“Indeed, the Blessed One is worthy and rightly
self-awakened, consummate in knowledge & conduct, well-gone, an
expert with regard to the world, unexcelled as a trainer for those
people fit to be tamed, the Teacher of divine & human beings,
awakened, blessed.”

— AN 11.12

“Monks, I lived in refinement, utmost refinement, total
refinement. My father even had lotus ponds made in our palace: one where
red-lotuses bloomed, one where white lotuses bloomed, one where blue
lotuses bloomed, all for my sake. I used no sandalwood that was not from
Varanasi. My turban was from Varanasi, as were my tunic, my lower
garments, & my outer cloak. A white sunshade was held over me day
& night to protect me from cold, heat, dust, dirt, & dew.

“I had three palaces: one for the cold season, one for the
hot season, one for the rainy season. During the four months of the
rainy season I was entertained in the rainy-season palace by minstrels
without a single man among them, and I did not once come down from the
palace. Whereas the servants, workers, & retainers in other people’s
homes are fed meals of lentil soup & broken rice, in my father’s
home the servants, workers, & retainers were fed wheat, rice, and
meat.

“Even though I was endowed with such fortune, such total
refinement, the thought occurred to me: ‘When an untaught,
run-of-the-mill person, himself subject to aging, not beyond aging, sees
another who is aged, he is horrified, humiliated, & disgusted,
oblivious to himself that he too is subject to aging, not beyond aging.
If I — who am subject to aging, not beyond aging — were to be horrified,
humiliated, & disgusted on seeing another person who is aged, that
would not be fitting for me.’ As I noticed this, the [typical] young
person’s intoxication with youth entirely dropped away.

“Even though I was endowed with such fortune, such total
refinement, the thought occurred to me: ‘When an untaught,
run-of-the-mill person, himself subject to illness, not beyond illness,
sees another who is ill, he is horrified, humiliated, & disgusted,
oblivious to himself that he too is subject to illness, not beyond
illness. And if I — who am subject to illness, not beyond illness — were
to be horrified, humiliated, & disgusted on seeing another person
who is ill, that would not be fitting for me.’ As I noticed this, the
healthy person’s intoxication with health entirely dropped away.

“Even though I was endowed with such fortune, such total
refinement, the thought occurred to me: ‘When an untaught,
run-of-the-mill person, himself subject to death, not beyond death, sees
another who is dead, he is horrified, humiliated, & disgusted,
oblivious to himself that he too is subject to death, not beyond death.
And if I — who am subject to death, not beyond death — were to be
horrified, humiliated, & disgusted on seeing another person who is
dead, that would not be fitting for me.’ As I noticed this, the living
person’s intoxication with life entirely dropped away.”

— AN 3.38

“Before my Awakening, when I was still an unawakened
Bodhisatta, the thought occurred to me: ‘The household life is crowded, a
dusty road. Life gone forth is the open air. It isn’t easy, living in a
home, to lead the holy life that is totally perfect, totally pure, a
polished shell. What if I, having shaved off my hair & beard and
putting on the ochre robe, were to go forth from the home life into
homelessness?’

“So at a later time, when I was still young, black-haired,
endowed with the blessings of youth in the first stage of life, having
shaved off my hair & beard — though my parents wished otherwise and
were grieving with tears on their faces — I put on the ochre robe and
went forth from the home life into homelessness.”

— MN 36

“Having gone forth in search of what might be skillful,
seeking the unexcelled state of sublime peace, I went to Alara Kalama
and, on arrival, said to him: ‘Friend Kalama, I want to practice in this
doctrine & discipline.’

“When this was said, he replied to me, ‘You may stay here, my
friend. This doctrine is such that a wise person can soon enter &
dwell in his own teacher’s knowledge, having realized it for himself
through direct knowledge.’

“It was not long before I learned the doctrine. As far as
mere lip-reciting & repetition, I could speak the words of
knowledge, the words of the elders, and I could affirm that I knew &
saw — I, along with others.

“I thought: ‘It isn’t through mere conviction alone that
Alara Kalama declares, “I have entered & dwell in this Dhamma,
having realized it for myself through direct knowledge.” Certainly he
dwells knowing & seeing this Dhamma.’ So I went to him and said, ‘To
what extent do you declare that you have entered & dwell in this
Dhamma?’ When this was said, he declared the dimension of nothingness.

“I thought: ‘Not only does Alara Kalama have conviction,
persistence, mindfulness, concentration, & discernment. I, too, have
conviction, persistence, mindfulness, concentration, & discernment.
What if I were to endeavor to realize for myself the Dhamma that Alara
Kalama declares he has entered & dwells in, having realized it for
himself through direct knowledge.’ So it was not long before I quickly
entered & dwelled in that Dhamma, having realized it for myself
through direct knowledge. I went to him and said, ‘Friend Kalama, is
this the extent to which you have entered & dwell in this Dhamma,
having realized it for yourself through direct knowledge?’

“‘Yes, my friend…’

“‘This, friend, is the extent to which I, too, have entered
& dwell in this Dhamma, having realized it for myself through direct
knowledge.’

“‘It is a gain for us, my friend, a great gain for us, that
we have such a companion in the holy life. So the Dhamma I declare I
have entered & dwell in, having realized it for myself through
direct knowledge, is the Dhamma you declare you have entered & dwell
in, having realized it for yourself through direct knowledge. And the
Dhamma you declare you have entered & dwell in, having realized it
for yourself through direct knowledge, is the Dhamma I declare I have
entered & dwell in, having realized it for myself through direct
knowledge. The Dhamma I know is the Dhamma you know; the Dhamma you know
is the Dhamma I know. As I am, so are you; as you are, so am I. Come
friend, let us now lead this community together.’

“In this way did Alara Kalama, my teacher, place me, his
pupil, on the same level with himself and pay me great honor. But the
thought occurred to me, ‘This Dhamma leads not to disenchantment, to
dispassion, to cessation, to stilling, to direct knowledge, to
Awakening, nor to Unbinding (nibbana), but only to reappearance in the dimension of nothingness.’ So, dissatisfied with that Dhamma, I left.

“In search of what might be skillful, seeking the unexcelled
state of sublime peace, I went to Uddaka Ramaputta and, on arrival, said
to him: ‘Friend Uddaka, I want to practice in this doctrine &
discipline.’

“When this was said, he replied to me, ‘You may stay here, my
friend. This doctrine is such that a wise person can soon enter &
dwell in his own teacher’s knowledge, having realized it for himself
through direct knowledge.’

“It was not long before I quickly learned the doctrine. As
far as mere lip-reciting & repetition, I could speak the words of
knowledge, the words of the elders, and I could affirm that I knew &
saw — I, along with others.

“I thought: ‘It wasn’t through mere conviction alone that
Rama declared, “I have entered & dwell in this Dhamma, having
realized it for myself through direct knowledge.” Certainly he dwelled
knowing & seeing this Dhamma.’ So I went to Uddaka and said, ‘To
what extent did Rama declare that he had entered & dwelled in this
Dhamma?’ When this was said, Uddaka declared the dimension of neither
perception nor non-perception.

“I thought: ‘Not only did Rama have conviction, persistence,
mindfulness, concentration, & discernment. I, too, have conviction,
persistence, mindfulness, concentration, & discernment. What if I
were to endeavor to realize for myself the Dhamma that Rama declared he
entered & dwelled in, having realized it for himself through direct
knowledge.’ So it was not long before I quickly entered & dwelled in
that Dhamma, having realized it for myself through direct knowledge. I
went to Uddaka and said, ‘Friend Uddaka, is this the extent to which
Rama entered & dwelled in this Dhamma, having realized it for
himself through direct knowledge?’

“‘Yes, my friend…’

“‘This, friend, is the extent to which I, too, have entered
& dwell in this Dhamma, having realized it for myself through direct
knowledge.’

“‘It is a gain for us, my friend, a great gain for us, that
we have such a companion in the holy life. So the Dhamma Rama declared
he entered & dwelled in, having realized it for himself through
direct knowledge, is the Dhamma you declare you have entered & dwell
in, having realized it for yourself through direct knowledge. And the
Dhamma you declare you have entered & dwell in, having realized it
for yourself through direct knowledge, is the Dhamma Rama declared he
entered & dwelled in, having realized it for himself through direct
knowledge. The Dhamma he knew is the Dhamma you know; the Dhamma you
know is the Dhamma he knew. As he was, so are you; as you are, so was
he. Come friend, lead this community.’

“In this way did Uddaka Ramaputta, my companion in the holy
life, place me in the position of teacher and pay me great honor. But
the thought occurred to me, ‘This Dhamma leads not to disenchantment, to
dispassion, to cessation, to stilling, to direct knowledge, to
Awakening, nor to Unbinding (nibbana),
but only to reappearance in the dimension of neither perception nor
non-perception.’ So, dissatisfied with that Dhamma, I left.”

— MN 36

“I thought: ‘Suppose that I, clenching my teeth and pressing
my tongue against the roof of my mouth, were to beat down, constrain,
& crush my mind with my awareness.’ So, clenching my teeth and
pressing my tongue against the roof of my mouth, I beat down,
constrained, & crushed by mind with my awareness. Just as a strong
man, seizing a weaker man by the head or the throat or the shoulders,
would beat him down, constrain, & crush him, in the same way I beat
down, constrained, & crushed my mind with my awareness. As I did so,
sweat poured from my armpits. And although tireless persistence was
aroused in me, and unmuddled mindfulness established, my body was
aroused & uncalm because of the painful exertion. But the painful
feeling that arose in this way did not invade my mind or remain.

