འཕགས་པ་བྱམས་པས་ཞས་པ་ཞས་བྱ་བ་ཐག་པ་ཆན་པའ་མད 24

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bonfires made for me.²⁴ So it is. Although I am a buddha, I am denigrated as cohabiting with so-called ‘beautiful women’ and the like. Ānanda, I kindled great compassion, and with great compassion, I now teach the Dharma to such sentient beings.”

The venerable Ānanda then said to the Blessed One, “The Blessed One who teaches the Dharma to such sentient beings, converting those not previously converted by the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the perfectly enlightened Buddha, has taken on a great burden, and undergone hardships.”

The Blessed One replied to the venerable Ānanda, “Exactly, Ānanda. It is just as you have said. Ānanda, the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the perfectly enlightened Buddha has tamed those not previously tamed, taken on a great burden, and himself endowed with every virtuous quality, undergone hardship by teaching the Dharma to such sentient beings. Why? Because this is how much he was gripped by great compassion.”

The venerable Ānanda then exclaimed, “That the Blessed One should bestow such a Dharma discourse, that I should hear this Dharma discourse, and hear this topic from the Blessed One, the best of men, is hair-raising and amazing! Blessed One, what is the name of this Dharma discourse? How should it be remembered?”

The Blessed One replied, “From now onward, Ānanda, you should remember this Dharma discourse as ‘The Former Prayer that is Truly Noble.’ You should also remember it as ‘The True Arising of the Tathāgata.’ You should also remember it as ‘The Arising of the Intention of Enlightenment.’ You should also remember it as ‘The Question of Maitreya.’ ”

When the Blessed One had spoken, the venerable Ānanda and the bodhisattva Maitreya, together with the five hundred monks