San Lo Mvu 73The Conversion of Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana
Pāli / Sanskrit:The Conversion of Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana
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COMMENTARY ON THE SŪTRA: THE CONVERSION OF ŚĀRIPUTRA AND MAUDGALYĀYANA
Background
In the history of the Buddha's Teaching, the appearance of the two outstanding disciples Śāriputra (Sāriputta) and Maudgalyāyana (Moggallāna) is recorded as an important event, showing the appeal of the Teaching and the profound transformative power of the Buddha.
Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana were originally disciples of the ascetic Sañjaya Belaṭṭhiputta, a famous teacher of that time. They were close friends, gifted with intelligence and pure mental conduct. Yet although they studied with Sañjaya, they had not found a lasting path of liberation. A deep longing to seek the true Dharma still remained within their hearts.
According to the records in the Vinaya Piṭaka, their encounter with the Buddha occurred through one of the Buddha's disciples. This shows that those whose faculties are ready will be naturally guided by the Dharma. These two represent seekers of truth with sincere hearts and ceaseless effort.
Main Content
When they met the Buddha, Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana were taught by the Buddha about the nature of suffering (dukkha) and the cause of suffering. They were instructed in the Four Noble Truths: suffering, the cause of suffering, the cessation of suffering, and the path leading to the cessation of suffering, namely the Noble Eightfold Path (Ariya Aṭṭhaṅgika Magga).
In particular, Śāriputra is described as the disciple of sharp wisdom, often regarded as the Buddha's "right hand." Maudgalyāyana, with surpassing mastery (abhiññā), possessed outstanding supernatural powers (iddhi), becoming the Buddha's "left hand." This union expresses the perfect complementarity between wisdom (paññā) and spiritual power (mahiddhi).
From the time of their conversion, they progressed quickly. Śāriputra soon attained the level of arhat, having eradicated all defilements (kilesa).
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