“I thought: ‘Suppose I were to become absorbed in the trance
of non-breathing.’ So I stopped the in-breaths & out-breaths in my
nose & mouth. As I did so, there was a loud roaring of winds coming
out my earholes, just like the loud roar of winds coming out of a
smith’s bellows… So I stopped the in-breaths & out-breaths in my
nose & mouth & ears. As I did so, extreme forces sliced through
my head, just as if a strong man were slicing my head open with a sharp
sword… Extreme pains arose in my head, just as if a strong man were
tightening a turban made of tough leather straps around my head…
Extreme forces carved up my stomach cavity, just as if a butcher or his
apprentice were to carve up the stomach cavity of an ox… There was an
extreme burning in my body, just as if two strong men, grabbing a weaker
man by the arms, were to roast & broil him over a pit of hot
embers. And although tireless persistence was aroused in me, and
unmuddled mindfulness established, my body was aroused & uncalm
because of the painful exertion. But the painful feeling that arose in
this way did not invade my mind or remain.

“Devas, on seeing me, said, ‘Gotama the contemplative is
dead.’ Other devas said, ‘He isn’t dead, he’s dying.’ Others said, ‘He’s
neither dead nor dying, he’s an arahant, for this is the way arahants
live.’

“I thought: ‘Suppose I were to practice going altogether
without food.’ Then devas came to me and said, ‘Dear sir, please don’t
practice going altogether without food. If you go altogether without
food, we’ll infuse divine nourishment in through your pores, and you
will survive on that.’ I thought, ‘If I were to claim to be completely
fasting while these devas are infusing divine nourishment in through my
pores, I would be lying.’ So I dismissed them, saying, ‘Enough.’

“I thought: ‘Suppose I were to take only a little food at a
time, only a handful at a time of bean soup, lentil soup, vetch soup, or
pea soup.’ So I took only a little food at a time, only handful at a
time of bean soup, lentil soup, vetch soup, or pea soup. My body became
extremely emaciated. Simply from my eating so little, my limbs became
like the jointed segments of vine stems or bamboo stems… My backside
became like a camel’s hoof… My spine stood out like a string of
beads… My ribs jutted out like the jutting rafters of an old, run-down
barn… The gleam of my eyes appeared to be sunk deep in my eye sockets
like the gleam of water deep in a well… My scalp shriveled &
withered like a green bitter gourd, shriveled & withered in the heat
& the wind… The skin of my belly became so stuck to my spine that
when I thought of touching my belly, I grabbed hold of my spine as
well; and when I thought of touching my spine, I grabbed hold of the
skin of my belly as well… If I urinated or defecated, I fell over on
my face right there… Simply from my eating so little, if I tried to
ease my body by rubbing my limbs with my hands, the hair — rotted at its
roots — fell from my body as I rubbed, simply from eating so little.

“People on seeing me would say, ‘Gotama the contemplative is
black. Other people would say, ‘Gotama the contemplative isn’t black,
he’s brown.’ Others would say, ‘Gotama the contemplative is neither
black nor brown, he’s golden-skinned. So much had the clear, bright
color of my skin deteriorated, simply from eating so little.

“I thought: ‘Whatever priests or contemplatives in the past
have felt painful, racking, piercing feelings due to their striving,
this is the utmost. None have been greater than this. Whatever priests
or contemplatives in the future will feel painful, racking, piercing
feelings due to their striving, this is the utmost. None will be greater
than this. Whatever priests or contemplatives in the present are
feeling painful, racking, piercing feelings due to their striving, this
is the utmost. None is greater than this. But with this racking practice
of austerities I haven’t attained any superior human state, any
distinction in knowledge or vision worthy of the noble ones. Could there
be another path to Awakening?’”

— MN 36

“I stayed in the sort of places that are awe-inspiring and
make your hair stand on end, such as park-shrines, forest-shrines, &
tree-shrines. And while I was staying there a wild animal would come,
or a bird would make a twig fall, or wind would rustle the fallen
leaves. The thought would occur to me: ‘Is this that fear & terror
coming?’ Then the thought occurred to me: ‘Why do I just keep waiting
for fear? What if I were to subdue fear & terror in whatever state
they come?’ So when fear & terror came while I was walking back
& forth, I would not stand or sit or lie down. I would keep walking
back & forth until I had subdued that fear & terror. When fear
& terror came while I was standing, I would not walk or sit or lie
down. I would keep standing until I had subdued that fear & terror.
When fear & terror came while I was sitting, I would not lie down or
stand up or walk. I would keep sitting until I had subdued that fear
& terror. When fear & terror came while I was lying down, I
would not sit up or stand or walk. I would keep lying down until I had
subdued that fear & terror.”

— MN 4

“Monks, Mara is continually, ceaselessly, hovering around
you, [thinking,] ‘Perhaps I’ll get an opportunity by means of the eye…
the ear… the nose… the tongue… the body. Perhaps I’ll get an
opportunity by means of the intellect.’ Thus, monks, you should dwell
with the doors to your senses well-guarded.”

— SN 35.199

“I thought: ‘I recall once, when my father the Sakyan was
working, and I was sitting in the cool shade of a rose-apple tree, then —
quite withdrawn from sensuality, withdrawn from unskillful mental
qualities — I entered & remained in the first jhana: rapture &
pleasure born from withdrawal, accompanied by directed thought &
evaluation. Could that be the path to Awakening?’ Then, following on
that memory, came the realization: ‘That is the path to Awakening.’ I
thought: ‘So why am I afraid of that pleasure that has nothing to do
with sensuality, nothing to do with unskillful mental qualities?’ I
thought: ‘I am no longer afraid of that pleasure that has nothing to do
with sensuality, nothing to do with unskillful mental qualities, but it
is not easy to achieve that pleasure with a body so extremely emaciated.
Suppose I were to take some solid food: some rice & porridge.’ So I
took some solid food: some rice & porridge. Now five monks had been
attending on me, thinking, ‘If Gotama, our contemplative, achieves some
higher state, he will tell us.’ But when they saw me taking some solid
food — some rice & porridge — they were disgusted and left me,
thinking, ‘Gotama the contemplative is living luxuriously. He has
abandoned his exertion and is backsliding into abundance.’

“So when I had taken solid food and regained strength, then —
quite withdrawn from sensuality, withdrawn from unskillful mental
qualities, I entered & remained in the first jhana: rapture &
pleasure born from withdrawal, accompanied by directed thought &
evaluation. But the pleasant feeling that arose in this way did not
invade my mind or remain. With the stilling of directed thoughts &
evaluations, I entered & remained in the second jhana: rapture &
pleasure born of composure, unification of awareness free from directed
thought & evaluation — internal assurance. But the pleasant feeling
that arose in this way did not invade my mind or remain. With the
fading of rapture I remained in equanimity, mindful & alert, and
physically sensitive of pleasure. I entered & remained in the third
jhana, of which the Noble Ones declare, ‘Equanimous & mindful, he
has a pleasurable abiding.’ But the pleasant feeling that arose in this
way did not invade my mind or remain. With the abandoning of pleasure
& pain — as with the earlier disappearance of elation & distress
— I entered & remained in the fourth jhana: purity of equanimity
& mindfulness, neither pleasure nor pain. But the pleasant feeling
that arose in this way did not invade my mind or remain.”

— MN 36

“There are these two extremes that are not to be indulged in
by one who has gone forth. Which two? That which is devoted to sensual
pleasure with reference to sensual objects: base, vulgar, common,
ignoble, unprofitable; and that which is devoted to self-affliction:
painful, ignoble, unprofitable. Avoiding both of these extremes, the
middle way realized by the Tathagata — producing vision, producing
knowledge — leads to calm, to direct knowledge, to self-awakening, to
Unbinding.

“And what is the middle way realized by the Tathagata that —
producing vision, producing knowledge — leads to calm, to direct
knowledge, to self-awakening, to Unbinding? Precisely this Noble
Eightfold Path: right view, right resolve, right speech, right action,
right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration.
This is the middle way realized by the Tathagata that — producing
vision, producing knowledge — leads to calm, to direct knowledge, to
self-awakening, to Unbinding.”

— SN 56.11

“When the mind was thus concentrated, purified, bright,
unblemished, rid of defilement, pliant, malleable, steady, &
attained to imperturbability, I directed it to the knowledge of
recollecting my past lives. I recollected my manifold past lives, i.e.,
one birth, two… five, ten… fifty, a hundred, a thousand, a hundred
thousand, many eons of cosmic contraction, many eons of cosmic
expansion, many eons of cosmic contraction & expansion: ‘There I had
such a name, belonged to such a clan, had such an appearance. Such was
my food, such my experience of pleasure & pain, such the end of my
life. Passing away from that state, I re-arose there. There too I had
such a name, belonged to such a clan, had such an appearance. Such was
my food, such my experience of pleasure & pain, such the end of my
life. Passing away from that state, I re-arose here.’ Thus I remembered
my manifold past lives in their modes & details.

“This was the first knowledge I attained in the first watch
of the night. Ignorance was destroyed; knowledge arose; darkness was
destroyed; light arose — as happens in one who is heedful, ardent, &
resolute. But the pleasant feeling that arose in this way did not
invade my mind or remain.

“When the mind was thus concentrated, purified, bright,
unblemished, rid of defilement, pliant, malleable, steady, &
attained to imperturbability, I directed it to the knowledge of the
passing away & reappearance of beings. I saw — by means of the
divine eye, purified & surpassing the human — beings passing away
& re-appearing, and I discerned how they are inferior &
superior, beautiful & ugly, fortunate & unfortunate in
accordance with their kamma: ‘These beings — who were endowed with bad
conduct of body, speech, & mind, who reviled the noble ones, held
wrong views and undertook actions under the influence of wrong views —
with the break-up of the body, after death, have re-appeared in the
plane of deprivation, the bad destination, the lower realms, in hell.
But these beings — who were endowed with good conduct of body, speech
& mind, who did not revile the noble ones, who held right views and
undertook actions under the influence of right views — with the break-up
of the body, after death, have re-appeared in the good destinations, in
the heavenly world.’ Thus — by means of the divine eye, purified &
surpassing the human — I saw beings passing away & re-appearing, and
I discerned how they are inferior & superior, beautiful & ugly,
fortunate & unfortunate in accordance with their kamma.

