Ananda was one of the main disciples of the Buddha. He served as his personal attendant and occupies a similar place in Buddhism that the Apostle John does in Christianity. Both were very close to their Lord in a personal as well as spiritual way. As such, Ananda wielded much influence in the First Buddhist Council, immediately after the death of the Buddha (544 BCE). Because of his close relationship to his teacher he is the source of many of the stories told in the canon of scripture known as the Sutras (Skt.) or Suttas (Pali). Of all the qualities attributed to him, good memory was one. Service to others was another. His name means “bliss.”
See also: Buddhism
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Larson, P. (2010). Ananda. In: Leeming, D.A., Madden, K., Marlan, S. (eds) Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-71802-6_27
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