Rebirth of Seventy Thousand Members of the Shakya Clan

When Shakyamuni Buddha was in the Nyagrodha Forest near Kapilavastu, he instructed his disciple Kalodayin to go and teach the Dharma to the Buddha's father, King Suddhodana. When Kalodayin arrived at Kapilavastu, he used his supernatural powers to sit cross-legged in midair and fly in that position to the palace. He then praised the rare virtues of the Tathagata before King Suddhodana. The king developed a respectful faith, leading all the Shakya clan to visit the Buddha’s residence.

After giving predictions of Buddhahood to the Eight Legions of Devas and Nāgas, the Buddha then expounded the Three Gates of Liberation to King Suddhodana. He also said, "All phenomena are the Dharma." The king responded, "If all things are the Dharma, then all sentient beings should also be Buddhas." The Buddha replied, "If one does not fall into deluded views and generate the illusion of sentient beings, they are already a Buddha. A Buddha is someone who truly sees sentient beings as illusory. To see sentient beings as they really are is to see the true nature of all phenomena. This true nature is the Dharma realm. All phenomena are non-arising; this is the gateway to Dharani (total retention). One should rest their mind in this truth and not seek other beliefs."

At that time, King Suddhodana and seventy thousand members of the Shakya clan, upon hearing the Buddha's teaching, comprehended the principle and attained “the tolerance of non-arising of phenomena” ( 无生法忍 ), a high level of enlightenment). The Buddha then smiled and said the verse: "The Shakya clan has attained unwavering wisdom. Thus, they abide in the Buddha’s teachings, their minds firmly established in the non-arising. When they depart this human world, they will be reborn in the Land of Peace and Bliss and will behold the Infinite Life Buddha, advancing toward enlightenment without fear." (Mahā Ratnakūta Sūtra or Sutra of the Heap of Jewels)

- Excerpt from ‘Records of the Pure Land Sages’