Second Ancestor: 阿難陀 Ānanda

A cousin of Śākyamuni, who became one of his ten primary disciples 十大弟子. He is said to have had a perfect memory and thus was capable of recalling all of the Buddha’s sermons. At the time of Buddha’s death he had not yet attained enlightenment, and only achieved this following the exhortations of Kāśyapa 迦葉, Śākyamuni’s successor. After his enlightenment, the rest of the sangha allowed his recitation of the sutras. Thus all the scriptures are said to have been recorded from the mouth of Ānanda, who begins each recitation with “Thus I have heard...(如是我聞)”
Ānanda, 阿難; intp. by 歡喜 Joy; son of Droņodana–rāja, and younger brother of Devadatta; he was noted as the most learned disciple of Buddha and famed for hearing and remembering his teaching, hence is styled 多聞; after the Buddha’s death he is said to have compiled the sutras in the Vaibhāra cave, v. 畢, where the disciples were assembled in Magadha. He is known as the second ancestor. Ānandabhadra and Ānandasāgara are generally given as two other Ānandas, but this is uncertain.