First Among Equals? Sakyamuni among Other Buddhas in Mahayana Sutra Literature

Early in its development, the Mahayana tradition accepted the premise that there are innumerable buddhas across the cosmos, a great many of whom were contemporaries of Sakyamuni each teaching in their respective dominion, or buddha-field (buddhaksetra). It is in the wake of this expanded universe of buddhas that Mahayana authors made various statements that explore the place of Sakyamuni relative to his peers, which we find not so much in the treatises of commentators but in the evocative narratives of Mahayana discourses (sutras). In these we find different literary strategies, sometimes with heavy doctrinal implications, that emphasize the power, influence and compassion of Sakyamuni specifically, who in spite of his apparent disappearance from the world may yet be considered the best of buddhas.