The Venerable Ānanda then was chosen to be questioned on the Dhamma, being foremost in being well versed, having listened the majority of the suttas in the presence of the Buddha, his word-perfect memory, his thorough understanding, his diligence and his devoted service of the Buddha. (Etadaggaṃ bhikkhave mama sāvakānaṃ bhikkhūnaṃ bahussutānaṃ, satimantānaṃ, gatimantānaṃ, dhitimantānaṃ, upaṭṭhākānaṃ yadidaṃ Ānando). When the Venerable Ānanda had been asked previously to serve the Buddha as his personal attendant, Ānanda had requested eight boons, amongst which were the boons of having the privilege to accompany the Buddha where ever he went, to have everything explained, whatever remained unclear to him and to have every discourse repeated, which had not been heard by him personally: Aggaṃ bahussutādīnaṃ, kosārakkhaṃ mahesino; sammannitvāna attānaṃ, thero dhammamapucchi so. Tathā sammanniyattānaṃ, dhammāsanāgato sayaṃ; vissajjesi tamānandatthero dhammamasesato. Vedehamuninā tena, vissajjitakamena te; sabbe sajjhāyamakaruṃ, dhammaṃ dhammatthakovidā.
This Dhammasaṃgīti lasted seven months, during which the whole of the Vinaya and the Dhamma was recited by those five hundred Bhikkhus who were sufficiently endowed with high wisdom and with well versed memories about the Vinaya and the Dhamma. It is due to this First Council, and those five more that were arranged in future every time that hesitations about the clarity of the teaching arose, that the valuable Dhamma and Vinaya was maintained for the benefit of the whole world in its origin: Evaṃ sattahi māsehi, dhammasaṃgīti niṭṭhitā; sabbalokahitatthāya, sabbalokahi tehi sā.
