The Mahāparinirvāṇa-mahāsūtra （MPM） is a middle-period Mahāyāna sūtra in which the fixed expression ekaputraka-saṃjñā （Chn. 一子想）, meaning that the Buddha considers every being to be his own child, is used to express the Buddha’s compassion for all beings. In the same way, the Bodhisattva should follow the Buddha and practice ekaputraka-saṃjñā. Moreover, it is said lay people also practice ekaputraka-saṃjñā. In contrast, in the case of bhikṣu and bhikṣuṇī, ekaputraka-saṃjñā is not mentioned. From this it can be said that MPM is highly conscious of lay people. Some examples use the name of the son of the Buddha, Rāhula, meaning ‘obstacle.’ In translations of MPM, the expression containing Rāhula’s name appears most often in the Tibetan, then in Dharmakṣema, and least frequently in Faxian. Early Buddhist texts such as the Suttanipāta explain how one should protect all beings just as a mother protects her only son. Pāli commentaries include a verse stating that the Buddha treating Devadatta and Rāhula in the same way, understanding this as an example of the Buddha treating all beings equally. In terms of the chronology of the word ekaputraka-saṃjñā in Chinese translations, it first appears in reference to Bodhisattvas from the 2nd to 3rd centuries CE, then with reference to the Buddha in the 3rd to 4th centuries, and finally with Rāhula’s name in the 4th to 5th centuries.
