The Chinese Shi'er you jing records year by year where the Buddha taught in the first twelve years after the Awakening; for the eleventh year it has only one sentence: the Buddha taught the “benqi” (an account of origins) to Maitreya beneath the Tree of Fear. Which sutra the “benqi” is, the text does not say; nor does the sutra explain who Maitreya is. No other text has a corresponding record. Taishō Canon
Different Accounts
The Shi'er you jing has its own way of counting years, taking the time seated beneath the tree in the year of the Awakening, from the eighth day of the fourth month to the fifteenth day of the seventh month, as the first year; whether its “eleventh year” is Year 11 after the Awakening cannot be determined.
More differences between accounts (1)
This sutra does not record the rains-retreat place for each year, only the place of teaching; the table of rains retreats in the later commentaries places this year's retreat in the brahmin village of Nāḷa.
Dating
Year 11 after the Awakening, the Buddha aged forty-five; the Shi'er you jing states that it was the eleventh year, so only the year is known, but the correspondence between this sutra's year count and the years after the Awakening is not certain, and the text does not say whether it was before or after the .
Related Entries
- Year
- Places
- People
- Discourses
Research Notes: Reliability, Dating and Sources
- How Reliability Is Assessed
Not recorded in the early sutras and Vinayas of any school; found only in the commentaries or later Buddha biographies. Later addition.
- Dating Evidence and Precision
Stated in the canonical text (the text itself gives the time). Time precision: year only.