The Buddhist teachings are vast and sublime, shining forth spontaneously with the truth of Heaven, like the blue from an indigo plant. If a practitioner hears of the transmission of the Dharma Treasury, he will know the essence of its origin:

Shakyamuni, the World Honored One who experienced great awakening, completed his religious practices through countless eons in previous lives, received prophecy of his future Buddhahood, and was born as a human being in this world. After six years of ascetic discipline he overcame mistaken views and defeated Mara by raising a single finger while meditating under the Bodhi Tree, achieving his great awakening.

He preached the Dharma first at Deer Park, then at Vulture Peak, and finally at Crane Grove, where he passed away. He transmitted the Dharma to Mahakashyapa.

[1] Mahakashyapa divided and distributed the Buddha's remains into eight portions, compiled the Tripitaka, and transmitted the Dharma to Ananda.

[2] Ananda entered the Wind Samadhi while in the middle of the Ganges River and divided his body into four parts, and transmitted the Dharma to Shanakavasa.

[3] Shanakavasa made the ambrosia of the Dharma rain down from his hands and manifested five hundred Dharma teachings, and transmitted the Dharma to Upagupta.

[4] Upagupta attained the third fruit of the non-returner while still a layman and attained the fourth fruit of the arhat upon receiving the precepts, and transmitted the Dharma to Dhritaka.

[5] Dhritaka had already attained the first fruit of stream-enterer when he ascended the ordination platform, and became an arhat upon completion of the ordination ceremony. He transmitted the Dharma to Micchaka.

[6] Micchaka transmitted the Dharma to Buddhanandi.

[7] Buddhanandi transmitted the Dharma to Buddhamitra.

[8] Buddhamitra conferred the triple refuge to a king after defeating a numerologist in debate, and transmitted the Dharma to the bhikkhu Parsva.

[9] The bhikkhu Parsva emerged from the womb with his hair already white. Light emerged from his palm and he took up a sutra. He transmitted the Dharma to Punyayasas.

[10] Punyayasas debated and won over Asvaghosa through the exhibition of spiritual powers such as light emerging from his hand, and shaved his head and made him a disciple.

[11] Asvaghosa composed a musical piece that expressed the truths of transience, suffering, and emptiness, so that those who heard it were awakened to the Buddhist path. He transmitted the Dharma to Kapimala.

[12] Kapimala wrote a treatise on selflessness and wherever this treatise was disseminated, false views were extinguished. The Dharma was transmitted to Nagarjuna.

[13] As for Nagarjuna, "arjuna" refers to the tree under which his physical body was born and "Naga" refers to the creature which, according to legend, led Nagarjuna to a palace in the depths of the sea and presented him with the Buddhist scriptures, which led to his attainment of the Dharma body. The Dharma was transmitted to Kanadeva.

[14] Kanadeva gouged out the divine eye of a statue of Maheshvara, then in turn offered his own fleshly eye to an incarnation of Maheshvara, and another grew in its place until he offered ten thousand fleshly eyes. The Dharma was transmitted to Rahulata.

[15] Rahulata comprehended the contents of The Book of Demon Names and thus defeated the non-Buddhist Brahman, and transmitted the Dharma to Sanghanandhi.

[16] Sanghanandhi taught a verse to test an arhat and transmitted the Dharma to Gayasata.

[17] Gayasata was on his daily rounds by the sea when he saw a palace, and there he taught a verse. The Dharma was then transmitted to Kumarata.

[18] Kumarata had such a marvelous memory that when he saw ten thousand horsemen he could remember the color of each horse, each rider's name, and could even differentiate their clothing. The Dharma was then transmitted to Jayata.

[19] Jayata created a fiery pit for a monk who had committed serious transgressions, and caused him to enter the pit in order to do penance; the pit became a pond and the sins were extinguished.

[20] The Dharma was then transmitted to Vasubandhu and then the Dharma was transmitted to Manorhita.

[21] Manorhita divided the land into two parts at the Ganges River and he himself taught those in one part.

[22] The Dharma was then transmitted to Haklenayasas and then to Simhabodhi.

[23] Simhabodhi was put to the sword by order of the evil king of Damil and when the sword cut off his head, milk flowed forth instead of blood.

Thus the treasury of the Dharma was transmitted, first to Mahakasyapa and finally to Simhabodhi, and these masters were all heirs to the prophesies of the Golden Mouth of the Buddha. They were noble people, able to benefit many.

Note: Vasumitra received transmission of the Dharma Treasury at the same time as Micchaka and he's not always included as a patriarch within the Golden Mouth lineage.