“This was the second knowledge I attained in the second watch
of the night. Ignorance was destroyed; knowledge arose; darkness was
destroyed; light arose — as happens in one who is heedful, ardent, &
resolute. But the pleasant feeling that arose in this way did not
invade my mind or remain.

“When
the mind was thus concentrated, purified, bright, unblemished, rid of
defilement, pliant, malleable, steady, & attained to
imperturbability, I directed it to the knowledge of the ending of the
mental fermentations. I discerned, as it had come to be, that ‘This is
stress… This is the origination of stress… This is the cessation of
stress… This is the way leading to the cessation of stress… These
are fermentations… This is the origination of fermentations… This is
the cessation of fermentations… This is the way leading to the
cessation of fermentations.’ My heart, thus knowing, thus seeing, was
released from the fermentation of sensuality, released from the
fermentation of becoming, released from the fermentation of ignorance.
With release, there was the knowledge, ‘Released.’ I discerned that
‘Birth is ended, the holy life fulfilled, the task done. There is
nothing further for this world.’

“This was the third knowledge I attained in the third watch
of the night. Ignorance was destroyed; knowledge arose; darkness was
destroyed; light arose — as happens in one who is heedful, ardent, &
resolute. But the pleasant feeling that arose in this way did not
invade my mind or remain.”

— MN 36

“The world has been fully awakened to by the Tathagata. From
the world, the Tathagata is disjoined. The origination of the world has
been fully awakened to by the Tathagata. The origination of the world
has, by the Tathagata, been abandoned. The cessation of the world has
been fully awakened to by the Tathagata. The cessation of the world has,
by the Tathagata, been realized. The path leading to the cessation of
the world has been fully awakened to by the Tathagata. The path leading
to the cessation of the world has, by the Tathagata, been developed.

“Whatever in this world — with its devas, Maras, &
Brahmas, its generations complete with contemplatives & priests,
princes & men — is seen, heard, sensed, cognized, attained, sought
after, pondered by the intellect, that has been fully awakened to by the
Tathagata. Thus he is called the Tathagata.

“From the night the Tathagata fully awakens to the
unsurpassed Right Self-awakening to the night he is totally unbound in
the Unbinding property with no fuel remaining, whatever the Tathagata
has said, spoken, explained is just so (tatha) and not otherwise. Thus he is called the Tathagata.

“The Tathagata is one who does in line with (tathaa) what he teaches, one who teaches in line with what he does. Thus he is called the Tathagata.

“In this world with its devas, Maras, & Brahmas, its
generations complete with contemplatives & priests, princes &
men, the Tathagata is the unconquered conqueror, all-seeing, the wielder
of power. Thus he is called the Tathagata.”

— Iti 112

I have heard that on one occasion, when the Blessed One was
newly Awakened — staying at Uruvela by the banks of the Nerañjara River
in the shade of the Bodhi tree, the tree of Awakening — he sat in the
shade of the Bodhi tree for seven days in one session, sensitive to the
bliss of release. At the end of seven days, after emerging from that
concentration, in the third watch of the night, he gave close attention
to dependent co-arising in forward and reverse order, thus:

When this is, that is.
From the arising of this comes the arising of that.
When this isn’t, that isn’t.
From the cessation of this comes the cessation of that.

In other words:

From ignorance as a requisite condition come fabrications.
From fabrications as a requisite condition comes consciousness. From
consciousness as a requisite condition comes name-and-form. From
name-and-form as a requisite condition come the six sense media. From
the six sense media as a requisite condition comes contact. From contact
as a requisite condition comes feeling. From feeling as a requisite
condition comes craving. From craving as a requisite condition comes
clinging/sustenance. From clinging/sustenance as a requisite condition
comes becoming. From becoming as a requisite condition comes birth. From
birth as a requisite condition, then old age and death, sorrow,
lamentation, pain, distress, and despair come into play. Such is the
origination of this entire mass of stress and suffering.

Now from the remainderless fading and cessation of that very
ignorance comes the cessation of fabrications. From the cessation of
fabrications comes the cessation of consciousness. From the cessation of
consciousness comes the cessation of name-and-form. From the cessation
of name-and-form comes the cessation of the six sense media. From the
cessation of the six sense media comes the cessation of contact. From
the cessation of contact comes the cessation of feeling. From the
cessation of feeling comes the cessation of craving. From the cessation
of craving comes the cessation of clinging/sustenance. From the
cessation of clinging/sustenance comes the cessation of becoming. From
the cessation of becoming comes the cessation of birth. From the
cessation of birth, then old age and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain,
distress, and despair all cease. Such is the cessation of this entire
mass of stress and suffering.

Then, on realizing the significance of that, the Blessed One on that occasion exclaimed:

As phenomena grow clear
to the brahman  —  ardent, absorbed  —
he stands, routing the troops of Mara,
like the sun that illumines
	   the sky.

I have heard that on one occasion, when the Blessed One was
newly Self-awakened, he was staying at Uruvela on the bank of the
Nerañjara River, at the foot of the Goatherd’s Banyan Tree. Then, while
he was alone and in seclusion, this line of thinking arose in his
awareness: “One suffers if dwelling without reverence or deference. Now
on what priest or contemplative can I dwell in dependence, honoring and
respecting him?”

Then the thought occurred to him: “It would be for the sake
of perfecting an unperfected aggregate of virtue that I would dwell in
dependence on another priest or contemplative, honoring and respecting
him. However, in this world with its devas, Maras, & Brahmas, in
this generation with its priests and contemplatives, its royalty and
common-folk, I do not see another priest or contemplative more
consummate in virtue than I, on whom I could dwell in dependence,
honoring and respecting him.

“It would be for the sake of perfecting an unperfected aggregate of concentration…

“It would be for the sake of perfecting an unperfected aggregate of discernment…

“It would be for the sake of perfecting an unperfected aggregate of release…

“It would be for the sake of perfecting an unperfected
aggregate of knowledge and vision of release that I would dwell in
dependence on another priest or contemplative, honoring and respecting
him. However, in this world with its devas, Maras, & Brahmas, in
this generation with its priests and contemplatives, its royalty and
common-folk, I do not see another priest or contemplative more
consummate in knowledge and vision of release than I, on whom I could
dwell in dependence, honoring and respecting him.

“What if I were to dwell in dependence on this very Dhamma to which I have fully awakened, honoring and respecting it?”

Then, having known with his own awareness the line of
thinking in the Blessed One’s awareness — just as a strong man might
extend his flexed arm or flex his extended arm — Brahma Sahampati
disappeared from the Brahma-world and reappeared in front of the Blessed
One. Arranging his upper robe over one shoulder, he saluted the Blessed
One with his hands before his heart and said to him: “So it is, Blessed
One! So it is, One-Well-Gone! Those who were arahants, Rightly
Self-awakened Ones in the past — they, too, dwelled in dependence on the
very Dhamma itself, honoring and respecting it. Those who will be
arahants, Rightly Self-awakened Ones in the future — they, too, will
dwell in dependence on the very Dhamma itself, honoring and respecting
it. And let the Blessed One, who is at present the arahant, the Rightly
Self-awakened One, dwell in dependence on the very Dhamma itself,
honoring and respecting it.”

— SN 6.2

I have heard that on one occasion, when the Blessed One was
newly Self-awakened, he was staying at Uruvela on the bank of the
Nerañjara River, at the foot of the Goatherd’s Banyan Tree. Then, while
he was alone and in seclusion, this line of thinking arose in his
awareness: “This Dhamma that I have attained is deep, hard to see, hard
to realize, peaceful, refined, beyond the scope of conjecture, subtle,
to-be-experienced by the wise. But this generation delights in
attachment, is excited by attachment, enjoys attachment. For a
generation delighting in attachment, excited by attachment, enjoying
attachment, this/that conditionality and dependent co-arising are hard
to see. This state, too, is hard to see: the resolution of all
fabrications, the relinquishment of all acquisitions, the ending of
craving; dispassion; cessation; Unbinding. And if I were to teach the
Dhamma and if others would not understand me, that would be tiresome for
me, troublesome for me.”

Just then these verses, unspoken in the past, unheard before, occurred to the Blessed One:

Enough now with teaching
	what
	only with difficulty
	I reached.
This Dhamma is not easily realized
by those overcome
with aversion & passion.
	
What is abstruse, subtle,
	deep,
	hard to see,
going against the flow  —
those delighting in passion,
cloaked in the mass of darkness,
	won’t see.

As the Blessed One reflected thus, his mind inclined to dwelling at ease, not to teaching the Dhamma.

Then Brahma Sahampati, having known with his own awareness
the line of thinking in the Blessed One’s awareness, thought: “The world
is lost! The world is destroyed! The mind of the Tathagata, the
arahant, the Rightly Self-awakened One inclines to dwelling at ease, not
to teaching the Dhamma!” Then, just as a strong man might extend his
flexed arm or flex his extended arm, Brahma Sahampati disappeared from
the Brahma-world and reappeared in front of the Blessed One. Arranging
his upper robe over one shoulder, he knelt down with his right knee on
the ground, saluted the Blessed One with his hands before his heart, and
said to him: “Lord, let the Blessed One teach the Dhamma! Let the
One-Well-Gone teach the Dhamma! There are beings with little dust in
their eyes who are falling away because they do not hear the Dhamma.
There will be those who will understand the Dhamma.”

