Ghoshila
Ghoshila; 瞿師羅; (Skt; Pali Ghosita; Jpn Kushira); A wealthy man in Kaushambi, India, who became a follower of Shakyamuni Buddha. He built a monastery in a grove that he owned, and offered both the monastery and grove to the Buddha. They were named Ghoshila Grove and Ghoshila Monastery. According to the Buddha's Preaching Life Sutra, five hundred Brahmans met Ghoshila on their way to Shravasti to see Sudatta, a wealthy merchant and the Buddha's patron, and Ghoshila, who also wanted to see Sudatta, traveled with them. When they arrived in Shravasti and met Sudatta, he was on his way to see Shakyamuni Buddha at Jetavana Monastery.
They accompanied Sudatta to the monastery, where they saw the Buddha. Hearing the Buddha preach, the five hundred Brahmans attained the stage of non-returner, the level directly below the stage of arhat, while Ghoshila obtained the Dharma eye.Ghoshila wanted to invite Shakyamuni to Kaushambi, so he converted one of his residences into a monastery so that the Buddha could stay there and preach. The story of the five hundred Brahmans and Ghoshila, who attained insight after hearing Shakyamuni preach, is found also in the Stories of the Words of Truth Sutra. This sutra, however, does not mention Ghoshila's desire to invite Shakyamuni to Kaushambi or his grove and monastery. In Chinese Buddhist scriptures, including the Chinese translation of the Stories of the Words of Truth Sutra, Ghoshila's name is rendered as "Beautiful Sound." According to The Record of the Western Regions, when its author, Hsüan-tsang, visited Kaushambi in the first half of the seventh century, the monastery built by Ghoshila and a stupa erected by King Ashoka on its compound were still standing. Hsüan-tsang says that Shakyamuni preached there for several years.
