Part 14 - The Buddha’s Discourse at Nātika Village

On Those Disciples whose Spiritual Progress is assured

Then after staying at Koti village for as long as He wished, the Buddha said to Venerable

Ānanda: “Come, Ānanda, let us go to Nāṭika village.”

“Very well, Sir,” assented Ānanda, and he called upon the bhikkhus for the journey. The Buddha went to Nātika village accompanied by many bhikkhus and stayed in a brick building.

(Herein, Nātika was a twin village founded by two cousin brothers (born of two brothers) who sited it near a reservoir. Thus the village got its name, “village of relations” (ñātika), from which Pāli word, ñ became corrupted into n, and hence the name Nātika. In that twin village there was a brick monastery which was the place of the Buddha’s sojourn.)

During that time the Venerable Ānanda approached the Buddha and asked these questions:

“Venerable Sir, in Nātika village, a bhikkhu by the name of Sāḷa has passed away. What is his destination? What is his next existence?

“Venerable Sir, in (this same) Nātika village, a bhikkhunī named Nandā has passed away. What is her destination? What is her next existence?

“Venerable Sir, in (this same) Nātika village, a devotee named Sudatta has passed away. What is his destination? What is his next existence?

“Venerable Sir, in (this same) Nātika village, a devotee named Sujātā has passed away. What is her destination? What is her next existence?

“Venerable Sir, in (this same) Nātika village, a devotee named Kukkuta... (repeat below) ...a devotee named Kaḷimba... (repeat below) ...a devotee named Nikaṭa... (repeat below)...a devotee named Katissaha... (repeat below) ...a devotee named Tuṭṭha... (repeat below) ...a devotee named Santuṭṭha... (repeat below) ...a devotee named Bhaddha... (repeat below) ...a devotee named Subhadda (repeat:) has passed away. What is his destination? What is his next existence?”

To these questions the Buddha answered them, one by one thus:

“Ānanda, due to the extinction of the āsavas (moral taints), Sāḷa the bhikkhu had realized in this very life Emancipation of mind (arahatta-phala-samādhi) and Emancipation through Knowledge (arahatta-phala-paññā) He died an arahat.

“Ānanda, through the eradication of the Five Fetters that lead to rebirth in the Sensuous Sphere, the lower planes of existence, Nanda the bhikkhunī has been reborn spontaneously in the Brahmā realm. She died an anāgāmin (a Never-Returner), with no possibility of returning (reverting) from that Brahmā existence and will realize parinibbāna (the utter passing away), there.

“Ānanda, through the eradication of the three Fetters wrong view of Five Aggregates as a self (sakkāya-diṭṭhi), uncertainty and doubts (vicikicchā), belief in religious practices outside of the Ariya Path (sīlabbataparāmāsa) and the lessening of attachment (rāga), hatred (dosa) and bewilderment (moha), Sudatta the devotee was a sakadāgāmin (a Once-Returner). He will make an end of dukkha after being reborn in the human world only once.

“Ānanda, through the eradication of the three Fetters, (namely, the wrong view of the Five Aggregates as a self, uncertainty, and belief in religious practices outside of the Ariya Path), Sujātā the female devotee, was a sotāpanna (a Stream-Enterer), who is not liable to fall into the four miserable states of apāya, destined for the fortunate existences, and is firmly set on the path of spiritual progress marked by the three higher maggas.

“Ānanda, the devotee named Kukkuṭa... (repeat below) ...the devotee named Kalimba... (repeat below) ...the devotee named Nikata... (repeat below) ...the devotee named Katissaha... (repeat below) ...the devotee named Tuṭṭha... (repeat below) ...the devotee named Santutta.... (repeat below) ...the devotee named Bhaddha... (repeat below) ... the devotee named Subhadda, (repeat:) through the eradication of the five Fetters that lead to rebirth in the Sensuous Sphere, the lower planes of existence, has been reborn spontaneously in the Brahmā realm. He died an anāgāmin (a Never-Returner), with no possibility of returning (reverting) from that Brahmā existence and will realize parinibbāna (the utter passing away), there.

“Ānanda over fifty devotees from Nātika village, who have died, were anāgāmin (Never-Returners) by virtue of having eradicated the Five Fetters that lead to rebirth in the sensuous Sphere, the lower planes of existence, destined for Spontaneous rebirth in the Brahmā realm, with no possibility of returning (reverting) from that Brahmā existence and they will realize parinibbāna (the utter passing away), there.

“Ānanda over ninety devotees of Nātika village, who have died, were sakadāgāmin (Once-Returners), who had eradicated the three Fetters (i.e. sakkāya-diṭṭhi, vicikicchā, sīlabbata-parāmsa) and had lessened attachment (rāga), hatred (dosa) and bewilderment (moha). They will make an end of dukkha after being reborn in the human world only once.

