despondency. In this manner the whole mass of misery is suppressed.
And while this wheel of the law, monks, was being moved onward[1] by the Lord Mahâbhigñâgñânâbhibhû, the Tathâgata, &c., in presence of the world, including the gods, demons, and Brahma-angels; of the assemblage, including ascetics and Brahmans; then, at that time, on that occasion, the minds of sixty[2] hundred thousand myriads of kotis of living beings were without effort freed from imperfections and became all possessed of the triple science, of the sixfold transcendent wisdom, of the emancipations and meditations. In due course, monks, the Lord Mahâbhigñâgñânâbhibhû, the Tathâgata, &c., again gave a second exposition of the law; likewise a third and a fourth exposition[3]. And at each exposition, monks, the minds of hundred thousands of myriads of kotis of beings, like the sands of the river Ganges, were without effort freed from imperfections. Afterwards, monks, the congregation of disciples of that Lord was so numerous as to surpass all calculation.
Meanwhile, monks, the sixteen princes, the youths, had, full of faith, left home to lead the vagrant life of mendicants, and had all of them become novices, clever, bright, intelligent, pious, followers of the course (of duty) under many hundred thousand Buddhas, and striving after supreme, perfect en-
- ↑ Var. lect sahapravartti kedam buddhakshetram tena Bhagavatâ, &c., 'and while this Buddha-field moved on along with the Lord,' or 'while this B. moved on with the Lord.'
- ↑ Sixty is the number of ghatikâs, Indian half-hours, making one day.
- ↑ Cf. the four vyûhas, appearances, divisions of the Lord Vishnu.
