40b: The Last Days 2, In Vajji – 1530 

 

to try to change the mind of the Buddha in an attempt to prevent the Buddha’s 
propagating the Dhamma by making a second request to pass away, in words 
similar to the first request. 

At that time the Buddha replied to Māra that so long as his monastics, female 
monastics, male lay disciples and female lay disciples were not well versed in 
the doctrine, not yet well disciplined in the threefold training, not yet sure of the 
righteousness of their conduct, not yet possessed of wide knowledge, not yet able 
to memorize the teaching, not yet able to practise according to the teaching 
leading to the supermundane, not yet able to take up the proper practice, not yet 
settled in their practice; not yet able to expound, to set forth, to show, to 
establish, to elucidate, to analyse, or to make evident their teacher’s doctrine 
that they have learnt; so long as they are not yet able to thoroughly refute on 
righteous grounds such other doctrines as may arise, and expound the wonderful 
teaching, he would not pass away. Māra in his third request, therefore, referred 
to the reasons the Buddha gave on that second request. 

On being requested thus, the Buddha said to Māra the Wicked One: “Wicked 
One, don’t you worry; the Parinibbāna of the Realised One will not be long in 
coming. Three months hence the Realised One will realize Parinibbāna.” 

The Buddha Renounces the Life-Process 

Then the Buddha, while at Cāpāla shrine, decided mindfully and with 
deliberation to give up the life-maintaining mental process at the end of three 
months, and not to resume the absorption of fruition-attainment (

phala-

samāpatti

). On the Buddha’s making that resolution, the great earth quaked with 

a hair-raising and goose-flesh causing vehemence. 

Then the Buddha, perceiving this phenomenal occurrence, uttered a joyous 
utterance in verse. 

Tulam-atulañ-ca sambhavaṁ, 
bhava-saṅkhāram-avassaji muni, 
ajjhatta-rato samāhito, 
abhindi kavacam-ivatta-sambhavaṁ. 

The great sage, having weighed the infinite Nibbāna against the 
ephemeral nature of sentient existence, has cast off by the noble path the 
resultant-producing volitions that cause fresh existence. With delight in 
insight-meditation, reflecting on the three characteristics of the five