On Yuan Chwang's Travels in India, 629–645 A.D. v1.c15.84

v1.c15.84

The contest of this passage took place while Sāriputta was at Śrāvastī assisting Sudatta in the construction of the great monastery. But the competition was not with the "six great teachers": it was with the chiefs of the local sects, who wished to have the young and successful rival in religion excluded from the district. In our passage it will be noted that the pilgrim writes of Sāriputta discussing with the non-Buddhists, and this seems to be explained as meaning that he fought them on the point of magical powers. This is in agreement with the story as told in some of the Buddhist books. All the leading opponents of the Buddha were invited to meet Sāriputta at an open discussion: they came and when all were seated the spokesman of the Brahmins, Red-eye by name, was invited to state the subject of discussion.¹ He thereupon intimated that he wished to compete with Sāriputta in the exhibition of magical powers: this was allowed and the result was that Sāriputta came off conqueror.