The reader should bear in mind that at this point Sakyamuni’s preaching has not yet begun. In fact, the speakers here are not Sakyamuni but Maitreya and Manjusri, with the former asking the questions and the latter answering them. Sakyamuni takes no part at all in the conversation. His teachings will begin in the next chapter, “Expedients.” The two major elements of this chapter are: (1) Maitreya Bodhisattva’s description of the scene of various living beings illuminated by the ray of light emitted from the white curl between the Buddha’s eyebrows (in the present), and (2) Manjusri’s narrative on Wonderful-Light Bodhisattva (in the past).