三寶感應要略錄 2.23

2.23

Formerly, within one hundred years after the Tathāgata's parinirvāṇa, in the middle of the night a god came down to Ānanda's stūpa, emitting light, and scattered flowers in offering. At that time there was a great arhat named Upagupta, who was the master of the great King Aśoka. He asked the god, "Why do you constantly come to pay homage to the stūpa?" [The god] replied, "Formerly, by copying the four Āgamas, I attained rebirth in Trāyastriṃśa Heaven. This is due to Ānanda's kindness; for this reason I constantly come to make offerings." He asked again, "In that heaven, are there others like you?" He replied, "There are hundreds of thousands of people with the same karma, among whom those who upheld the Ekottarika-āgama and were born in heaven are exceedingly numerous."