On the <i>Dharmabhāṇaka</i>

The importance of the dharmabhāṇaka has long been recognized, but there are many aspects that remain unclear, such as whether or not there were renunciants, their relationship with lay believers and bodhisattvas, and their role. In this paper, I accordingly examine the dharmabhāṇaka as described in Mahāyāna sutras and their position from a fresh perspective.