Evaṁ me sutaṁ— ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā vesāliyaṁ viharati veḷuvagāmake. Tatra kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi: “etha tumhe, bhikkhave, samantā vesāliyā yathāmittaṁ yathāsandiṭṭhaṁ yathāsambhattaṁ vassaṁ upetha. Idhevāhaṁ veḷuvagāmake vassaṁ upagacchāmī”ti.
Thus have I heard—At one time, the Blessed One was dwelling at |Vesāli::capital of the Licchavīs [vesālī]| in the |Veḷuva village::village with plentiful bamboo, name of a village [veḷuvagāmaka]|. There, the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus: “Come, bhikkhus, enter upon the rains [retreat] around Vesāli wherever you have friends, acquaintances, and companions. I myself will enter upon the rains retreat right here in Veḷuva village.”
“Evaṁ, bhante”ti kho te bhikkhū bhagavato paṭissutvā samantā vesāliyā yathāmittaṁ yathāsandiṭṭhaṁ yathāsambhattaṁ vassaṁ upagacchuṁ. Bhagavā pana tattheva veḷuvagāmake vassaṁ upagacchi.
“Yes, venerable sir,” the bhikkhus replied to the Blessed One, and they entered upon the rains retreat around Vesāli wherever they had friends, acquaintances, and companions. The Blessed One entered upon the rains retreat right there in Veḷuva village.
Atha kho bhagavato vassūpagatassa kharo ābādho uppajji, bāḷhā vedanā vattanti māraṇantikā. Tatra sudaṁ bhagavā sato sampajāno adhivāsesi avihaññamāno. Atha kho bhagavato etadahosi:
Then, when the Blessed One had entered upon the rains retreat, a severe illness arose in him and intense life-threatening pains assailed him. Yet the Blessed One, |mindful::mindfulness of body in and of itself, of felt experience in and of itself, of mind in and of itself, of mental qualities in and of itself [sati]| and |fully aware::with attentiveness, with clear and full comprehension [sampajañña]|, endured them |untroubled::not annoyed, not upset [avihaññamāna]|. Then it occurred to the Blessed One:
“na kho me taṁ patirūpaṁ, yohaṁ anāmantetvā upaṭṭhāke anapaloketvā bhikkhusaṅghaṁ parinibbāyeyyaṁ. Yannūnāhaṁ imaṁ ābādhaṁ vīriyena paṭipaṇāmetvā jīvitasaṅkhāraṁ adhiṭṭhāya vihareyyan”ti. Atha kho bhagavā taṁ ābādhaṁ vīriyena paṭipaṇāmetvā jīvitasaṅkhāraṁ adhiṭṭhāya vihāsi. Atha kho bhagavato so ābādho paṭippassambhi.
“It would not be appropriate for me to attain |final Nibbāna::complete cooling, full quenching, total emancipation, dying one’s final death [parinibbāyati]| without first informing my attendants and taking leave of the bhikkhu |Saṅgha::The community of monks and nuns practicing in line with the Buddha’s teachings. In the broader sense, this is the community of disciples who have realized the noble path and fruition through the Buddha’s teachings [saṅgha]|. Let me then subdue this illness by means of |energy::willpower, determination [vīriya]| and abide resolving upon the intention to live.” Then the Blessed One, having subdued that illness by means of energy and having resolved upon the intention to live, continued dwelling thus. And then indeed that illness of the Blessed One subsided.
Atha kho bhagavā gilānā vuṭṭhito aciravuṭṭhito gelaññā vihārā nikkhamitvā vihārapacchāyāyaṁ paññatte āsane nisīdi. Atha kho āyasmā ānando yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā ānando bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:
Soon after he had recovered, he came out from his dwelling and sat down in the seat that had been prepared in the shade behind the dwelling. Then the venerable Ānanda approached the Blessed One, and having drawn near, he paid homage to the Blessed One and sat down to one side. Seated to one side, the Venerable Ānanda addressed the Blessed One:
“diṭṭho me, bhante, bhagavato phāsu; diṭṭhaṁ, bhante, bhagavato khamanīyaṁ; diṭṭhaṁ, bhante, bhagavato yāpanīyaṁ. Api ca me, bhante, madhurakajāto viya kāyo, disāpi me na pakkhāyanti, dhammāpi maṁ nappaṭibhanti bhagavato gelaññena. Api ca me, bhante, ahosi kācideva assāsamattā: ‘na tāva bhagavā parinibbāyissati, na yāva bhagavā bhikkhusaṅghaṁ ārabbha kiñcideva udāharatī’”ti.
“It’s splendid, venerable sir, that the Blessed One is at ease; splendid that the Blessed One is bearing up; and splendid that he has recovered! But, venerable sir, when the Blessed One was ill, I felt as if my body were intoxicated, the directions seemed unclear, and the teachings did not come to mind. Nevertheless, I had this much consolation: that the Blessed One would not attain final Nibbāna without having made some pronouncement concerning the bhikkhu Saṅgha.”