…

Then the Blessed One, having understood Brahma’s invitation,
out of compassion for beings, surveyed the world with the eye of an
Awakened One. As he did so, he saw beings with little dust in their eyes
and those with much, those with keen faculties and those with dull,
those with good attributes and those with bad, those easy to teach and
those hard, some of them seeing disgrace and danger in the other world.
Just as in a pond of blue or red or white lotuses, some lotuses — born
and growing in the water — might flourish while immersed in the water,
without rising up from the water; some might stand at an even level with
the water; while some might rise up from the water and stand without
being smeared by the water — so too, surveying the world with the eye of
an Awakened One, the Blessed One saw beings with little dust in their
eyes and those with much, those with keen faculties and those with dull,
those with good attributes and those with bad, those easy to teach and
those hard, some of them seeing disgrace and danger in the other world.

…

Then Brahma Sahampati, thinking, “The Blessed One has given
his consent to teach the Dhamma,” bowed down to the Blessed One and,
circling him on the right, disappeared right there.

— SN 6.1

“Then the thought occurred to me, ‘To whom should I teach the
Dhamma first? Who will quickly understand this Dhamma?’ Then the
thought occurred to me, ‘This Alara Kalama is wise, competent,
intelligent. He has long had little dust in his eyes. What if I were to
teach him the Dhamma first? He will quickly understand this Dhamma.’
Then devas came to me and said, ‘Lord, Alara Kalama died seven days
ago.’ And knowledge & vision arose within me: ‘Alara Kalama died
seven days ago.’ The thought occurred to me, ‘A great loss has Alara
Kalama suffered. If he had heard this Dhamma, he would have quickly
understood it.’

“Then the thought occurred to me, ‘To whom should I teach the
Dhamma first? Who will quickly understand this Dhamma?’ Then the
thought occurred to me, ‘This Uddaka Ramaputta is wise, competent,
intelligent. He has long had little dust in his eyes. What if I were to
teach him the Dhamma first? He will quickly understand this Dhamma.’
Then devas came to me and said, ‘Lord, Uddaka Ramaputta died last
night.’ And knowledge & vision arose within me: ‘Uddaka Ramaputta
died last night.’ The thought occurred to me, ‘A great loss has Uddaka
Ramaputta suffered. If he had heard this Dhamma, he would have quickly
understood it.’

“Then the thought occurred to me, ‘To whom should I teach the
Dhamma first? Who will quickly understand this Dhamma?’ Then the
thought occurred to me, ‘They were very helpful to me, the group of five
monks who attended to me when I was resolute in exertion. What if I
were to teach them the Dhamma first?’ Then the thought occurred to me,
‘Where are the group of five monks staying now?’ And with the divine
eye, purified & surpassing the human, I saw that they were staying
near Varanasi in the Deer Park at Isipatana.

“Then, having stayed at Uruvela as long as I liked, I set out to wander by stages to Varanasi. Upaka the Ajivaka saw me on the road between Gaya
and the (place of) Awakening, and on seeing me said to me, ‘Clear, my
friend, are your faculties. Pure your complexion, and bright. On whose
account have you gone forth? Who is your teacher? In whose Dhamma do you
delight?’

“When this was said, I replied to Upaka the Ajivaka in verses:

‘All-vanquishing,
all-knowing am I,
with regard to all things,
	unadhering.
All-abandoning,
released in the ending of craving:
having fully known on my own,
to whom should I point as my teacher?
	
I have no teacher,
and one like me can’t be found.
In the world with its devas,
I have no counterpart.
	
For I am an arahant in the world;
	I, the unexcelled teacher.
	I, alone, am rightly self-awakened.
Cooled am I,               unbound.
	
To set rolling the wheel of Dhamma
I go to the city of Kasi.
In a world become blind,
I beat the drum of the Deathless.’

“‘From your claims, my friend, you must be an infinite conqueror.’

‘Conquerors are those like me
who have reached fermentations’ end.
I’ve conquered evil qualities,
and so, Upaka, I’m a conqueror.’

“When this was said, Upaka said, ‘May it be so, my friend,’ and — shaking his head, taking a side-road — he left.

“Then, wandering by stages, I arrived at Varanasi, at the
Deer Park in Isipatana, to where the group of five monks were staying.
From afar they saw me coming and, on seeing me, made a pact with one
another, (saying,) ‘Friends, here comes Gotama the contemplative: living
luxuriously, straying from his exertion, backsliding into abundance. He
doesn’t deserve to be bowed down to, to be greeted by standing up, or
to have his robe & bowl received. Still, a seat should be set out;
if he wants to, he can sit down.’ But as I approached, they were unable
to keep to their pact. One, standing up to greet me, received my robe
& bowl. Another spread out a seat. Another set out water for washing
my feet. However, they addressed me by name and as ‘friend.’

“So I said to them, ‘Don’t address the Tathagata  by name and
as “friend.” The Tathagata, friends, is a worthy one, rightly
self-awakened. Lend ear, friends: the Deathless has been attained. I
will instruct you. I will teach you the Dhamma. Practicing as
instructed, you will in no long time reach & remain in the supreme
goal of the holy life for which clansmen rightly go forth from home into
homelessness, knowing & realizing it for yourselves in the here
& now.’

“When this was said, the group of five monks replied to me,
‘By that practice, that conduct, that performance of austerities you did
not attain any superior human states, any distinction in knowledge
& vision worthy of a noble one. So how can you now — living
luxuriously, straying from your exertion, backsliding into abundance —
have attained any superior human states, any distinction in knowledge
& vision worthy of a noble one?’

“When this was said, I replied to them, ‘The Tathagata,
monks, is not living luxuriously, has not strayed from his exertion, has
not backslid into abundance. The Tathagata, friends, is a worthy one,
rightly self-awakened. Lend ear, friends: the Deathless has been
attained. I will instruct you. I will teach you the Dhamma. Practicing
as instructed, you will in no long time reach & remain in the
supreme goal of the holy life for which clansmen rightly go forth from
home into homelessness, knowing & realizing it for yourselves in the
here & now.’

A second time… A third time, the group of five monks said
to me, ‘By that practice, that conduct, that performance of austerities
you did not attain any superior human states, any distinction in
knowledge & vision worthy of a noble one. So how can you now —
living luxuriously, straying from your exertion, backsliding into
abundance — have attained any superior human states, any distinction in
knowledge & vision worthy of a noble one?’

“When this was said, I replied to the group of five monks, ‘Do you recall my ever having spoken in this way before?’

“‘No, lord.’

“‘The Tathagata, monks, is not living luxuriously, has not
strayed from his exertion, has not backslid into abundance. The
Tathagata, friends, is a worthy one, rightly self-awakened. Lend ear,
friends: the Deathless has been attained. I will instruct you. I will
teach you the Dhamma. Practicing as instructed, you will in no long time
reach & remain in the supreme goal of the holy life for which
clansmen rightly go forth from home into homelessness, knowing &
realizing it for yourselves in the here & now.’

“And so I was able to convince them.”

— MN 26

I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying
at Varanasi in the Game Refuge at Isipatana. There he addressed the
group of five monks:

“There are these two extremes that are not to be indulged in
by one who has gone forth. Which two? That which is devoted to sensual
pleasure with reference to sensual objects: base, vulgar, common,
ignoble, unprofitable; and that which is devoted to self-affliction:
painful, ignoble, unprofitable. Avoiding both of these extremes, the
middle way realized by the Tathagata — producing vision, producing
knowledge — leads to calm, to direct knowledge, to self-awakening, to Unbinding.

[The Noble Eightfold Path]

“And what is the middle way realized by the Tathagata that —
producing vision, producing knowledge — leads to calm, to direct
knowledge, to self-awakening, to Unbinding? Precisely this Noble Eightfold Path: right view, right resolve, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration.
This is the middle way realized by the Tathagata that — producing
vision, producing knowledge — leads to calm, to direct knowledge, to
self-awakening, to Unbinding.

[The Four Noble Truths]

“Now this, monks, is the noble truth of stress:
Birth is stressful, aging is stressful, death is stressful; sorrow,
lamentation, pain, distress, & despair are stressful; association
with the unbeloved is stressful, separation from the loved is stressful,
not getting what is wanted is stressful. In short, the five
clinging-aggregates are stressful.

“And this, monks, is the noble truth of the origination of stress:
the craving that makes for further becoming — accompanied by passion
& delight, relishing now here & now there — i.e., craving for
sensual pleasure, craving for becoming, craving for non-becoming.

“And this, monks, is the noble truth of the cessation of stress: the remainderless fading & cessation, renunciation, relinquishment, release, & letting go of that very craving.

“And this, monks, is the noble truth of the way of practice leading to the cessation of stress:
precisely this Noble Eightfold Path — right view, right resolve, right
speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness,
right concentration.

[One’s duties with regard to the Four Noble Truths]

“Vision arose, insight arose, discernment arose, knowledge
arose, illumination arose within me with regard to things never heard
before: ‘This is the noble truth of stress’… ‘This noble truth of stress is to be comprehended’… ‘This noble truth of stress has been comprehended.’

“Vision arose, insight arose, discernment arose, knowledge
arose, illumination arose within me with regard to things never heard
before: ‘This is the noble truth of the origination of stress’… ‘This noble truth of the origination of stress is to be abandoned’… ‘This noble truth of the origination of stress has been abandoned.’

