The Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law, Volume One

Translated by the Tripitaka original: Sanzang; a title for a monk who has mastered the three "baskets" or divisions of the Buddhist canon: the sutras, the rules of discipline, and the philosophical commentaries. Master Kumarajiva Kumarajiva (344–413 CE) was a central figure in the transmission of Buddhism to China; his translations are celebrated for their literary elegance and remain the standard for many East Asian traditions. of the Yao Qin Dynasty, by imperial decree.

The Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law, Chapter One: Introduction

Thus have I heard. At one time the Buddha was staying in the city of Rajagrha original: Wangshecheng; "The City of Royal Palaces," the capital of the ancient Indian kingdom of Magadha., on Vulture Peak original: Qishequeshan (Grdhrakuta); a mountain near Rajagrha famous as the site where the Buddha delivered many of his most profound teachings.. He was accompanied by a great assembly of twelve thousand bhiksus original: biqiu; fully ordained Buddhist monks., all of whom were Arhats original: aluohan; "worthy ones" who have achieved the highest stage of spiritual realization in early Buddhism, having attained liberation from the cycle of birth and death.. These monks had already [extinguished] all outflows original: zhulou (asravas); spiritual impurities, such as desire and ignorance, that "leak" or flow into the mind and bind a person to the cycle of suffering....