The Buddha Bhagavant

Also known as: Bhagavant / God of gods (Devātideva) / Sarvārthasiddha / Śākyamuni · Role: teacher · First appears: Chapter XI

In Chapter XI at Śrāvastī, Bhagavant’s sight restored Kṛiśā Gautamī’s intellect. He taught her, admitted her into the ecclesiastical body, and appointed her chief of the disciplined Bhikshuṇīs. In Chapter XIII, Bhagavant was born as a Bodisat after ten months in his mother’s womb; King Suddhodana named his son Sarvārthasiddha. Sarvārthasiddha later retired to the forest for six years of penance, then overcame Māra and attained supreme insight at Bodhimaṇḍa. At Rājagṛiha, Bhagavant confirmed Girika and Sundara in refuge-seeking and doctrine.

In Chapter XXIV, Bhagavant’s friends Śāriputra, Maudgalyāyana, and Ānanda are associated with a teaching about four animals who lived together in harmony. The animals adopted the five vows, and the account describes their conduct spreading through the realm: King Brahmadatta, his household and subjects, tributary kings, and many inhabitants of Jambudvīpa accepted the vows. The account says that those who died in Jambudvīpa were reborn in the Tushita region of the thirty-three gods.