 The narrative settings of the Pure Land teachings in the sutras were regarded as particularly significant in this regard. The Contemplation Sutra was especially important in Hōnen’s interpretation of Amida’s vow, and narratives in that sutra were understood to reveal both Sakyamuni’s intent in expounding the Pure Land teaching and the proper stance for understanding it. According to the sutra, the circumstances for Sakyamuni’s teaching of Amida and his Pure Land relate to the story of Prince Ajātaśatru, who, prompted by the Buddha’s jealous cousin Devadatta, usurps the throne by murdering his father and imprisoning his mother Vaidehi. From her cell, Vaidehi beseeches the Buddha to teach her a way to be born in a world free of such treachery and turmoil. This leads to Sakyamuni’s exposition of Amida’s Pure Land.