WHO WAS ANANDA?

Ananda was the first cousin and favorite disciple of the Buddha. He served the Master as both teaching assistant and personal attendant.  His ministering, however, came with a stipulation he made that he receive no personal benefits nor any special comforts as a result of his close role. 

Interestingly, he is said to have saved the the Buddha's life on one occasion, in an assassination attempt. 

In time, when the Master preached he would sketch in the outline and leave Ananda to develop it, Ananda having acquired such expertise.  Indeed, from memory and with faultless accuracy, he is credited with preserving four of the five Discourses (Nikayas) of the Pali canon.  These are the Nikayas prefaced by the words, "Thus have I heard--." 

Ananda is also credited with persuading the Buddha to accept women in the order. 

While Ananda was unequaled in learning, his having memorized 82,000 of the Buddha's dharmas, and 2000 of those of his fellow disciples, or so legend has it, he was not an arahant.  An arahant is a "worthy one," the highest of the four spiritual stages.

Since he was not an arahant, he was excluded from the First Buddhist Council, assembled after the Master's death.  At least at first he was excluded.

Happily, the night before the meeting was to convene, he attained arahantship and was permitted to join in.  The Elder conducting the Council, Elder Mahakassapa, well aware of Ananda's expertise in all matters of the Dharma, was then able to question him at length and with complete confidence. 

Mahakassapa wanted, among other things, to verify where the various discourses were first preached, and to whom they were addressed.  Ananda, aided by his word-perfect memory, was able to answer all the questions accurately, so that the Discourses, now recorded for posterity, were unanimously approved by the Sangha.