The Ssu fen lü precepts had been formulated by the historical Buddha, Śākyamuni, in response to specific situations. The Fan wang precepts, in contrast, were said to be eternal and universal, the precepts of a thousand Buddhas. Saichō considered them to be the source from which all Buddhas and bodhisattvas proceeded. Moreover, they were based in the Buddha-nature which everyone possessed and thus were called the Busshōkai (Buddha-nature precepts). Everyone could and should follow these precepts. Holding the precepts made one a true disciple of the Buddha and allowed him to enter the ranks of the Buddhas. Thus the Fan wang precepts were considered to be the ultimate teaching, not a provisional one. The Fan wang precepts enabled the practitioner to enter the Direct Path (jikidō) to enlightenment without any danger of backsliding.