“Vision arose, insight arose, discernment arose, knowledge
arose, illumination arose within me with regard to things never heard
before: ‘This is the noble truth of the cessation of stress’… ‘This noble truth of the cessation of stress is to be directly experienced’… ‘This noble truth of the cessation of stress has been directly experienced.’

“Vision arose, insight arose, discernment arose, knowledge
arose, illumination arose within me with regard to things never heard
before: ‘This is the noble truth of the way of practice leading to the
cessation of stress’… ‘This noble truth of the way of practice leading to the cessation of stress is to be developed’… ‘This noble truth of the way of practice leading to the cessation of stress has been developed.’

[The twelve-spoked Wheel of Dhamma]

“And, monks, as long as this knowledge & vision of mine —
with its three rounds & twelve permutations concerning these four
noble truths as they actually are present — was not pure, I did not
claim to have directly awakened to the right self-awakening unexcelled
in the cosmos with its devas,
Maras, & Brahmas, with its contemplatives & priests, its
royalty & commonfolk. But as soon as this knowledge & vision of
mine — with its three rounds & twelve permutations concerning these
four noble truths as they actually are present — was truly pure, then I
did claim to have directly awakened to the right self-awakening
unexcelled in the cosmos with its devas, Maras & Brahmas, with its
contemplatives & priests, its royalty & commonfolk. Knowledge
& vision arose in me: ‘Unprovoked is my release. This is the last
birth. There is now no further becoming.’”

[The Noble Sangha is born]

That is what the Blessed One said. Gratified, the group of
five monks delighted at his words. And while this explanation was being
given, there arose to Ven. Kondañña the dustless, stainless Dhamma eye:
Whatever is subject to origination is all subject to cessation.

[The Wheel of the Dhamma begins to turn]

And when the Blessed One had set the Wheel of Dhamma in
motion, the earth devas cried out: “At Varanasi, in the Game Refuge at
Isipatana, the Blessed One has set in motion the unexcelled Wheel of
Dhamma that cannot be stopped by priest or contemplative, deva, Mara or
God or anyone in the cosmos.” On hearing the earth devas’ cry, the devas
of the Four Kings’ Heaven took up the cry… the devas of the
Thirty-three… the Yama devas… the Tusita devas… the Nimmanarati
devas… the Paranimmita-vasavatti devas… the devas of Brahma’s
retinue took up the cry: “At Varanasi, in the Game Refuge at Isipatana,
the Blessed One has set in motion the unexcelled Wheel of Dhamma that
cannot be stopped by priest or contemplative, devas, Mara, or God or
anyone at all in the cosmos.”

So in that moment, that instant, the cry shot right up to the
Brahma worlds. And this ten-thousand fold cosmos shivered &
quivered & quaked, while a great, measureless radiance appeared in
the cosmos, surpassing the effulgence of the devas.

Then the Blessed One exclaimed: “So you really know,
Kondañña? So you really know?” And that is how Ven. Kondañña acquired
the name Añña-Kondañña — Kondañña who knows.

— SN 56.11

…

“Thus, monks, any body whatsoever that is past, future, or
present; internal or external; blatant or subtle; common or sublime; far
or near: every body is to be seen as it actually is with right
discernment as: ‘This is not mine. This is not my self. This is not what
I am.’

“Any feeling whatsoever…

“Any perception whatsoever…

“Any fabrications whatsoever…

“Any consciousness whatsoever that is past, future, or
present; internal or external; blatant or subtle; common or sublime; far
or near: every consciousness is to be seen as it actually is with right
discernment as: ‘This is not mine. This is not my self. This is not
what I am.’

“Seeing thus, the well-instructed disciple of the noble ones
grows disenchanted with the body, disenchanted with feeling,
disenchanted with perception, disenchanted with fabrications,
disenchanted with consciousness. Disenchanted, he becomes dispassionate.
Through dispassion, he is fully released. With full release, there is
the knowledge, ‘Fully released.’ He discerns that ‘Birth is ended, the
holy life fulfilled, the task done. There is nothing further for this
world.’”

That is what the Blessed One said. Gratified, the group of
five monks delighted at his words. And while this explanation was being
given, the hearts of the group of five monks, through not clinging (not
being sustained), were fully released from fermentation/effluents.

— SN 22.59

[The Buddha:] “So what difference, what distinction,
what distinguishing factor is there between one rightly self-awakened
and a monk discernment-released?”

[A group of monks:] “For us, lord, the teachings have
the Blessed One as their root, their guide, & their arbitrator. It
would be good if the Blessed One himself would explicate the meaning of
this statement. Having heard it from the Blessed One, the monks will
remember it.”

“In that case, monks, listen & pay close attention. I will speak.”

“As you say, lord,” the monks responded.

The Blessed One said, “The Tathagata — the worthy one, the
rightly self-awakened one — is the one who gives rise to the path
(previously) unarisen, who engenders the path (previously) unengendered,
who points out the path (previously) not pointed out. He knows the
path, is expert in the path, is adept at the path. And his disciples now
keep following the path and afterwards become endowed with the path.

“This is the difference, this the distinction, this the
distinguishing between one rightly self-awakened and a monk
discernment-released.”

— SN 22.58

“And how is a monk one with a sense of social gatherings?
There is the case where a monk knows his social gathering: ‘This is a
social gathering of noble warriors; this, a social gathering of priests;
this, a social gathering of householders; this, a social gathering of
contemplatives; here one should approach them in this way, stand in this
way, act in this way, sit in this way, speak in this way, stay silent
in this way.’ If he didn’t know his social gathering — ‘This is a social
gathering of noble warriors; this, a social gathering of priests; this,
a social gathering of householders; this, a social gathering of
contemplatives; here one should approach them in this way, stand in this
way, act in this way, sit in this way, speak in this way, stay silent
in this way’ — he wouldn’t be said to be one with a sense of social
gatherings. So it’s because he does know his social gathering — ‘This is
a social gathering of noble warriors; this, a social gathering of
priests; this, a social gathering of householders; this, a social
gathering of contemplatives; here one should approach them in this way,
stand in this way, act in this way, sit in this way, speak in this way,
stay silent in this way’ — that he is said to be one with a sense of
social gatherings. This is one with a sense of Dhamma, a sense of
meaning, a sense of himself, a sense of moderation, a sense of time,
& a sense of social gatherings.”

— AN 7.64

“And what is the treasure of generosity?
There is the case of a disciple of the noble ones, his awareness
cleansed of the stain of stinginess, living at home, freely generous,
openhanded, delighting in being magnanimous, responsive to requests,
delighting in the distribution of alms. This is called the treasure of
generosity.”

— AN 7.6

“And what is the treasure of virtue?
There is the case where a disciple of the noble ones abstains from
taking life, abstains from stealing, abstains from illicit sexual
conduct, abstains from lying, abstains from taking intoxicants that
cause heedlessness. This, monks, is called the treasure of virtue.”

— AN 7.6

“There is the case where a person, being subject himself to aging, realizing the drawbacks of what is subject to aging, seeks the unaging, unsurpassed rest from the yoke: Unbinding.
Being subject himself to illness, realizing the drawbacks of what is
subject to illness, he seeks the unailing, unsurpassed rest from the
yoke: Unbinding. Being subject himself to death, realizing the drawbacks
of what is subject to death, he seeks the undying, unsurpassed rest
from the yoke: Unbinding. Being subject himself to defilement, realizing
the drawbacks of what is subject to defilement, he seeks the undefiled,
unsurpassed rest from the yoke: Unbinding.”

— AN 4.252

“Having seen the drawback of sensual pleasures, I pursued that theme; having understood the reward of renunciation,
I familiarized myself with it. My heart leaped up at renunciation, grew
confident, steadfast, & firm, seeing it as peace. Then, quite
withdrawn from sensuality, withdrawn from unskillful qualities, I
entered & remained in the first jhana: rapture & pleasure born from withdrawal, accompanied by directed thought & evaluation.”

— AN 9.41

“Bhikkhus, it is through not realizing, through not penetrating the Four Noble Truths that this long course of birth and death has been passed through and undergone by me as well as by you. What are these four? They are the noble truth of Dukkha; the noble truth of the origin of Dukkha; the noble truth of the cessation of Dukkha; and the noble truth of the way to the cessation of Dukkha.
But now, bhikkhus, that these have been realized and penetrated, cut
off is the craving for existence, destroyed is that which leads to
renewed becoming, and there is no fresh becoming.”

— DN 16

“There is that dimension where there is neither earth, nor
water, nor fire, nor wind; neither dimension of the infinitude of space,
nor dimension of the infinitude of consciousness, nor dimension of
nothingness, nor dimension of neither perception nor non-perception;
neither this world, nor the next world, nor sun, nor moon. And there, I
say, there is neither coming, nor going, nor stasis; neither passing
away nor arising: without stance, without foundation, without support
(mental object). This, just this, is the end of stress (dukkha).”

— Ud 8.1

“Both formerly & now, it is only stress (dukkha) that I describe, and the cessation of stress.”

— SN 22.86

As he was sitting there, [Moggallana the Guardsman] said to
Ven. Ananda: “Master Ananda, is there any one monk endowed in each &
every way with the qualities with which Master Gotama — worthy &
rightly self-awakened — was endowed?”

“No, brahman, there isn’t any one monk endowed in each &
every way with the qualities with which the Blessed One — worthy &
rightly self-awakened — was endowed. For the Blessed One was the arouser
of the unarisen path, the begetter of the unbegotten path, the
expounder of the unexpounded path, the knower of the path, the expert
with regard to the path, adept at the path. And now his disciples follow
the path and become endowed with it after him.”

