10.
The Discourse on Nanda's Mother
53.
Thus have I heard -
On one occasion the Venerable Sāriputta and the Venerable Mahāmoggallāna were wandering on a journey in the Southern Hills together with a large Community of monks.
Now at that time the female lay follower Nandamātā of Veḷukaṇḍaka, having risen towards the break of dawn, was reciting the Pārāyana with her voice.
Now at that time the great king Vessavaṇa was going from the northern direction to the southern direction on some business. The great king Vessavaṇa heard the female lay follower Nandamātā reciting the Pārāyana with her voice, and having heard, he stood waiting for the end of the talk.
Then the female lay follower Nandamātā, having recited the Pārāyana with her voice, remained silent. Then the great king Vessavaṇa, having understood that the female lay follower Nandamātā's talk had ended, gave thanks - "Good, sister, good, sister!" "But who is this, dear one?" "I am your brother, sister, Vessavaṇa, the great king." "Good, dear one, then let this exposition of the Teaching that I have recited be a gift of hospitality for you." "Good, sister, let this indeed be a gift of hospitality for me. Tomorrow the Community of monks headed by Sāriputta and Moggallāna, who have not yet had their morning meal, will come to Veḷukaṇḍaka; having served that Community of monks, you should dedicate the offering to me. This indeed will be a gift of hospitality for me."
Then the female lay follower Nandamātā, after that night had passed, had superior solid and soft food prepared at her own dwelling. Then the Community of monks headed by Sāriputta and Moggallāna, who had not yet had their morning meal, arrived at Veḷukaṇḍaka. Then the female lay follower Nandamātā addressed a certain man - "Come, my good man, having gone to the monastery, announce the time to the Community of monks - 'It is time, venerable sirs, the meal is ready at the dwelling of the mistress Nandamātā.'" "Yes, lady," that man, having assented to the female lay follower Nandamātā, having gone to the monastery, announced the time to the Community of monks - "It is time, venerable sirs, the meal is ready at the dwelling of the mistress Nandamātā." Then the Community of monks headed by Sāriputta and Moggallāna, having dressed in the earlier period of the day, taking their bowls and robes, approached the dwelling of the female lay follower Nandamātā; having approached, he sat down on the prepared seat. Then the female lay follower Nandamātā with her own hand satisfied and served the Community of monks headed by Sāriputta and Moggallāna with superior solid and soft food.
Then the female lay follower Nandamātā, when the Venerable Sāriputta had finished eating and had removed his hand from the bowl, sat down to one side. To the female lay follower Nandamātā seated to one side, the Venerable Sāriputta said this - "But who, Nandamātā, announced to you the arrival of the Community of monks?"
"Here I, venerable sir, having risen towards the break of dawn, having recited the Pārāyana with my voice, remained silent. Then, venerable sir, the great king Vessavaṇa, having understood that my talk had ended, gave thanks - 'Good, sister, good, sister!' 'But who is this, dear one?' 'I am your brother, sister, Vessavaṇa, the great king.' 'Good, dear one, then let this exposition of the Teaching that I have recited be a gift of hospitality for you.' 'Good, sister, let this indeed be a gift of hospitality for me. Tomorrow the Community of monks headed by Sāriputta and Moggallāna, who have not yet had their morning meal, will come to Veḷukaṇḍaka; having served that Community of monks, you should dedicate the offering to me. This indeed will be a gift of hospitality for me.' Whatever merit and great merit there is in this gift, venerable sir, may that be for the happiness of the great king Vessavaṇa."
"Wonderful, Nandamātā, marvellous, Nandamātā! Inasmuch as you will converse face to face with the Great King Vessavaṇa, a young god of such great supernormal power, of such great influence."
"This is not, venerable sir, my only wonderful and marvellous quality. There is another wonderful and marvellous quality of mine. Here, venerable sir, I had an only son named Nanda, dear and agreeable. The kings, having found some pretext, forcibly deprived him of life. But when that boy was being seized or was seized, was being killed or was killed, was being slain or was slain, I do not know of any alteration of my mind." "Wonderful, Nandamātā, marvellous, Nandamātā! Inasmuch as you will purify even the arising of consciousness."
"This is not, venerable sir, my only wonderful and marvellous quality. There is another wonderful and marvellous quality of mine. Here, venerable sir, my husband, having died, was reborn in a certain realm of demons. He revealed himself to me in that very former individual existence. But I do not know of any alteration of my mind on that account." "Wonderful, Nandamātā, marvellous, Nandamātā! Inasmuch as you will purify even the arising of consciousness."
"This is not, venerable sir, my only wonderful and marvellous quality. There is another wonderful and marvellous quality of mine. Since I, venerable sir, was brought as a young woman to my husband when he was still young, I do not know of having transgressed against my husband even in thought, how much less with the body!" "Wonderful, Nandamātā, marvellous, Nandamātā! Inasmuch as you will purify even the arising of consciousness."
"This is not, venerable sir, my only wonderful and marvellous quality. There is another wonderful and marvellous quality of mine. Since I, venerable sir, acknowledged myself as a female lay follower, I do not know of having intentionally transgressed any training rule." "Wonderful, Nandamātā, marvellous, Nandamātā!"
"This is not, venerable sir, my only wonderful and marvellous quality. There is another wonderful and marvellous quality of mine. Here I, venerable sir, whenever I wish, quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome mental states, enter and dwell in the first meditative absorption, which is accompanied by applied thought and sustained thought, with rapture and happiness born of seclusion. With the subsiding of applied and sustained thought, I enter and dwell in the second meditative absorption, which has internal confidence and unification of mind, is without applied thought and without sustained thought, with rapture and happiness born of seclusion. With the fading away of rapture, I dwell equanimous, mindful and fully aware, and I experience happiness with the body - that which the noble ones declare: 'One who is equanimous and mindful, one who dwells in happiness' - I enter and dwell in the third meditative absorption. With the abandoning of pleasure and with the abandoning of pain, and with the previous disappearance of joy and displeasure, I enter and dwell in the fourth meditative absorption, which has neither-unpleasant-nor-pleasant and purity of mindfulness due to equanimity." "Wonderful, Nandamātā, marvellous, Nandamātā!"
"This is not, venerable sir, my only wonderful and marvellous quality. There is another wonderful and marvellous quality of mine. These five lower mental fetters, venerable sir, that have been taught by the Blessed One, I do not regard any of them as not abandoned in myself." "Wonderful, Nandamātā, marvellous, Nandamātā!"
Then the Venerable Sāriputta, having instructed, encouraged, inspired, and gladdened the female lay follower Nandamātā with a talk on the Teaching, rose from his seat and departed. The tenth.