Day 14 covers all of Chapter 9, The Assurance of Future Buddhahood of the Śrāvakas Who Have Something More to Learn and the Śrāvakas Who Have Nothing More to Learn, and opens Chapter 10, The Teacher of the Dharma.
Last month I skipped the Chapter 9 and focused instead on the promises that open Chapter 10, The Teacher of the Dharma. So this time around I’ll discuss Ananda, who is foremost in hearing the sutras.
After Sakyamuni tells Ananda he will be come a Buddha named Mountain-Sea-Wisdom-Supernatural-Power-King, eight thousand Bodhisattvas “who had just resolved to aspire [for Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi] in this congregation” wondered why the Sravakas were being assured of their future Buddhahood but nothing had been said as yet about the great Bodhisattvas.
Thereupon the World-Honored One, seeing what the Bodhisattvas had in their minds, said to them:
“Good men! Ananda and I resolved to aspire for Anuttarasamyak-sarnbodhi under the Void-King Buddha at the same time [in our previous existence]. At that time Ananda always wished to hear much while I always practiced strenuously. Therefore, I have already attained Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi[, but he has not yet]. Now he protects my teachings. He also will protect the store of the teachings of future Buddhas, teach Bodhisattvas, and cause them to attain [Anuttara-samyak-saIT1bodhi], according to his original vow. Therefore, now he has been assured of his future Buddhahood.”
As I’ve pointed out in discussing this section before, the lesson here sure looks a lot like: Those who can do; those who can’t teach. No criticism is meant of the teachers of the Dharma, but putting the Dharma into practice makes the theoretical real.