— MN 108

“A monk called Gotama, it seems, a son of the Sakyans who
went forth from a Sakyan clan, has been wandering in the Kosalan country
with a large Sangha of bhikkhus and has come to Sala. Now a good report
of Master Gotama has been spread to this effect: ‘That Blessed One is
such since he is arahant and Fully Enlightened, perfect in true
knowledge and conduct, sublime, knower of worlds, incomparable teacher
of men to be tamed, teacher of gods and humans, enlightened, blessed. He
describes this world with its gods,
its Maras, and its (Brahma) Divinities, this generation with its monks
and brahmans, with its kings and its people, which he has himself
realized through direct knowledge. He teaches a Dhamma that is good in
the beginning, good in the middle and good in the end with (the right)
meaning and phrasing, he affirms a holy life that is utterly perfect and
pure.’ Now it is good to see such arahants.”

— MN 41

“I recall having approached many hundred assemblies of
nobles… many hundred assemblies of brahmans… many hundred assemblies
of householders… many hundred assemblies of recluses…”

— MN 12

At one time the Lord was staying near Savatthi in the Jeta
Grove at Anathapindika’s monastery. Now the lay-follower Dhammika with
500 other lay-followers approached the Lord. Having drawn near and
having saluted the Lord respectfully he sat down at one side. Sitting
there the lay-follower Dhammika addressed the Lord…

— Sn 2.14

Dighajanu
[LongShin; he also went by the name of TigerPaw] the Koliyan went to
the Blessed One and, on arrival, having bowed down to the Blessed One,
sat to one side. As he was sitting there he said to the Blessed One, “We
are lay people enjoying sensuality; living crowded with spouses &
children; using Kasi fabrics & sandalwood; wearing garlands, scents,
& creams; handling gold & silver. May the Blessed One teach the
Dhamma for those like us, for our happiness & well-being in this
life, for our happiness & well-being in lives to come.”

[The Blessed One said:] “There are these four qualities,
TigerPaw, that lead to a lay person’s happiness and well-being in this
life. Which four? Being consummate in initiative, being consummate in
vigilance, admirable friendship, and maintaining one’s livelihood in
tune.

“And what does it mean to be consummate in initiative? There
is the case where a lay person, by whatever occupation he makes his
living — whether by farming or trading or cattle tending or archery or
as a king’s man or by any other craft — is clever and untiring at it,
endowed with discrimination in its techniques, enough to arrange and
carry it out. This is called being consummate in initiative.

“And what does it mean to be consummate in vigilance? There
is the case when a lay person has righteous wealth — righteously gained,
coming from his initiative, his striving, his making an effort,
gathered by the strength of his arm, earned by his sweat — he manages to
protect it through vigilance [with the thought], ‘How shall neither
kings nor thieves make off with this property of mine, nor fire burn it,
nor water sweep it away, nor hateful heirs make off with it?’ This is
called being consummate in vigilance.

“And what is meant by admirable friendship? There is the case
where a lay person, in whatever town or village he may dwell, spends
time with householders or householders’ sons, young or old, who are
advanced in virtue. He talks with them, engages them in discussions. He
emulates consummate conviction in those who are consummate in
conviction, consummate virtue in those who are consummate in virtue,
consummate generosity in those who are consummate in generosity, and
consummate discernment in those who are consummate in discernment. This
is called admirable friendship.

“And what does it mean to maintain one’s livelihood in tune?
There is the case where a lay person, knowing the income and outflow of
his wealth, maintains a livelihood in tune, neither a spendthrift nor a
penny-pincher, [thinking], ‘Thus will my income exceed my outflow, and
my outflow will not exceed my income.’ Just as when
a weigher or his apprentice, when holding the scales, knows, ‘It has
tipped down so much or has tipped up so much,’ in the same way, the lay
person, knowing the income and outflow of his wealth, maintains a
livelihood in tune, neither a spendthrift nor a penny-pincher,
[thinking], ‘Thus will my income exceed my outflow, and my outflow will
not exceed my income.’ If a lay person has a small income but maintains a
grand livelihood, it will be rumored of him, ‘This clansman devours his
wealth like a fruit-tree eater [Commentary: one who shakes more fruit
off a tree than he can possibly eat].’ If a lay person has a large
income but maintains a miserable livelihood, it will be rumored of him,
‘This clansman will die of starvation.’ But when a lay person, knowing
the income and outflow of his wealth, maintains a livelihood in tune,
neither a spendthrift nor a penny-pincher, [thinking], ‘Thus will my
income exceed my outflow, and my outflow will not exceed my income,’
this is call maintaining one’s livelihood in tune.

“These are the four drains on one’s store of wealth:
debauchery in sex; debauchery in drink; debauchery in gambling; and evil
friendship, evil companionship, evil camaraderie. Just as if
there were a great reservoir with four inlets and four drains, and a
man were to close the inlets and open the drains, and the sky were not
to pour down proper showers, the depletion of that great reservoir could
be expected, not its increase. In the same way, these are the four
drains on one’s store of wealth: debauchery in sex; debauchery in drink;
debauchery in gambling; and evil friendship, evil companionship, evil
camaraderie.

These are the four inlets to one’s store of wealth: no
debauchery in sex; no debauchery in drink; no debauchery in gambling;
and admirable friendship, admirable companionship, admirable
camaraderie. Just as if there were a great reservoir with four inlets
and four drains, and a man were to open the inlets and close the drains,
and the sky were to pour down proper showers, the increase of that
great reservoir could be expected, not its depletion. In the same way,
these are the four inlets to one’s store of wealth: no debauchery in
sex; no debauchery in drink; no debauchery in gambling; and admirable
friendship, admirable companionship, admirable camaraderie.

“These, TigerPaw, are the four qualities that lead to a lay person’s happiness and well-being in this life.

“There are these four qualities that lead to a lay person’s
happiness and well-being in lives to come. Which four? Being consummate
in conviction, being consummate in virtue, being consummate in
generosity, being consummate in discernment.

“And what does it mean to be consummate in conviction? There
is the case where a disciple of the noble ones has conviction, is
convinced of the Tathagata’s Awakening: ‘Indeed, the Blessed One is
worthy and rightly self-awakened, consummate in knowledge and conduct,
well-gone, an expert with regard to the world, unexcelled as a trainer
for those people fit to be tamed, the Teacher of divine and human
beings, awakened, blessed.’ This is called being consummate in
conviction.

“And what does it mean to be consummate in virtue? There is
the case where a disciple of the noble ones abstains from taking life,
abstains from stealing, abstains from illicit sexual conduct, abstains
from lying, abstains from taking intoxicants that cause heedlessness.
This is called being consummate in virtue.

“And what does it mean to be consummate in generosity? There
is the case of a disciple of the noble ones, his awareness cleansed of
the stain of miserliness, living at home, freely generous, openhanded,
delighting in being magnanimous, responsive to requests, delighting in
the distribution of alms. This is called being consummate in generosity.

“And what does it mean to be consummate in discernment? There
is the case where a disciple of the noble ones is discerning, endowed
with discernment of arising and passing away — noble, penetrating,
leading to the right ending of stress. This is called being consummate
in discernment.

“These, TigerPaw, are the four qualities that lead to a lay person’s happiness and well-being in lives to come.”

— AN 8.54

I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was
dwelling among the Sakyans at Kapilavatthu in the Great Wood, together
with a large Sangha of approximately 500 bhikkhus, all of them
arahants…

— DN 20

Then the Blessed One, having encompassed the awareness of the
entire assembly with his awareness, asked himself, “Now who here is
capable of understanding the Dhamma?” He saw Suppabuddha the leper
sitting in the assembly, and on seeing him the thought occurred to him,
“This person here is capable of understanding the Dhamma.” So, aiming at
Suppabuddha the leper, he gave a step-by-step talk, i.e., a talk on
generosity, on virtue, on heaven; he declared the drawbacks,
degradation, & corruption of sensual passions, and the rewards of
renunciation. Then when he saw that Suppabuddha the leper’s mind was
ready, malleable, free from hindrances, elated, & bright, he then
gave the Dhamma-talk peculiar to Awakened Ones, i.e., stress,
origination, cessation, & path. And just as a clean cloth, free of
stains, would properly absorb a dye, in the same way, as Suppabuddha the
leper was sitting in that very seat, the dustless, stainless Dhamma eye
arose within him, “Whatever is subject to origination is all subject to
cessation.”

— Ud 5.3

Then King Pasenadi Kosala
approached the Blessed One in the middle of the day and, on arrival,
having bowed down, sat to one side. As he was sitting there, the Blessed
One said to him: “Well now, great king, where are you coming from in
the middle of the day?”

“Just now, lord, I was engaged in the sort of royal affairs
typical of head-anointed noble-warrior kings intoxicated with the
intoxication of sovereignty, obsessed by greed for sensual pleasures,
who have attained stable control in their country, and who rule having
conquered a great sphere of territory on earth.”

“What do you think, great king? Suppose a man, trustworthy
and reliable, were to come to you from the east and on arrival would
say: ‘If it please your majesty, you should know that I come from the
east. There I saw a great mountain, as high as the clouds, coming this
way, crushing all living beings [in its path]. Do whatever you think
should be done.’ Then a second man were to come to you from the west…
Then a third man were to come to you from the north… Then a fourth man
were to come to you from the south and on arrival would say: ‘If it
please your majesty, you should know that I come from the south. There I
saw a great mountain, as high as the clouds, coming this way, crushing
all living beings. Do whatever you think should be done.’ If, your
majesty, such a great peril should arise, such a terrible destruction of
human life — the human state being so hard to obtain — what should be
done?”

“If, lord, such a great peril should arise, such a terrible
destruction of human life — the human state being so hard to obtain —
what else should be done but Dhamma-conduct, right conduct, skillful
deeds, meritorious deeds?”

