After Buddha had predicted Purna’s Buddhahood, 1,200 arhats in the assembly thought, “Now the bhikshu Purna has received the prophecy of his Buddhahood. If the Buddha would predict Buddhahood for all his other disciples, we would be overjoyed.” The Buddha was able to know the thoughts in the minds of those in the assembly, and so he predicted Buddhahood for his disciple Kaundinya and 500 other arhats. Kaundinya represents the most senior disciples of the Buddha. He was the eldest of the five ascetics who had practiced with Siddhartha before his attainment of Buddhahood, and who had abandoned him when, near death, Siddhartha had given up ascetic practice, bathed and took food, and sat under the bodhi tree. After he had attained enlightenment and became the Buddha, he went looking for these five ascetics in order to teach them what he had learned. Though they had rejected him, these five men were so struck by the Buddha’s radiant and serene appearance that they agreed to listen to what he had to say. Thus, they heard the Buddha’s first Dharma talk on the Four Noble Truths, in the Deer Park at Sarnath, and became the first members of the Buddha’s Sangha.