Sariputra
??RIPUTRA
??riputra (P?li, S?riputta), a disciple of ??kyamuni Buddha, attained the enlightened status of an arhat, or saint. ??riputra is renowned for his wisdom and his expertise in abhidharma.
Because of his reputation for wisdom, ??riputra frequently appears in Mah?y?na s?tras as a prime representative of the H?nay?na. The Buddha predicts ??riputra's future buddhahood in the Lotus S?tra (Saddharmapu??ar?kas?tra), a famous Mah?y?na scripture. Originally ??riputra and his childhood friend Mah?maudgaly?yana were students of Sañjayin, a non-Buddhist teacher. ??riputra and Mah?maudgaly?yana promised each other that whoever attained knowledge of liberation first would inform the other. One day ??riputra met a Buddhist monk named A?vajit (or Upasena in some texts). Attracted by A?vajit's serene countenance and flawless comportment, ??riputra converted to Buddhism. ??riputra attained the dharma-eye when A?vajit recited a four-line verse summary of Buddhist teachings on anitya (impermanence). Mah?maudgaly?yana converted to Buddhism upon seeing a physically transformed ??riputra, exclaiming: "Venerable One, your senses are serene, your face is at peace, and the complexion of your skin utterly pure. Did you reach the deathless state?" (Catu?pari?ats?tra, quoted in Strong, 2002, p. 50).
At ??riputra's and Mah?maudgaly?yana's ordination, the Buddha proclaimed that they would be his two chief disciples in accordance with a prediction made to that effect many eons ago by a previous buddha. Thus the two are sometimes depicted flanking the Buddha in Buddhist art. ??riputra predeceased the Buddha. Like other arhats, ??riputra was already the focus of worship in ancient and medieval India. In Burma (Myanmar) he is one of a set of eight arhats propitiated in protective rituals and he is also believed to grant his worshippers wisdom.
See also:Disciples of the Buddha
Bibliography
Malalasekera, G. P. "S?riputta Thera." In Dictionary of P?li Proper Names (1937–1938), 2 vols. New Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal, 1995.
Strong, John S. The Legend and Cult of Upagupta. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1992.
Strong, John S. The Experience of Buddhism: Sources and Inter pretations, 2nd edition. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 2002.
Susanne Mrozik