“I inform you, great king, I announce to you, great king:
aging and death are rolling in on you. When aging and death are rolling
in on you, great king, what should be done?”

“As aging and death are rolling in on me, lord, what else
should be done but Dhamma-conduct, right conduct, skillful deeds,
meritorious deeds?

…

“So it is, great king! So it is, great king! As aging and
death are rolling in on you, what else should be done but
Dhamma-conduct, right conduct, skillful deeds, meritorious deeds?”

— SN 3.25

Then Punna, a son of the Koliyans and an ox-duty ascetic, and also Seniya
a naked dog duty ascetic, went to the Blessed One, and Punna the ox
duty ascetic paid homage to the Blessed One and sat down at one side,
while Seniya the naked dog-duty ascetic exchanged greetings with the
Blessed One, and when the courteous and amiable talk was finished, he
too sat down at one side curled up like a dog. When Punna the ox-duty
ascetic sat down, he asked the Blessed One: “Venerable sir, this naked
dog-duty ascetic Seniya does what is hard to do: he eats his food when
it is thrown on the ground. That dog duty has long been taken up and
practiced by him. What will be his destination? What will be his future
course?”

“Enough, Punna, let that be. Do not ask me that.”

A second time… A third time Punna the ox-duty ascetic asked
the Blessed One: “Venerable sir, this naked dog-duty ascetic Seniya
does what is hard to do: he eats his food when it is thrown on the
ground. That dog duty has long been taken up and practiced by him. What
will be his destination? What will be his future course?”

“Well, Punna, since I certainly cannot persuade you when I
say ‘Enough, Punna, let that be. Do not ask me that,’ I shall therefore
answer you.

“Here, Punna, someone develops the dog duty fully and
unstintingly, he develops the dog-habit fully and unstintingly, he
develops the dog mind fully and unstintingly, he develops dog behavior
fully and unstintingly. Having done that, on the dissolution of the
body, after death, he reappears in the company of dogs. But if his view
is such as this: ‘By this virtue or duty or asceticism or religious life
I shall become a (great) god or some (lesser) god,’ that is wrong view
in his case. Now there are two destinations for one with wrong view, I
say: hell or the animal womb. So, Punna, if his dog duty is perfected,
it will lead him to the company of dogs; if it is not, it will lead him
to hell.”

— MN 57

“…many hundred assemblies of gods of the heaven of the Four
Great Kings… many hundred assemblies of gods of the heaven of the
Thirty-three… many hundred assemblies of Mara’s retinue… many
hundred assemblies of Brahmas. And formerly I had sat with them there
and talked with them and held conversations with them…”

— MN 12

“Renouncing the five pleasures of sense that entrance and
delight the mind, and in faith departing from home, become one who makes
an end of suffering!

“Associate with good friends and choose a remote lodging,
secluded, with little noise. Be moderate in eating. Robes, alms-food,
remedies and a dwelling, — do not have craving for these things; do not
be one who returns to the world. Practice restraint according to the
Discipline, and control the five sense-faculties.

“Practice mindfulness of the body and continually develop
dispassion (towards it). Avoid the sign of the beautiful connected with
passion; by meditating on the foul cultivate a mind that is concentrated
and collected.

“Meditate on the Signless and get rid of the tendency to
conceit. By thoroughly understanding and destroying conceit you will
live in the (highest) peace.”

In this manner the Lord repeatedly exhorted the Venerable Rahula.

— Snp II.11

I have heard that at one time the Blessed One was staying at Vesali, in the Peaked Roof Hall in the Great Forest.

Then Mahapajapati Gotami went to the Blessed One and, on
arrival, having bowed down to him, stood to one side. As she was
standing there she said to him: “It would be good, venerable sir, if the
Blessed One would teach me the Dhamma in brief such that, having heard
the Dhamma from the Blessed One, I might dwell alone, secluded, heedful,
ardent, & resolute.”

“Gotami, the qualities of which you may know, ‘These
qualities lead to passion, not to dispassion; to being fettered, not to
being unfettered; to accumulating, not to shedding; to
self-aggrandizement, not to modesty; to discontent, not to contentment;
to entanglement, not to seclusion; to laziness, not to aroused
persistence; to being burdensome, not to being unburdensome’: You may
definitely hold, ‘This is not the Dhamma, this is not the Vinaya, this
is not the Teacher’s instruction.’

“As for the qualities of which you may know, ‘These qualities
lead to dispassion, not to passion; to being unfettered, not to being
fettered; to shedding, not to accumulating; to modesty, not to
self-aggrandizement; to contentment, not to discontent; to seclusion,
not to entanglement; to aroused persistence, not to laziness; to being
unburdensome, not to being burdensome’: You may definitely hold, ‘This
is the Dhamma, this is the Vinaya, this is the Teacher’s instruction.’”

That is what the Blessed One said. Gratified, Mahapajapati Gotami delighted at his words.

— AN 8.53

I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying near Savatthi, in Jeta’s Grove, Anathapindika’s monastery. Now at that time Ven. Nanda
— the Blessed One’s brother, son of his maternal aunt — told a large
number of monks, “I don’t enjoy leading the holy life, my friends. I
can’t endure the holy life. Giving up the training, I will return to the
common life.”

Then a certain monk went to the Blessed One and, on arrival,
having bowed down to him, sat to one side. As he was sitting there, he
told the Blessed One: “Lord, Ven. Nanda — the Blessed One’s brother, son
of his maternal aunt — has told a large number of monks, ‘I don’t enjoy
leading the holy life, my friends. I can’t endure the holy life. Giving
up the training, I will return to the common life.’”

Then the Blessed One told a certain monk, “Come, monk. In my name, call Nanda, saying, ‘The Teacher calls you, my friend.’”

“As you say, lord,” the monk answered and, having gone to Ven. Nanda, on arrival he said, “The Teacher calls you, my friend.”

“As you say, my friend,” Ven. Nanda replied. Then he went to
the Blessed One and, on arrival, having bowed down to him, sat to one
side. As he was sitting there, the Blessed One said to him, “Is it true,
Nanda, that you have told a large number of monks, ‘I don’t enjoy
leading the holy life, my friends. I can’t endure the holy life. Giving
up the training, I will return to the common life.’?”

“Yes, lord.”

“But why, Nanda, don’t you enjoy leading the holy life?”

“Lord, as I was leaving home, a Sakyan girl — the envy of the
countryside — glanced up at me, with her hair half-combed, and said,
‘Hurry back, master.’ Recollecting that, I don’t enjoy leading the holy
life. I can’t endure the holy life. Giving up the training, I will
return to the common life.”

Then, taking Ven. Nanda by the arm — as a strong man might
flex his extended arm or extend his flexed arm — the Blessed One
disappeared from Jeta’s Grove and reappeared among the devas of the
Tavatimsa Heaven. Now at that time about 500 dove-footed nymphs had come
to wait upon Sakka, the ruler of the devas. And the Blessed One said to
Ven. Nanda, “Nanda, do you see those 500 dove-footed nymphs?”

“Yes, lord.”

“What do you think, Nanda: Which is lovelier, better looking,
more charming — the Sakyan girl, the envy of the countryside, or these
500 dove-footed nymphs?”

“Lord, compared to these 500 dove-footed nymphs, the Sakyan
girl, the envy of the countryside, is like a cauterized monkey with its
ears and nose cut off. She doesn’t count. She’s not even a small
fraction. There’s no comparison. The 500 dove-footed nymphs are
lovelier, better looking, more charming.”

“Then take joy, Nanda. Take joy! I am your guarantee for getting 500 dove-footed nymphs.”

“If the Blessed One is my guarantee for getting 500
dove-footed nymphs, I will enjoy leading the holy life under the Blessed
One.”

Then, taking Ven. Nanda by the arm — as a strong man might
flex his extended arm or extend his flexed arm — the Blessed One
disappeared from among the devas of the Tavatimsa Heaven and reappeared
in Jeta’s Grove. The monks heard, “They say that Ven. Nanda — the
Blessed One’s brother, son of his maternal aunt — is leading the holy
life for the sake of nymphs. They say that the Blessed One is his
guarantee for getting 500 dove-footed nymphs.”

Then the monks who were friends of Ven. Nanda went around
addressing him as they would a hired hand and a dealer: “Our friend
Nanda, they say, is a hired hand. Our friend Nanda, they say, is a
dealer. He’s leading the holy life for the sake of nymphs. The Blessed
One is his guarantee for getting 500 dove-footed nymphs.”

Then Ven. Nanda — humiliated, ashamed, and disgusted that the
monks who were his friends were addressing him as they would a hired
hand and a dealer — went to dwell alone, secluded, heedful, ardent, and
resolute. He in no long time entered and remained in the supreme goal of
the holy life for which clansmen rightly go forth from home into
homelessness, knowing and realizing it for himself in the here and now.
He knew: “Birth is ended, the holy life fulfilled, the task done. There
is nothing further for the sake of this world.” And thus Ven. Nanda
became another one of the arahants.

— Ud 3.2

Now on that occasion the Blessed One, on emerging from
seclusion in the late afternoon, sat warming his back in the western
sun. Then Ven. Ananda
went to the Blessed One and, on arrival, having bowed down to the
Blessed One, massaged the Blessed One’s limbs with his hand and said, “It’s amazing,
lord. It’s astounding, how the Blessed One’s complexion is no longer so
clear & bright; his limbs are flabby & wrinkled; his back, bent
forward; there’s a discernible change in his faculties — the faculty of
the eye, the faculty of the ear, the faculty of the nose, the faculty
of the tongue, the faculty of the body.”

