The Chinese Ekottarika Āgama records that while the Buddha stayed for a long time in the Heaven of the Thirty-three, King Udena of the country of Bacuo (a country of ancient India) fell ill from longing for the Buddha and had an image of the Tathāgata five feet high made from ox-head sandalwood (a precious fragrant wood); when King Pasenadi of Sāvatthī (the king of Kosala) heard of it, he too had an image of the Buddha five feet high made from purple-gold (gold of the finest quality). When the Buddha descended from heaven, King Udena held up the sandalwood image and asked in verse what merit there is in making an image of the Buddha, and the Buddha answered in verse. Taishō Canon
More sources (1)
Different Accounts
This event is found only in the Chinese Ekottarika Āgama, and not in other Chinese sutras or Vinayas.
Dating
Year 7 after the Awakening, the Buddha aged forty-one, during the ; the Chinese Ekottarika Āgama states that it was while the Buddha was staying in the Heaven of the Thirty-three; only the year is known.
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Research Notes: Reliability, Dating and Sources
- How Reliability Is Assessed
The sources for this event have not yet been fully compared; its reliability is not yet graded.
- Dating Evidence and Precision
Stated in the canonical text (the text itself gives the time). Time precision: year only.