Śāriputra Follows with Six Thousand Monks
Watching Mañjuśrī and his own vast retinue leave the Jeta Grove for the human world, Śāriputra decides at once to follow, gathering six thousand recently ordained monks under his own care — every one of them, the sūtra notes, already brought to this accomplishment through Mañjuśrī's own teaching.
Already Taught by the One They Follow
These six thousand monks belong to Śāriputra's own community, yet the sūtra credits their accomplishment to Mañjuśrī alone — a quiet detail that places Mañjuśrī's own teaching behind the formation of disciples who are not, on the surface, even his own.
文殊師利與如是等功德莊嚴諸菩薩眾，出自住處，來詣佛所，右遶世尊，經無量匝，以諸供具種種供養；供養畢已，辭退南行，往於人間。爾時，尊者舍利弗承佛神力，見文殊師利菩薩，與諸菩薩眾會莊嚴，出逝多林，往於南方，遊行人間；作如是念：「我今當與文殊師利俱往南方。」時，尊者舍利弗與六千比丘，前後圍遶，出自住處，來詣佛所，頂禮佛足，具白世尊；世尊聽許，右遶三匝，辭退而去，往文殊師利所。此六千比丘是舍利弗自所同住，出家未久，所謂：海覺比丘、善生比丘、福光比丘、大童子比丘、電生比丘、淨行比丘、天德比丘、君慧比丘、梵勝比丘、寂慧比丘……。如是等，其數六千，悉曾供養無量諸佛，深植善根，解力廣大，信眼明徹，其心寬博，觀佛境界，了法本性，饒益眾生，常樂勤求諸佛功德，皆是文殊師利說法教化之所成就。
Mañjuśrī, together with this bodhisattva assembly adorned with such merit, emerged from his own abode and came to the place where the Buddha was, circumambulating the World-Honored One to the right measureless times, making every kind of offering with every kind of offering-implement; and once the offerings were complete, he took his leave and traveled south, going out into the human world. At that time, the Venerable Śāriputra, sustained by the Buddha's own spiritual power, saw Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva, together with the adorned bodhisattva assembly, leaving the Jeta Grove and traveling south, journeying through the human world; and he thought this thought: "I should now go together with Mañjuśrī to the south." At that time, the Venerable Śāriputra, surrounded before and behind by six thousand monks, emerged from his own abode and came to the place where the Buddha was, bowed his head at the Buddha's feet, and reported everything fully to the World-Honored One; the World-Honored One granted permission, and, circumambulating him three times to the right, took his leave and departed, going to the place where Mañjuśrī was. These six thousand monks were monks who dwelled together with Śāriputra himself, having gone forth from household life not long before, namely: the monk Sea-Awakening, the monk Well-Born, the monk Blessed-Light, the monk Great Youth, the monk Lightning-Born, the monk Pure-Conduct, the monk Heavenly-Virtue, the monk Lord-Wisdom, the monk Brahmā-Victorious, the monk Quiescent-Wisdom … and so on. All such monks as these, six thousand in number, had all once made offerings to measureless buddhas, deeply planted roots of goodness, possessed vast power of understanding, had a faith-eye that was bright and penetrating, and a mind broad and expansive; they observed the Buddha's own domain, comprehended the fundamental nature of every dharma, and brought benefit to sentient beings, constantly delighting in diligently seeking every buddha's own merit — and every one of them had been brought to this accomplishment through Mañjuśrī's own teaching and instruction of the dharma.
皆是文殊師利說法教化之所成就 — every one of them had been brought to this accomplishment through Mañjuśrī's own teaching and instruction of the dharma. These monks are named as Śāriputra's own community, dwelling with him, newly ordained under his own care — and yet the sūtra credits their entire spiritual accomplishment to Mañjuśrī alone, a quiet reordering of whose teaching actually shaped whom.
Part 888 Complete
This continues chapter thirty-nine, 入法界品, in fascicle sixty-one. Part 889 turns to Śāriputra's own words to these monks along the road, praising Mañjuśrī's own qualities one by one as they travel together to catch up with him.