1008 Pali Baddhistical Annals. [Dec. 



bhikkhus, let one confiding priest make the inquiry through another in whom he 

 confides. Even on being thus conjured the bhikkhus remained silent. 



Thereupon the venerable A'nando thus addressed Bhagawa': Lord, this is 

 miraculous : Lord, this is wonderful : I place implicit confidence in this congregation 

 of bhikkhus : not even unto one bhikkhu is there any doubt or incomprehensibility 

 in regard either to Buddho, Dhammo, Sangho, Maggo or Patipadd. A'nando, it is 

 thy faith that impels thee to make this declaratio n : the omniscience of Tatha'gatq 

 is in the same manner conscious, that not even unto one bhikkhu is there any doubt 

 or incomprehensibility in regard to Buddho, Dhammo, Sangho, Maggo or Patipadd. 

 A'nando, among these five hundred bhikkhus, even the last one, has attained the 

 Sot&panno,— the grace that rescues him from hell, and the sanctification that realizes 

 arahathood. 



Bhagawa' then addressed the bhikkhus saying: Bhikkhus, I am exhorting you 

 (for the last time) , transitory things are perishable : without procrastination qualify 

 yourselves (for uibb^nan). These were the last words of Tatha'gato. 



Bhagawa' then became absorbed in the first Jhdndn- samdpati ; passing from the 

 first Jhdndn he became absorbed in the second Jhdndn ; passing from the second 

 Jhdndn, he became absorbed in the third Jhdndn ; passing from the third Jhdndn, he 

 became absorbed in the fourth Jhdndn ; passing from the fourth Jhdndn, he became 

 absorbed in the dkdsandnchdyatdndn ; passing from the dkdsdnanchdyutdnan, he be- 

 came absorbed in the winndnanchdyatdnan ; passing from the winndnanchdyatdnan, he 

 became absorbed in the akinchdnndyatanan ; passing from the akinchdnndyatdnan, he 

 became absorbed in the newasanndnasanndyatanan, and passing from the newasanndna~ 

 sanndyatanan, he became absorbed in the sannawtdayitanirodhan. 



The venerable A'nando then thus inquired of the venerable A'nurudho : Lord, 

 has Bhagawa 7 expired ? No, dicuso A'nando, Bhagawa" has not expired ; he is 

 absorbed in the voedayitanirodhan. 



From this wedayitanirodhan, Buddho step by step descends again to 

 the first jhdnan, and again rises to the fourth jhdnan . In the transi- 

 tion between the fourth and fifth jhdnan, Bhagawa expired. 



On Bhagawa' attaining parinibbdnan, at the instant of his realization thereof, 

 the great earth quaking, produced a terror that made the hair stand on end ; and the 

 music of the gods rang in the air. On Bhagawa' attaining parinibbdnan, at the 

 instant of his realization thereof, Brahma" Sahanpati sang this gdthd: All living 

 creatures shall relinquish their existence in this world, and in like manner, in this 

 world the divine teacher, the incomparable, the being of felicitous advent and of 

 power, the supreme Buddho, also dies. 



On Bhagawa' attaining parinibbdnan, at the instant of his realization thereof, 

 Sakko the monarch of the dewos sang this gdthd: Things that are subject to repro- 

 duction and death being transitory are most assuredly perishable — having been pro- 

 duced they perish: it is a blessing to arrive at their extinction, (by the attainment 

 of parinibbdndn.) 



On Bhagawa' attaining parinibbdnan, at the instant of his realization thereof, 

 the venerable An urudho sang these gdthd : He no longer indicates inspiration and 

 respiration as when living ; the immaculate Muni, whose aim was nibbdnan, has 

 expired. He endured the agony of death in the full possession of his mental faculties : 

 those mental faculties expired like the extinction of a lamp. 



On Bhagawa' attaining parinibbdnan, at the instant of his realization thereof, 

 the venerable A'nando sang this gdthd: When the all-perfect supreme Buddho 

 expired, then there was a great terror— then the hair stood on end. 



