（参见：Buddhist Councils，结集）; （参见：Tripitaka，三藏）; （参见：Sunaksatra，阿难）
"A cousin of the Buddha， the brother of Devadatta （q.v.）. One of the ten great disciples of the Buddha. Ananda accompanied the Buddha for more than twenty years and was the Master's favorite disciple. He attained enlightenment after the demise of the Buddha under the guidance of Mahakasyapa. He was famed for his excellent memory and recited the Sutra-Pitaka （the sermons contained in the Tripitaka， q.v.） at the First Buddhist Council."
"Ananda was more than any other an advocate for the cause of women. He gave Dharma discourses in the presence of women， and it was at his intercession that Buddha consented to the founding of an order of nuns. He is said to have attained Arhatship only after the death of the Buddha， immediately before the First Council." （See Buddhist Councils for details）.
NOTE:
According to Mahayana teachings， Ananda， like many other disciples of the Buddha was in reality a Bodhisattva who expediently took the form of a monk to assist Sakyamuni Buddha ... Thus， at one time he "defended" the cause of women at another time he was "lured" by a beautiful prostitute （See the Surangama Sutra for example）.