The scripture says: When the Buddha first attained enlightenment, the Demon King Pāpīyāms saw the Buddha and urged the Tathagata to enter Nirvana quickly.
The Buddha replied to Pāpīyāms — My disciples have not yet achieved, I am not suitable for Nirvana.
Pāpīyāms challenged — When your disciples are all accomplished, you should enter Nirvana; otherwise, if you cling to the mortal world and hesitate to leave, how will you prove your words in the scriptures?
The Buddha silently agreed.
Thus, the Demon King Pāpīyāms and his followers rejoiced, thinking there were no more rivals in the world. Unable to defeat the Buddha in his time, Pāpīyāms spoke again to undermine the Buddha: After the Buddha's demise, during the Dharma-ending age, I will disguise as a monk, don the Buddha's robes, chant the Buddhist scriptures, and destroy the Buddha's teachings.
So the World-Honored One wept.
Perhaps this is not just a legend.