“That’s the way it is, Ananda. When young, one is subject to
aging; when healthy, subject to illness; when alive, subject to death.
The complexion is no longer so clear & bright; the limbs are flabby
& wrinkled; the back, bent forward; there’s a discernible change in
the faculties — the faculty of the eye, the faculty of the ear, the
faculty of the nose, the faculty of the tongue, the faculty of the
body.”

— SN 48.41

“Now I am frail, Ananda, old, aged, far gone in years. This
is my eightieth year, and my life is spent. Even as an old cart, Ananda,
is held together with much difficulty, so the body of the Tathagata is
kept going only with supports. It is, Ananda, only when the Tathagata,
disregarding external objects, with the cessation of certain feelings,
attains to and abides in the signless concentration of mind, that his
body is more comfortable.

“Therefore, Ananda, be islands unto yourselves, refuges unto
yourselves, seeking no external refuge; with the Dhamma as your island,
the Dhamma as your refuge, seeking no other refuge.

“And how, Ananda, is a bhikkhu an island unto himself, a
refuge unto himself, seeking no external refuge; with the Dhamma as his
island, the Dhamma as his refuge, seeking no other refuge?

“When he dwells contemplating the body in the body,
earnestly, clearly comprehending, and mindfully, after having overcome
desire and sorrow in regard to the world; when he dwells contemplating
feelings in feelings, the mind in the mind, and mental objects in mental
objects, earnestly, clearly comprehending, and mindfully, after having
overcome desire and sorrow in regard to the world, then, truly, he is an
island unto himself, a refuge unto himself, seeking no external refuge;
having the Dhamma as his island, the Dhamma as his refuge, seeking no
other refuge.”

— DN 16

“Today, Ananda, at the Capala shrine, Mara, the Evil One,
approached me, saying: ‘Now, O Lord, bhikkhus and bhikkhunis, laymen and
laywomen, have come to be true disciples of the Blessed One — wise,
well disciplined, apt and learned, preservers of the Dhamma, living
according to the Dhamma, abiding in the appropriate conduct, and having
learned the Master’s word, are able to expound it, preach it, proclaim
it, establish it, reveal it, explain it in detail, and make it clear;
and when adverse opinions arise, they are now able to refute them
thoroughly and well, and to preach this convincing and liberating
Dhamma.

“‘And now, O Lord, this holy life taught by the Blessed One
has become successful, prosperous, far-renowned, popular and widespread,
and it is well proclaimed among gods and men. Therefore, O Lord, let
the Blessed One come to his final passing away! Let the Happy One
utterly pass away! The time has come for the Parinibbana of the Lord.’

“And then, Ananda, I answered Mara, the Evil One, saying: ‘Do
not trouble yourself, Evil One. Before long the Parinibbana of the
Tathagata will come about. Three months hence the Tathagata will utterly
pass away.’

“And in this way, Ananda, today at the Capala shrine the Tathagata has renounced his will to live on.”

At these words the Venerable Ananda spoke to the Blessed One,
saying: “May the Blessed One remain, O Lord! May the Happy One remain, O
Lord, throughout the world-period, for the welfare and happiness of the
multitude, out of compassion for the world, for the benefit, well
being, and happiness of gods and men!”

And the Blessed One answered, saying: “Enough, Ananda. Do not
entreat the Tathagata, for the time is past, Ananda, for such an
entreaty.”

— DN 16

“Now, O bhikkhus, I say to you that these teachings of which I
have direct knowledge and which I have made known to you — these you
should thoroughly learn, cultivate, develop, and frequently practice,
that the life of purity may be established and may long endure, for the
welfare and happiness of the multitude, out of compassion for the world,
for the benefit, well being, and happiness of gods and men.

“And what, bhikkhus, are these teachings? They are the four
foundations of mindfulness, the four right efforts, the four
constituents of psychic power, the five faculties, the five powers, the
seven factors of enlightenment, and the Noble Eightfold Path. These,
bhikkhus, are the teachings of which I have direct knowledge, which I
have made known to you, and which you should thoroughly learn,
cultivate, develop, and frequently practice, that the life of purity may
be established and may long endure, for the welfare and happiness of
the multitude, out of compassion for the world, for the benefit, well
being, and happiness of gods and men.”

Then the Blessed One said to the bhikkhus: “So, bhikkhus, I
exhort you: All compounded things are subject to vanish. Strive with
earnestness. The time of the Tathagata’s Parinibbana is near. Three
months hence the Tathagata will utterly pass away.”

— DN 16

And soon after the Blessed One had eaten the meal provided by
Cunda the metalworker, a dire sickness fell upon him, even dysentery,
and he suffered sharp and deadly pains. But the Blessed One endured them
mindfully, clearly comprehending and unperturbed.

Then the Blessed One spoke to the Venerable Ananda, saying:
“Come, Ananda, let us go to Kusinara” And the Venerable Ananda answered:
“So be it, Lord.”

— DN 16

Then the Blessed One with a large community of monks went to
the far shore of the Hiraññavati River and headed for Upavattana, the
Mallans’ sal-grove near Kusinara. On arrival, he said to Ven. Ananda,
“Ananda, please prepare a bed for me between the twin sal-trees, with
its head to the north. I am tired, and will lie down.”

Responding, “As you say, lord,” Ven. Ananda prepared a bed
between the twin sal-trees, with its head to the north. Then the Blessed
One lay down on his right side in the lion’s sleeping posture, with one
foot on top of the other, mindful & alert.

Now at that time the twin sal-trees were in full bloom, even
though it was not the time for flowering. They showered, strewed, &
sprinkled on the Tathagata’s body in homage to him. Heavenly coral-tree
blossoms fell from the sky, showering, strewing, & sprinkling the
Tathagata’s body in homage to him. Heavenly sandalwood powder fell from
the sky, showering, strewing, & sprinkling the Tathagata’s body in
homage to him. Heavenly music was playing in the sky, in homage to the
Tathagata. Heavenly songs were sung in the sky, in homage to the
Tathagata.

— DN 16

“Ananda, there are these four places that merit being seen by
a clansman with conviction, that merit his feelings of urgency &
dismay (samvega). Which four? ‘Here the Tathagata was born’ is a
place that merits being seen by a clansman with conviction, that merits
his feelings of urgency & dismay. ‘Here the Tathagata awakened to
the unexcelled right self-awakening’… ‘Here the Tathagata set rolling
the unexcelled wheel of Dhamma’… ‘Here the Tathagata was totally
unbound in the remainderless property of Unbinding’ is a place that
merits being seen by a clansman with conviction, that merits his
feelings of urgency & dismay. These are the four places that merit
being seen by a clansman with conviction, that merit his feelings of
urgency & dismay. They will come out of conviction, Ananda — monks,
nuns, male lay followers, & female lay followers — to the spots
where ‘Here the Tathagata was born,’ ‘Here the Tathagata awakened to the
unexcelled right self-awakening,’ ‘Here the Tathagata set rolling the
unexcelled wheel of Dhamma,’ ‘Here the Tathagata was totally unbound in
the remainderless property of Unbinding.’ And anyone who dies while
making a pilgrimage to these memorials with a bright, confident mind
will — on the break-up of the body, after death — reappear in a good
destination, the heavenly world.”

— DN 16

Now at that time the Kusinara Mallans had met for some
business in their assembly hall. Ven. Ananda went to the assembly hall
and on arrival announced to them, “Tonight, Vasitthas, in the last watch
of the night, the total Unbinding of the Tathagata will occur. Come
out, Vasitthas! Come out, Vasitthas! Don’t later regret that ‘The
Tathagata’s total Unbinding occurred within the borders of our very own
town, but we didn’t get to see him in his final hour!’” When they heard
Ven. Ananda, the Mallans together with their sons, daughters, &
wives were shocked, saddened, their minds overflowing with sorrow. Some
of them wept, tearing at their hair; they wept, uplifting their arms. As
if their feet were cut out from under them, they fell down and rolled
back & forth, crying, “All too soon, the Blessed One will be totally
unbound! All too soon, the One Well-gone will be totally unbound! All
too soon, the One with Eyes will disappear from the world!”

Then the Mallans together with their sons, daughters, &
wives — shocked, saddened, their minds overflowing with sorrow — went to
Ven. Ananda at Upavattana, the Mallans’ sal-grove near Kusinara.

— DN 16

“In any doctrine & discipline where the noble eightfold
path is not found, no contemplative of the first… second… third…
fourth order [stream-winner, once-returner, non-returner, or arahant] is found. But in any doctrine & discipline where the noble eightfold path is found, contemplatives of the first… second… third… fourth order are
found. The noble eightfold path is found in this doctrine &
discipline, and right here there are contemplatives of the first…
second… third… fourth order. Other teachings are empty of
knowledgeable contemplatives. And if the monks dwell rightly, this world
will not be empty of arahants.”

— DN 16

Then the Blessed One addressed the monks, “Now, then, monks, I
exhort you: All fabrications are subject to decay. Bring about
completion by being heedful.” Those were the Tathagata’s last words.

Then the Blessed One entered the first jhana. Emerging from
that he entered the second jhana. Emerging from that, he entered the
third… the fourth jhana… the dimension of the infinitude of space…
the dimension of the infinitude of consciousness… the dimension of
nothingness… the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception.
Emerging from that, he entered the cessation of perception &
feeling.

…

Then the Blessed One, emerging from the cessation of
perception & feeling, entered the dimension of neither perception
nor non-perception. Emerging from that, he entered the dimension of
nothingness… the dimension of the infinitude of consciousness… the
dimension of the infinitude of space… the fourth jhana… the third…
the second… the first jhana. Emerging from the first jhana he entered
the second… the third… the fourth jhana. Emerging from the fourth
jhana, he immediately was totally Unbound.

— DN 16