DESCRIPTION

Chapter Eight begins with Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra rising from his seat and receiving a prediction of future enlightenment. With Pūrṇa, however, it is revealed that he has only been appearing as a śrāvaka as an upāya. The Buddha then recites a poem about bodhisattvas appearing as śrāvakas.

The Buddha then gives predictions of enlightenment to five hundred senior disciples, beginning with Ajñātakauṇḍinya.

The chapter concludes with the fifth of the seven parables - The Parable of the Jewel in the Robe. The five hundred recipients of the predictions tell this story about a man that sows a priceless jewel into his friends robe while he was drunk and asleep. The man awakens and runs around struggling, unaware of the priceless jewel he carries.