The Lotus Sutra
Translated by Burton Watson
Chapter One: Introduction
This is what I heard:
At one time the Buddha was in Rajagriha, staying on Mount
Gridhrakuta. Accompanying him were a multitude of leading monks
numbering twelve thousand persons. All were arhats whose outflows
had come to an end, who had no more earthly desires, who had
attained what was to their advantage and had put an end to the
bonds of existence, and whose minds had achieved a state of
freedom.
Their names were Ajnata Kaundinya, Mahakashyapa, Uruvilvakashyapa,
Gayakashyapa, Nadikashyapa, Shariputra, Great Maudgaly~yana,
Mahakatyayana, Aniruddha, Kapphina, Gavampati, Revata,
Pilindavatsa, Bakkula, Mahakaushthila, Nanda, Sundarananda, Purna
Maitrayaniputra, Subhuti, Ananda, and Rahula. All were like these,
great Arhats who were well known to others.
There were also two thousand persons, some of whom were still
learning and some who had completed their learning.
There was the nun Mahaprajapati with her six thousand followers.
And there was Rahula's mother, the nun Yashodhara, with her
followers.
There were bodhisattvas and mahasattvas, eighty thousand of them,
none of them ever regressing in their search for
anuttara-samyaksambodhi. All had gained dharanis, delighted in
preaching, were eloquent, and turned the wheel of the Law that
knows no regression. They had made offerings to immeasurable
hundreds and thousands of Buddhas, in the presence of various
Buddhas had planted numerous roots of virtue, had been constantly
praised by the Buddhas, had trained themselves in compassion, were
good at entering the Buddha wisdom, and had fully penetrated the
great wisdom and reached the farther shore. Their fame had spread
throughout immeasurable worlds and they were able to save countless
hundreds of thousands of living beings.
....commentary continued on the next day , stay tuned 