five thousand arrogant persons ［五千の上慢］ ( gosen-no-jōman): Also, five thousand persons of overweening pride, five thousand persons of overbearing arrogance, or five thousand arrogant members of the assembly. Five thousand arrogant monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen described in the “Expedient Means” (second) chapter of the Lotus Sutra as refusing to listen any longer to Shakyamuni Buddha preach the teaching of the sutra and leaving the assembly. The chapter states: “When the Buddha had spoken these words, there were some five thousand monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen in the assembly who immediately rose from their seats, bowed to the Buddha, and withdrew. What was the reason for this? These persons had roots of guilt that were deep and manifold, and in addition they were overbearingly arrogant. What they had not attained they supposed they had attained, what they had not understood they supposed they had understood.” In the sutra, the Buddha goes on to describe them as “monks and nuns who behave with overbearing arrogance, laymen full of self-esteem, laywomen who are lacking in faith” and all those who “fail to see their own errors, are heedless and remiss with regard to the precepts, clinging to their shortcomings, unwilling to change.” Referring to them as chaff, leaves, and branches, the Buddha states that the assembly is now “made up only of those steadfast and truthful.” This event is termed “the rising from the seats and withdrawal of the five thousand persons.”