THE GREAT CHRONICLE OF BUDDHAS
1016
brothers) who sited it near a reservoir. Thus the village got its name, ‚village of
relations‛ (
ÒÈtika
), from which PÈli word,
Ò
became corrupted into
n
, and hence
the name NÈtika. In that twin village there was a brick monastery which was the
place of the Buddha's sojourn.)
During that time the Venerable Œnanda approached the Buddha and asked these
questions:
‚Venerable Sir, in NÈtika village, a
bhikkhu
by the name of SÈÄa has passed away.
What is his destination? What is his next existence?
‚Venerable Sir, in (this same) NÈtika village, a
bhikkhunÊ
named NandÈ has passed
away. What is her destination? What is her next existence?
‚Venerable Sir, in (this same) NÈtika village, a devotee named Sudatta has passed
away. What is his destination? What is his next existence?
‚Venerable Sir, in (this same) NÈtika village, a devotee named SujÈtÈ has passed
away. What is her destination? What is her next existence?
‚Venerable Sir, in (this same) NÈtika village, a devotee named Kukkuta...
(repeat
below)
...a devotee named KaÄimba...
(repeat below)
...a devotee named NikaÔa...
(repeat below)
...a devotee named Katissaha...
(repeat below)
...a devotee named
TuÔÔha...
(repeat below)
...a devotee named SantuÔÔha...
(repeat below)
...a devotee
named Bhaddha...
(repeat below)
...a devotee named Subhadda (repeat:)
has passed
away. What is his destination? What is his next existence?‛
To these questions the Buddha answered them, one by one thus:
‚Œnanda, due to the extinction of the
Èsava
s (moral taints), SÈÄa the
bhikkhu
had
realized in this very life Emancipation of mind (
arahatta-phala-samÈdhi
) and
Emancipation through Knowledge (
arahatta-phala-paÒÒÈ
) He died an
arahat
.
‚Œnanda, through the eradication of the Five Fetters that lead to rebirth in the
Sensuous Sphere, the lower planes of existence, Nanda the
bhikkhunÊ
has been
reborn spontaneously in the BrahmÈ realm. She died an
anÈgÈmin
(a Never-
Returner), with no possibility of returning (reverting) from that BrahmÈ existence
and will realize
parinibbÈna
(the utter passing away), there.
‚Œnanda, through the eradication of the three Fetters wrong view of Five
Aggregates as a self (
sakkÈya-diÔÔhi
), uncertainty and doubts (
vicikicchÈ
), belief in
religious practices outside of the Ariya Path (
sÊlabbataparÈmÈsa
) and the lessening
of attachment (
rÈga
), hatred (
dosa
) and bewilderment (
moha
), Sudatta the devotee
was a
sakadÈgÈmin
(a Once-Returner). He will make an end of
dukkha
after being
reborn in the human world only once.
‚Œnanda, through the eradication of the three Fetters, (namely, the wrong view of
the Five Aggregates as a self, uncertainty, and belief in religious practices outside
of the Ariya Path), SujÈtÈ the female devotee, was a
sotÈpanna
(a Stream-Enterer),
who is not liable to fall into the four miserable states of
apÈya
, destined for the
fortunate existences, and is firmly set on the path of spiritual progress marked by
the three higher
magga
s.
‚Œnanda, the devotee named KukkuÔa...
(repeat below)
...the devotee named
Kalimba...
(repeat below)
...the devotee named Nikata...
(repeat below)
...the
devotee named Katissaha...
(repeat below)
...the devotee named TuÔÔha...
(repeat
below)
...the devotee named Santutta....
(repeat below)
...the devotee named
Bhaddha ...
(repeat below)
... the devotee named Subhadda,
(repeat:)
through the
eradication of the five Fetters that lead to rebirth in the Sensuous Sphere, the lower
planes of existence, has been reborn spontaneously in the BrahmÈ realm. He died
an anÈgÈmin (a Never-Returner), with no possibility of returning (reverting) from
that BrahmÈ existence and will realize parinibbÈna (the utter passing away), there
.
‚Œnanda over fifty devotees from NÈtika village, who have died, were
anÈgÈmin
(Never-Returners) by virtue of having eradicated the Five Fetters that lead to
rebirth in the sensuous Sphere, the lower planes of existence, destined for