6.
The Discourse on Kusinārā
76.
On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Kusinārā in the Upavattana, in the Sāla grove of the Mallas, between the twin Sāla trees, at the time of his final Nibbāna.
There the Blessed One addressed the monks thus:
"Monks."
"Venerable sir," those monks assented to the Blessed One.
The Blessed One said this:
"Perhaps, monks, even for one monk there may be uncertainty or doubt about the Buddha, or the Teaching, or the Community, or the path, or the practice. Ask, monks, do not be remorseful afterwards - 'The Teacher was present before us, yet we were not able to question the Blessed One face to face.'" When this was said, those monks remained silent. For the second time the Blessed One addressed the monks thus: "Perhaps, monks, even for one monk there may be uncertainty or doubt about the Buddha, or the Teaching, or the Community, or the path, or the practice. Ask, monks, do not be remorseful afterwards - 'The Teacher was present before us, yet we were not able to question the Blessed One face to face.'" For the second time those monks remained silent. For the third time the Blessed One addressed the monks thus: "Perhaps, monks, even for one monk there may be uncertainty or doubt about the Buddha, or the Teaching, or the Community, or the path, or the practice. Ask, monks, do not be remorseful afterwards - 'The Teacher was present before us, yet we were not able to question the Blessed One face to face.'" For the third time those monks remained silent.
Then the Blessed One addressed the monks: "Perhaps, monks, out of respect for the Teacher you would not ask. Let a friend inform a friend, monks." When this was said, those monks remained silent. Then the Venerable Ānanda said this to the Blessed One - "Wonderful, Venerable Sir, marvellous, Venerable Sir! Thus confident am I, Venerable Sir! There is not in this community of monks even for one monk any uncertainty or doubt about the Buddha, or the Teaching, or the Community, or the path, or the practice."
"You speak out of confidence, Ānanda. But here, Ānanda, the Truth-finder has knowledge - 'There is not in this community of monks even for one monk any uncertainty or doubt about the Buddha, or the Teaching, or the Community, or the path, or the practice.' For, Ānanda, of these five hundred monks, the last monk is a stream-enterer, no longer subject to fall into lower realms, fixed in destiny, heading for the highest enlightenment." The sixth.