The bodhisattva Dṛḍhādhyāśaya sets out for alms one morning in the city of Rājagṛha. Catching sight there of a merchant’s beautiful daughter, he is overcome with attraction. Unable to quell his feelings, he rushes out of town with an empty begging bowl—but finds himself being pursued by a replica of the merchant’s daughter emanated by the Buddha. Distressed, the bodhisattva inquires about the nature of these events to the Blessed One, who then gives a discourse on nonduality by focusing on the erroneous manner in which certain bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, laymen, and laywomen take the path as a means of escape. At its conclusion, eight great śrāvakas each praise the discourse as engendering their own foremost quality in others.
