佛祖統紀 4.42

4.42

Ānanda's body resembled the Buddha's, shorter than the Buddha by three finger-widths. When he first ascended the high seat, three doubts arose in the assembly: either they doubted that the World-Honoured One had reappeared, or they doubted that a Buddha from another direction had come, or they doubted that Ānanda had attained Buddhahood. When he chanted 'Thus have I heard,' all three doubts were dispelled (*Miaoju*). In compiling the Dharma treasury, Ānanda said of himself: 'When the Buddha first turned the wheel of the Dharma, I did not see it at that time; I heard it transmitted in this way' (the *Miaoju* cites the *Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa*). Formerly it was said: 'Ānanda attained the samādhi of the Buddha's awakening, and by its power he was naturally able to hear' (the *Record* says: 'The Buddha aided him with awakening power, hence it is called "Buddha's awakening." The *Śāriputrapṛcchā Sūtra* says: "Ānanda cultivated unforgetting dhyāna and attained the samādhi of the Buddha's awakening, and by its power he was naturally able to hear"'). Furthermore, having vowed that the Buddha would re-expound scriptures he had not heard, the Buddha secretly expounded them orally for him. Ānanda directly received the Buddha's intention, like holding up an undamaged vessel, and transmitted it to transform people, like pouring into another bottle. After the Buddha had entered nirvāṇa, he brought forth his golden arm from the golden coffin and re-manifested the marks of entering the womb, so that all scriptures were heard (*Miaoju*). If even the marks of the womb were heard, how much more so all subsequent scriptures! (The *Miaoju ji* says: 'This means retroactively manifesting the marks of entering the womb up to turning the wheel of the Dharma, allowing Ānanda to hear all the scriptures from before the twenty years he had served as an attendant.') Ānanda directly heard the bestowal of prophecy before the Buddha's face, whereupon he immediately remembered the Dharma treasuries of the past Buddhas, comprehending them without obstruction just as he heard them now, and also recognised his original vow (Chapter on the Conferral of Prophecies on Those in Training and No More Training of the *Lotus Sūtra*).