1Thus have I heard. [n.330] Along with SN55.10 (but not SN55.9), this text is included in the Mahaparinibbāna Sutta at DN16. The latter calls the town Nadika, but both Sv and Spk explain the name in a way that supports Ñātika: "There were two villages close by the same pond, inhabited by the sons of two brothers; thus one of these was called Ñātika (‘of the relatives’)." On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Ñātika in the Brick Hall. Then the Venerable Ānanda approached the Blessed One, paid homage to him, sat down to one side, and said to him:

2"Venerable sir, the bhikkhu named Saḷha has died. What is his destination, what is his future bourn? The bhikkhuni named Nanda has died. What is her destination, what is her future bourn? The male lay follower named Sudatta has died. What is his destination, what is his future bourn? The female lay follower named Sujata has died. What is her destination, what is her future bourn?"

3"Ānanda, the bhikkhu Saḷha who has died, by the destruction of the taints, in this very life had entered and dwelt in the taintless liberation of mind, liberation by wisdom, realizing it for himself with direct knowledge. The bhikkhuni Nanda who has died had, with the utter destruction of the five lower fetters, sn.v.357 become one of spontaneous birth, due to attain Nibbāna there without returning from that world. The male lay follower Sudatta who has died had, with the utter destruction of three fetters and with the diminishing of greed, hatred, and delusion, become a once-returner who, after coming back to this world only one more time, will make an end to suffering. [n.331] Spk: The diminishing (of lust, etc.) should be understood in two ways: as arising infrequently and as lacking obsessive force. For in once-returners lust, etc., do not arise often as they do in worldlings, but only occasionally; and when they do arise they are not thick, as in worldlings, but thin like a fly's wings. "This world" (imaṁ lokaṁ) is the sense-sphere world. If one who attains the fruit of once-returning as a human being is reborn among the devas and realizes arahantship, that is good. But if one cannot do so, having come back to the human world one definitely realizes it. Conversely, if one who attains the fruit of once-returning as a deva is reborn among human beings and realizes arahantship, that is good. But if one cannot do so, having come back to the deva world one definitely realizes it. The female lay follower Sujata who has died had, with the utter destruction of three fetters, become a stream-enterer, no longer bound to the nether world, fixed in destiny, with enlightenment as her destination.

4"It is not surprising, Ānanda, that a human being should die. But if each time someone has died you approach and question me about this matter, that would be troublesome for the Tathāgata. Therefore, Ānanda, I will teach you a Dhamma exposition called the mirror of the Dhamma, equipped with which a noble disciple, if he wishes, could by himself declare of himself: ‘I am one finished with hell, finished with the animal realm, finished with the domain of ghosts, finished with the plane of misery, the bad destinations, the nether world. I am a stream-enterer, no longer bound to the nether world, fixed in destiny, with enlightenment as my destination.’

5"And what, Ānanda, is that Dhamma exposition, the mirror of the Dhamma, equipped with which a noble disciple, if he wishes, could by himself declare thus of himself? Here, Ānanda, a noble disciple possesses confirmed confidence in the Buddha thus: ‘The Blessed One is … teacher of devas and humans, the Enlightened One, the Blessed One.’ He possesses confirmed confidence in the Dhamma … in the Saṅgha. … He possesses the virtues dear to the noble ones, unbroken … leading to concentration.

6"This, Ānanda, is that Dhamma exposition, the mirror of the Dhamma, equipped with which a noble disciple, if he wishes, could by himself declare of himself: ‘I am one finished with hell. … I am a stream-enterer, no longer bound to the nether world, fixed in destiny, with enlightenment as my destination.’" sn.v.358

1Evaṁ me sutaṁ—​ ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā ñātike vihārati giñjakāvasathe. Atha kho āyasmā ānando yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā ānando bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:

2"Sāḷho nāma, bhante, bhikkhu kālaṅkato; tassa kā gati ko abhisamparāyo? Nandā nāma, bhante, bhikkhunī kālaṅkatā; tassā kā gati ko abhisamparāyo? Sudatto nāma, bhante, upāsako kālaṅkato; tassa kā gati ko abhisamparāyo? Sujātā nāma, bhante, upāsikā kālaṅkatā; tassā kā gati, ko abhisamparāyo"ti?

3"Sāḷho, Ānanda, bhikkhu kālaṅkato āsavānaṁ khayā anāsavaṁ cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ diṭṭheva dhamme sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja vihāsi. Nandā, Ānanda, bhikkhunī kālaṅkatā pañcannaṁ orambhāgiyānaṁ saṁyojanānaṁ parikkhayā opapātikā tattha parinibbāyinī anāvattidhammā tasmā lokā. Sudatto, Ānanda, upāsako kālaṅkato tiṇṇaṁ saṁyojanānaṁ parikkhayā rāgadosamohānaṁ tanuttā sakadāgāmī; sakideva imaṁ lokaṁ āgantvā dukkhassantaṁ karissati. Sujātā, Ānanda, upāsikā kālaṅkatā tiṇṇaṁ saṁyojanānaṁ parikkhayā sotāpannā avinipātadhammā niyatā sambodhiparāyaṇā.

4Anacchariyaṁ kho panetaṁ, Ānanda, yaṁ manussabhūto kālaṁ kareyya; tasmiṁ tasmiñce maṁ kālaṅkate upasaṅkamitvā etamatthaṁ paṭipucchissatha. Vihesā pesā, Ānanda, assa tathāgatassa. Tasmātihānanda, dhammādāsaṁ nāma dhammapariyāyaṁ desessāmi; yena samannāgato ariyasāvako ākaṅkhamāno attanāva attānaṁ byākareyya: ‘khīṇanirayomhi khīṇatiracchānayoni khīṇapettivisayo khīṇāpāyaduggativinipāto, sotāpannohamasmi avinipātadhammo niyato sambodhiparāyaṇo’.

5Katamo ca so, Ānanda, dhammādāso dhammapariyāyo; yena samannāgato ariyasāvako ākaṅkhamāno attanāva attānaṁ byākareyya: ‘khīṇanirayomhi khīṇatiracchānayoni khīṇapettivisayo khīṇāpāyaduggativinipāto, sotāpannohamasmi avinipātadhammo niyato sambodhiparāyaṇo’?

6Idha, Ānanda, ariyasāvako buddhe aveccappasādena samannāgato hoti – itipi so bhagavā … pe … satthā devamanussānaṁ buddho bhagavāti. Dhamme … pe … saṅghe … pe … ariyakantehi sīlehi samannāgato hoti akhaṇḍehi … pe … samādhisaṁvattanikehi. Ayaṁ kho so, Ānanda, dhammādāso dhammapariyāyo; yena samannāgato ariyasāvako ākaṅkhamāno attanāva attānaṁ byākareyya: ‘khīṇanirayomhi khīṇatiracchānayoni khīṇapettivisayo khīṇāpāyaduggativinipāto, sotāpannohamasmi avinipātadhammo niyato sambodhiparāyaṇo’"ti.

Aṭṭhamaṁ.

(Tīṇipi suttantāni ekanidānāni.)