Problem: In the Buddha's last year alive, he reportedly told Ananda "that through the development of the four bases of attainment, he could-if he so desired-stay alive for an aeon." Ananda, blind to the hint, fails to request him to do so, and the Buddha dies shortly thereafter. What does this story reveal about popular ideas about the Buddha? And presuming that it was true, why might he have agreed to remain on earth for such a long time?