10.
The Third Discourse on the Brick Hall
1006.
Seated to one side, the Venerable Ānanda said this to the Blessed One -
"Venerable sir, the lay follower named Kakkaṭa at Ñātika has died;
what is his destination, what is his future life?
Venerable sir, the lay follower named Kaḷibha at Ñātika... etc.
Venerable sir, the lay follower named Nikata at Ñātika... etc.
Venerable sir, the lay follower named Kaṭissaha at Ñātika... etc.
Venerable sir, the lay follower named Tuṭṭha at Ñātika... etc.
Venerable sir, the lay follower named Santuṭṭha at Ñātika... etc.
Venerable sir, the lay follower named Bhadda at Ñātika... etc.
Venerable sir, the lay follower named Subhadda at Ñātika has died;
what is his destination, what is his future life?"
"Kakkaṭa, Ānanda, the lay follower who has died, with the utter elimination of the five lower mental fetters, is one of spontaneous birth, attaining final nibbāna there, not subject to return from that world. Kaḷibha, Ānanda... etc. Nikata, Ānanda... etc. Kaṭissaha, Ānanda... etc. Tuṭṭha, Ānanda... etc. Santuṭṭha, Ānanda... etc. Bhadda, Ānanda... etc. Subhadda, Ānanda, the lay follower who has died, with the utter elimination of the five lower mental fetters, is one of spontaneous birth, attaining final nibbāna there, not subject to return from that world.
"More than fifty, Ānanda, lay followers at Ñātika who have died, with the utter elimination of the five lower mental fetters, are ones of spontaneous birth, attaining final nibbāna there, not subject to return from that world. More than ninety, Ānanda, lay followers at Ñātika who have died, with the utter elimination of the three mental fetters and with the reduction of lust, hate, and delusion, are once-returners; having come to this world only once more, they will make an end of suffering. More than five hundred, Ānanda, lay followers at Ñātika who have died, with the utter elimination of the three mental fetters, are stream-enterers, no longer subject to fall into lower realms, fixed in destiny, heading for the highest enlightenment.
"But this is not wonderful, Ānanda, that one who has become a human being should die; if each time someone dies you were to approach me and ask about this matter, that would be harming to the Truth-finder. Therefore, Ānanda, I will teach an exposition of the Teaching called 'the mirror of the Teaching', possessed of which a noble disciple, if he wishes, may declare of himself: 'For me, hell is eliminated, the animal realm is eliminated, the sphere of ghosts is eliminated, the realm of misery, the unfortunate realm, the nether world is eliminated; I am a stream-enterer, no longer subject to fall into lower realms, fixed in destiny, heading for the highest enlightenment.'
"And what, Ānanda, is that mirror of the Teaching, that exposition of the Teaching, possessed of which a noble disciple, if he wishes, may declare of himself: 'For me, hell is eliminated, the animal realm is eliminated, the sphere of ghosts is eliminated, the realm of misery, the unfortunate realm, the nether world is eliminated; I am a stream-enterer, no longer subject to fall into lower realms, fixed in destiny, heading for the highest enlightenment.'
"Here, Ānanda, a noble disciple is endowed with unwavering confidence in the Buddha: 'Thus indeed is the Blessed One, etc. Teacher of gods and humans, the Enlightened One, the Blessed One.' Towards the Teaching... etc. towards the Community, etc. He is endowed with morality pleasing to the noble ones, unbroken... etc. conducive to concentration. This, Ānanda, is that mirror of the Teaching, that exposition of the Teaching, possessed of which a noble disciple, if he wishes, may declare of himself: 'For me, hell is eliminated, the animal realm is eliminated, the sphere of ghosts is eliminated, the realm of misery, the unfortunate realm, the nether world is eliminated; I am a stream-enterer, no longer subject to fall into lower realms, fixed in destiny, heading for the highest enlightenment.'" The tenth.