Having last month concluded the Sutra of Innumerable Meanings, we return to opening and consider who was present.
Thus have I heard: On one occasion the Buddha was staying at the city of Rājagṛha, on Mount Vulture Peak, together with an assembly of twelve thousand eminent monks. Eighty thousand great-being (mahāsattva) bodhisattvas were also there, along with heavenly beings (devas), nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kiṃnaras, and mahoragas, as well as various monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen.
Spontaneously gathered around them—each with retinues that were hundreds of thousands of myriads in number—were leaders of empires great and small: rulers of gold-wheel, silver-wheel, and lesser-wheel domains; kings, princes, and officials of state; and citizens who were noblemen, noble-women, or people of great means. They all made their way to where the Buddha was, bowed their heads at his feet in homage, walked around him a hundred thousand times, burned incense and scattered flowers, and paid their respects in various ways. After they had honored the Buddha, they withdrew and sat to one side.
The bodhisattvas known by name were: Mañjuśrī, Prince of the Dharma;2 Wellspring of Great Majestic Virtue,3 Prince of the Dharma; Wellspring of Freedom from Anxiety, Prince of the Dharma; Wellspring of Effective Discourse, Prince of the Dharma; Maitreya Bodhisattva; Facilitating Leader Bodhisattva; Medicine King Bodhisattva (Bhaiṣajyarāja); Incomparable Medicine Bodhisattva (Bhaiṣajyarājasamudgata); Flower Banner Bodhisattva; Flower Radiance Bodhisattva;4 Sovereign Master of Dharma-grasping Empowerments Bodhisattva; World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva (Avalokiteśvara); Great Strength Achieved Bodhisattva (Mahāsthāmaprāpta); Constant Endeavor Bodhisattva (Nityodyukta/Satatasamitābhiyukta);5 Hands Showing the Seal of the Dharma Bodhisattva; Store of Treasures Bodhisattva (Ratnākara); Scepter of the Treasures Bodhisattva; Transcender of the Three Realms Bodhisattva (Trailokyavikrāmin); Bearer of the Loom Bodhisattva (Vemabhara);6 Incense Elephant Bodhisattva (Gandhahastin); Great Incense Elephant Bodhisattva; Majestic Roar of the Lion Bodhisattva; Lion Ranging the World Bodhisattva; Heroic Endeavor of the Lion Bodhisattva (Siṃhavikrīḍita); Relentlessness of the Lion Bodhisattva; Power of Courage and Dynamism Bodhisattva; Imposing Intensity of the Lion Bodhisattva; Well Composed Bodhisattva; and Fully Composed Bodhisattva (Mahāvyūha). Such great-being bodhisattvas as these numbered eighty thousand in all.
Nikkyō Niwano’s Buddhism for Today offers this observation about the crowd present at the opening of this sutra:
There were also gods, dragons, yakshas, spirits, and animals in the assemblage. Gods are beings living in the various heavens, while dragons are serpent-shaped demigods who live at the bottom of the sea. Yakshas are flying demons. Thus the beings at the great assemblage included demons, who are generally regarded as harmful to human beings, as well as animals. This kind of description is a characteristic of Buddhism that cannot be found in other religions. The Buddha did not try to lead only man to enlightenment but had such vast benevolence as to save all creatures of the universe from their sufferings and lead them to the shore of bliss. Therefore, even man-eating demons were permitted to attend the assemblage to hear the Buddha preach.
Buddhism for Today, p3-4