1On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Sāvatthī in Jeta's Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika's Park. [n.157] The event related in this sutta poses a problem for the traditional chronology of the Buddha’s life. In the Mahaparinibbāna Sutta, Sāriputta's lion's roar just above takes place during what appears to be the Buddha’s final journey along the route from Rājagaha to Vesālī. From Vesālī the Buddha heads towards Kusinārāā without ever returning to Sāvatthī, some 200 km to the west. Yet the present sutta shows the Buddha residing at Sāvatthī when he receives the news of Sāriputta's death. To preserve the traditional chronology, the commentaries (Spk here, and Sv II 550) have the Buddha make an additional side trip to Sāvatthī following his rains retreat at Beluvagāmaka (see DN II 98–99), an excursion not mentioned in the Mahaparinibbāna Sutta. Sāriputta accompanies him on this trip to Sāvatthī, later takes his leave, and returns to his native village Nālakagāma, where he falls ill and dies. For the commentarial story of Sāriputta's death, see Nyanaponika, "Sāriputta: The Marshal of the Dhamma," in Nyanaponika and Hecker, Great Disciples of the Buddha, pp. 47–59. Now on that occasion the Venerable Sāriputta was dwelling among the Magadhans at Nālakagāma—sick, afflicted, gravely ill—and the novice Cunda was his attendant. [n.158] Spk identifies this Cunda as Sāriputta's younger brother and says, improbably, that because the bhikkhus used to address him as "novice Cunda" before his higher ordination they continued to address him thus even when he was an elder.

2Then, because of that illness, the Venerable Sāriputta attained final Nibbāna.

The novice Cunda, taking the Venerable Sāriputta's bowl and robe, went to Sāvatthī, to Jeta's Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika's Park. There he approached the Venerable Ānanda, paid homage to him, sat down to one side, and said to him: sn.v.162 "Venerable sir, the Venerable Sāriputta has attained final Nibbāna. This is his bowl and robe."

3"Friend Cunda, we should see the Blessed One about this piece of news. Come, friend Cunda, let us go to the Blessed One and report this matter to him."

"Yes, venerable sir," the novice Cunda replied.

4Then the Venerable Ānanda and the novice Cunda approached the Blessed One, paid homage to him, and sat down to one side. The Venerable Ānanda then said to the Blessed One: "This novice Cunda, venerable sir, says that the Venerable Sāriputta has attained final Nibbāna, and this is his bowl and robe. Venerable sir, since I heard that the Venerable Sāriputta has attained final Nibbāna, my body seems as if it has been drugged, I have become disoriented, the teachings are no longer clear to me." [n.159] Spk says that here dhamma signifies the condensed and catechistic teachings (uddesaparipucchā dhammā). The expression also occurs at SN22.84 and SN47.9.

5"Why, Ānanda, when Sāriputta attained final Nibbāna, did he take away your aggregate of virtue, or your aggregate of concentration, or your aggregate of wisdom, or your aggregate of liberation, or your aggregate of the knowledge and vision of liberation?" [n.160] These are the five "aggregates of Dhamma" (dhammakkhandha) possessed in full only by arahants; see SN6.2. The ascription to Ānanda of the last two aggregates (liberation, and the knowledge and vision of liberation) seems puzzling, as he is still a trainee and thus not yet fully liberated. Such anomalies, however, do occasionally occur in the texts, as at SN55.26 (V 384,1–12) where right knowledge and right liberation, usually unique attributes of the arahant, are ascribed to the stream-enterer Anāthapiṇḍika.

"No, he did not, venerable sir. But for me the Venerable Sāriputta was an advisor and counsellor, one who instructed, exhorted, inspired, and gladdened me. [n.161] Be and Ee include otiṇṇo between ovādako and viññāpako. The word is not in Se or SS. He was unwearying in teaching the Dhamma; he was helpful to his brothers in the holy life. We recollect the nourishment of Dhamma, the wealth of Dhamma, the help of Dhamma given by the Venerable Sāriputta."

6"But have I not already declared, Ānanda, that we must be parted, separated, and severed from all who are dear and agreeable to us? sn.v.163 How, Ānanda, is it to be obtained here: ‘May what is born, come to be, conditioned, and subject to disintegration not disintegrate!’? That is impossible. It is just as if the largest branch would break off a great tree standing possessed of heartwood: so too, Ānanda, in the great Bhikkhu Saṅgha standing possessed of heartwood, Sāriputta has attained final Nibbāna. How, Ānanda, is it to be obtained here: ‘May what is born, come to be, conditioned, and subject to disintegration not disintegrate!’? That is impossible.

7"Therefore, Ānanda, dwell with yourselves as your own island, with yourselves as your own refuge, with no other refuge; dwell with the Dhamma as your island, with the Dhamma as your refuge, with no other refuge … as in §9 … Those bhikkhus, Ānanda, either now or after I am gone, who dwell with themselves as their own island, with themselves as their own refuge, with no other refuge; who dwell with the Dhamma as their island, with the Dhamma as their refuge, with no other refuge—it is these bhikkhus, Ānanda, who will be for me topmost of those keen on the training."

1Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ vihārati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme. Tena kho pana samayena āyasmā sāriputto magadhesu vihārati nālakagāmake ābādhiko dukkhito bāḷhagilāno. Cundo ca samaṇuddeso āyasmato sāriputtassa upaṭṭhāko hoti.

2Atha kho āyasmā sāriputto teneva ābādhena parinibbāyi.

Atha kho cundo samaṇuddeso āyasmato sāriputtassa pattacīvaramādāya yena sāvatthi jetavanaṁ anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāmo yenāyasmā ānando tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmantaṁ Ānandaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho cundo samaṇuddeso āyasmantaṁ Ānandaṁ etadavoca: "Āyasmā, bhante, sāriputto parinibbuto. Idamassa pattacīvaran"ti.

3"Atthi kho idaṁ, āvuso cunda, kathāpābhataṁ bhagavantaṁ dassanāya. Āyāmāvuso cunda, yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkamissāma; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavato etamatthaṁ ārocessāmā"ti.

"Evaṁ, bhante"ti kho cundo samaṇuddeso āyasmato ānandassa paccassosi.

4Atha kho āyasmā ca ānando cundo ca samaṇuddeso yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdiṁsu. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā ānando bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: "Ayaṁ, bhante, cundo samaṇuddeso evamāha: ‘āyasmā, bhante, sāriputto parinibbuto; idamassa pattacīvaran’ti. Api ca me, bhante, madhurakajāto viya kāyo, disāpi me na pakkhāyanti, dhammāpi maṁ nappaṭibhanti ‘āyasmā sāriputto parinibbuto’ti sutvā".

5"Kiṁ nu kho te, Ānanda, sāriputto sīlakkhandhaṁ vā ādāya parinibbuto, samādhikkhandhaṁ vā ādāya parinibbuto, paññākkhandhaṁ vā ādāya parinibbuto, vimuttikkhandhaṁ vā ādāya parinibbuto, vimuttiñāṇadassanakkhandhaṁ vā ādāya parinibbuto"ti?

"Na ca kho me, bhante, āyasmā sāriputto sīlakkhandhaṁ vā ādāya parinibbuto, samādhikkhandhaṁ vā … pe … paññākkhandhaṁ vā … pe … vimuttikkhandhaṁ vā … pe … vimuttiñāṇadassanakkhandhaṁ vā ādāya parinibbuto. Api ca me, bhante, āyasmā sāriputto ovādako ahosi otiṇṇo viññāpako sandassako samādapako samuttejako sampahaṁsako, akilāsu dhammadesanāya, anuggāhako sabrahmacārīnaṁ. Taṁ mayaṁ āyasmato sāriputtassa dhammojaṁ dhammabhogaṁ dhammānuggahaṁ anussarāmā"ti.

6"Nanu taṁ, Ānanda, mayā paṭikacceva akkhātaṁ: ‘sabbehi piyehi manāpehi nānābhāvo vinābhāvo aññathābhāvo. Taṁ kutettha, Ānanda, labbhā. Yaṁ taṁ jātaṁ bhūtaṁ saṅkhataṁ palokadhammaṁ, taṁ vata mā palujjīti – netaṁ ṭhānaṁ vijjati. Seyyathāpi, Ānanda, mahato rukkhassa tiṭṭhato sāravato yo mahantataro khandho so palujjeyya; evameva kho Ānanda, mahato bhikkhusaṅghassa tiṭṭhato sāravato sāriputto parinibbuto. Taṁ kutettha, Ānanda, labbhā. Yaṁ taṁ jātaṁ bhūtaṁ saṅkhataṁ palokadhammaṁ, taṁ vata mā palujjī’ti – netaṁ ṭhānaṁ vijjati. Tasmātihānanda, attadīpā vihāratha attasaraṇā anaññasaraṇā, dhammadīpā dhammasaraṇā anaññasaraṇā.

7Kathañcānanda, bhikkhu attadīpo vihārati attasaraṇo anaññasaraṇo, dhammadīpo dhammasaraṇo anaññasaraṇo? Idhānanda, bhikkhu kāye kāyānupassī vihārati ātāpī sampajāno satimā, vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ; vedanāsu … pe … citte … pe … dhammesu dhammānupassī vihārati ātāpī sampajāno satimā, vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ. Evaṁ kho, Ānanda, bhikkhu attadīpo vihārati attasaraṇo anaññasaraṇo, dhammadīpo dhammasaraṇo anaññasaraṇo. Ye hi keci, Ānanda, etarahi vā mamaccaye vā attadīpā viharissanti attasaraṇā anaññasaraṇā, dhammadīpā dhammasaraṇā anaññasaraṇā; tamatagge mete, Ānanda, bhikkhū bhavissanti ye keci sikkhākāmā"ti.

Tatiyaṁ.