and this chapter pairs this with the Dragon King's Daughter
the worst man and the most "impossible" candidate both make it
Mañjuśrī says: 'yeah, actually. The dragon king's daughter. She's eight. she gets it.'
Śāriputra starts listing reasons why she can't: she's a girl, a child, a dragon (animal realm = 'impure') he's citing scripture, he's technically right by the old rules
The dragon girl appears. doesn't argue. doesn't explain. she just
takes a priceless jewel, offers it to the Buddha. he accepts it.
she turns to Śāriputra and says: 'That was fast, right? watch this.'
and in the time it takes to accept a gift, she manifests a Buddha-field in the south, sits on a lotus throne, and achieves complete perfect enlightenment
she breaks every rule.
Female? Check. Child?Check. Non-human? Check. 'Impure' realm? check. she's the proof that the categories were never real. the Lotus Sutra exists to blow up the old hierarchies, and she's the dynamite