仁王護國般若波羅蜜多經疏 1.51

1.51

問：阿難尊者既是聲聞，云何能持大乘法藏？答：《集法傳》云「有三阿難：一阿難此云慶喜，持聲聞藏。二阿難跋陀，此云喜賢，持獨覺藏。三阿難伽羅，此云喜海，持菩薩藏。」而實阿難總持自在，三名雖異但一人矣。又《金剛仙論》及真諦所引《闍王懺悔經》亦同此說。

Question: Since the Venerable Ānanda is a śrāvaka, how could he uphold the Mahāyāna Dharma repository? Answer: The *Jifa zhuan* says: "There were three Ānandas: first, Ānanda, translated here as 'Rejoicing,' who upheld the śrāvaka repository; second, Ānandabhadra, translated here as 'Joyful Worthy,' who upheld the pratyekabuddha repository; third, Ānandagarbha, translated here as 'Ocean of Joy,' who upheld the bodhisattva repository." In reality, however, Ānanda possessed sovereign mastery of dhāraṇī; although the three names differ, they were just one person. Moreover, the *Vajra-ṛṣi Śāstra* and the *Sūtra of King Ajātaśatru's Confession* quoted by Paramārtha also share this explanation.