“Ānanda, over five hundred devotees from Nātika village, who have died, were Stream-Enterers through the eradication of the three Fetters (i.e. the wrong view of the Five Aggregates as a Self, Uncertainty, and Belief in religious practices outside of the Ariya Path). They are not liable to fall into the miserable states of apāya, and were destined for fortunate existence, and are bound to attain the three higher maggas.”

The Mirror Discourse

“Ānanda, this ability to tell about the destination of people is something which anyone endowed with knowledge of the Dhamma can have in respect of himself. It is not a mysterious art that belongs only to the Tathāgata. Ānanda, if the Tathāgata were to be approached and asked as to the destination of every person who has died, it would be quite a botheration for him.

“As such, Ānanda, an ariya disciple, who possesses the Mirror of Wisdom can, if he wishes to, say of himself: ‘I shall never be reborn in the realm of continuous suffering (niraya), nor in the animal world, nor in the realm of wretched spirits burning with thirst and hunger (peta), nor in any of the four miserable states of apāya, I am certain to be reborn only in the fortunate existences. I am bound to attain the three higher maggas.’ I shall expound this discourse on the Mirror of Wisdom. Ānanda, what is this Mirror of Wisdom?

i) Ānanda, in this Teaching, the ariya disciple (i.e. male or female disciple) has unshakable confidence in the Bhagavā, being convinced that:

The Bhagavā is worthy of homage (Arahaṃ); He is Perfectly Self-Enlightened (Sammāsambuddha); He is possessed of perfect knowledge and conduct (Vijjā carana sampana); He speaks only what is beneficial and true (Sugata); He knows all the three Worlds (Lokavidhū);He is incomparable in taming those who deserve to be tamed (Anuttaro purisadamma sāratti); He is the Enlightened One, knowing and teaching the Four Ariya Truths (Buddho); and he is the Most Exalted (Bhagava);

ii) The ariya disciple has unshakable confidence in the Dhamma, being convinced that:

The Dhamma expounded by the Bhagavā is well expounded (svākkhāta);its truths are personally apperceivable (sandiṭṭhika); its practice (i.e. of the Ariya Path) yields fruit (akālika); immediately; it can stand investigation (ehipassika); it is worthy of being perpetually borne in mind (opaneyika); and it can be seen, realized and enjoyed by the wise, each according to his own capacity (paccataṃ veditabba, viññāhi).

iii) The ariya disciple has unshakable confidence in the Sangha, being convinced that:

The Order of Bhikkhus, the Sangha, are endowed with the right practice (suppaṭipaññā), i.e. Threefold Training in Morality, Concentration and Wisdom; they are endowed with straight forward uprightness (ujjupaṭipaññā);they are endowed with righteous conduct (ñyāyapaṭipaññā), and they are endowed with conducts which inspire awe and respect (samicipaṭipaññā). Thus conducting well in these four ways, serving as four grounds for their worthiness, the Sangha, comprising eight individual types of four pairs, is worthy of offerings, even those brought from a far; worthy of offerings specially prepared for guests; worthy of offerings made for the sake of acquiring great merit, worthy of receiving obeisance; they are the incomparably fertile soil for all to sow the seed of merit, thus they are worthy in these five ways.

iv) The ariya disciple is endowed with the moral precepts (sīla) which tend to liberation from bondage to Craving, which are extolled by the wise, which are not subject to misconception, which make for concentration, and which are unbroken, intact, unchequered, and unspotted, and which are cherished by the ariyas.

“Ānanda, an ariya disciple who is endowed with the above four factors of the Mirror of Wisdom can, if he so desires, say of himself: ‘I shall never be reborn in the realm of continuous suffering (niraya); or in the animal world, or in the realm of wretched spirits burning with thirst and hunger (peta) or in any of the four miserable states of apāya;I am certain to be reborn only in the fortunate existences. I am bound to attain the three higher maggas.’ This discourse is called the Mirror of Wisdom.”

While at the brick monastery at Nātika village as well, the Buddha, considering his approaching death, discoursed to the bhikkhus on the same theme, i.e.,

“Such is sīla (morality);such is samādhi (concentration) such is paññā (wisdom). Concentration that is developed through morality is highly efficacious and productive. Wisdom that is developed through concentration is highly efficacious and productive. The mind that is developed through wisdom is thoroughly liberated without any remnant from the moral taints of pervasive defilements (āsavas), namely kammāsava (the taint of sense-desire), bhavāsava (the taint of hankering after continued existence), and avijjāsava (the taint of ignorance of the Four Ariya Truths).”