"The Śūraṅgama Sūtra, Volume V: The Twenty-Five Saints' Methods of Perfect Penetration – Śāriputra"

Original Text: Sariputra then rose from his seat, prostrated at the Buddha's feet, and addressed the Buddha, saying: "Since time without beginning, my mental perception has been pure and undefiled. Through countless births as numerous as the Ganges' sands, upon witnessing all manner of changes—whether worldly or transcendental—I immediately comprehended them without obstruction. While still a householder, I once encountered the Kasyapa brothers discussing the Buddha's teaching on Dependent Origination. Upon hearing it, I realized the boundlessness of mind. Following this, I renounced worldly life under the World-Honored One. My insight became perfectly bright and complete, attaining great fearlessness. I achieved the fruition of Arhatship. As the Buddha's foremost disciple, born from the Buddha's mouth, born from the transformative power of the Dharma, when the Buddha inquired about perfect penetration, according to my realization, it is the radiance of mental perception. This luminosity perfectly illuminates true knowing and seeing. This is foremost."

Explanation: Sariputra rose from his seat, prostrated at the Buddha's feet, and said to the Buddha: "Since beginningless kalpas, whatever phenomena I perceived, my knowing and seeing have always been pure and undefiled. Carrying this pure view, I have taken birth countless times, as numerous as the sands of the Ganges. All the manifold changes occurring in the worldly and transcendental realms—upon seeing them, I immediately understood their causes and conditions, penetrating their origins without any obstruction. In this present life, before I renounced worldly life, one day while walking on the road, I encountered the three Kasyapa brothers discussing the Buddha's teaching on Dependent Origination. Upon hearing it, I realized that mind is boundless. Subsequently, I renounced worldly life under the World-Honored One. My insight became increasingly perfect, bright, and wondrous; I became fearless towards all phenomena and attained the fourth fruition of Arhatship. As the Buddha's foremost disciple, born by following the Buddha's teachings, born from the transformative power of the Buddha's Dharma—when the Buddha asked about the method of perfect penetration, according to my realization, the insight of mind emits great wisdom-light. This great wisdom-light guides my insight to become ever more perfect and luminous. This is my foremost method of perfect penetration." Sariputra is renowned among the Buddha's disciples as foremost in wisdom, consistently demonstrating his great wisdom. His insight is pure, correct, perfect, and luminous, penetrating without obstruction; upon seeing phenomena, he immediately knows their fundamental source, not falling into worldly appearances or being tainted by worldly knowledge and views. Having taken birth carrying such pure, great wisdom for immeasurable kalpas indicates that Sariputra's level of realization far surpasses that of an eighth-ground bodhisattva. According to Buddhist scriptures, Sariputra and other great disciples of the Buddha are ancient Buddhas manifesting anew, collaborating with Shakyamuni Buddha to liberate sentient beings with affinities in the Saha world, participating together in a great play.