“Kiṁ pana dāni, ānanda, bhikkhusaṅgho mayi paccāsīsati? Desito, ānanda, mayā dhammo anantaraṁ abāhiraṁ karitvā. Natthānanda, tathāgatassa dhammesu ācariyamuṭṭhi.
“What does the bhikkhu Saṅgha now expect from me, Ānanda? The |Dhamma::teachings of the Buddha that point to the nature of reality, the ultimate truth [dhamma]| has been taught by me without any gap and without holding anything back. The |Tathāgata::one who has arrived at the truth, an epithet of a perfectly Awakened One [tathāgata]| holds no |teacher’s closed fist::a metaphor for a teacher withholding any secret knowledge or teachings [ācariyamuṭṭhi]| with regard to the Dhamma.
Yassa nūna, ānanda, evamassa: ‘ahaṁ bhikkhusaṅghaṁ pariharissāmī’ti vā, ‘mamuddesiko bhikkhusaṅgho’ti vā, so nūna, ānanda, bhikkhusaṅghaṁ ārabbha kiñcideva udāhareyya. Tathāgatassa kho, ānanda, na evaṁ hoti: ‘ahaṁ bhikkhusaṅghaṁ pariharissāmī’ti vā, ‘mamuddesiko bhikkhusaṅgho’ti vā. Sa kiṁ, ānanda, tathāgato bhikkhusaṅghaṁ ārabbha kiñcideva udāharissati.
Whoever, Ānanda, should think thus: ‘I am in charge of the Bhikkhu Saṅgha,’ or ‘The bhikkhu Saṅgha is under my direction,’ that person might well make some pronouncement concerning the bhikkhu Saṅgha. But, Ānanda, such a thought does not occur to the Tathāgata: ‘I am in charge of the Bhikkhu Saṅgha,’ or ‘The bhikkhu Saṅgha is under my direction.’ So why should the Tathāgata make any pronouncement concerning the bhikkhu Saṅgha?
Etarahi kho panāhaṁ, ānanda, jiṇṇo vuddho mahallako addhagato vayoanuppatto. Āsītiko me vayo vattati. Seyyathāpi, ānanda, jajjarasakaṭaṁ veḷamissakena yāpeti; evameva kho, ānanda, veḷamissakena maññe tathāgatassa kāyo yāpeti.
Now, Ānanda, I am aged, grown old, elderly, advanced in years, having come to the last stage of life. I have reached eighty years of age. Just as, Ānanda, a decrepit old cart is kept going by being tied with straps, even so, Ānanda, the body of the Tathāgata is, one might say, held together with straps.
Yasmiṁ, ānanda, samaye tathāgato sabbanimittānaṁ amanasikārā ekaccānaṁ vedanānaṁ nirodhā animittaṁ cetosamādhiṁ upasampajja viharati, phāsutaro, ānanda, tasmiṁ samaye tathāgatassa kāyo hoti.
Whenever, Ānanda, the Tathāgata dwells having entered the signless |stillness of mind::stability of mind, mental composure [cetosamādhi]|, through non-attention to all signs and with the cessation of certain feelings, then, Ānanda, at that time the body of the Tathāgata is more at ease.
Tasmātihānanda, attadīpā viharatha attasaraṇā anaññasaraṇā, dhammadīpā dhammasaraṇā anaññasaraṇā.
Therefore, Ānanda, dwell with yourselves as your own island, with yourselves as your own refuge, with no other refuge; dwell with the Dhamma as your island, with the Dhamma as your refuge, with no other refuge.
Kathañcānanda, bhikkhu attadīpo viharati attasaraṇo anaññasaraṇo, dhammadīpo dhammasaraṇo anaññasaraṇo? Idhānanda, bhikkhu kāye kāyānupassī viharati ātāpī sampajāno satimā, vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ; vedanāsu …pe… citte …pe… dhammesu dhammānupassī viharati ātāpī sampajāno satimā, vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ.
And how, Ānanda, does a bhikkhu dwell as an island unto himself, with himself as his refuge, not dependent on another as a refuge, with the Dhamma as his island, with the Dhamma as his refuge, not dependent on another as a refuge? Here, Ānanda, a bhikkhu dwells observing the body in and of itself, with continuous effort, fully aware and being present, having removed |craving and distress::greediness and dissatisfaction, wanting and unhappiness, craving and aversion [abhijjhā + domanassa]| with regard to the world. Similarly, he dwells observing the |felt experience::pleasant, neutral, or painful sensation, feeling felt on contact through eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind; second of the five aggregates [vedanā]| in and of itself, the mind in and of itself, and |mental qualities::characteristics, traits, and tendencies of the mind, shaped by repeated actions and sustained attention, guided by particular ways of understanding; they may be wholesome or unwholesome, bright or dark [dhammā]| in and of themselves, with continuous effort, fully aware and being present, having removed craving and distress with regard to the world.
Evaṁ kho, ānanda, bhikkhu attadīpo viharati attasaraṇo anaññasaraṇo, dhammadīpo dhammasaraṇo anaññasaraṇo.
This is how, Ānanda, a bhikkhu dwells as an island unto himself, with himself as his refuge, not dependent on another as a refuge, with the Dhamma as his island, with the Dhamma as his refuge, not dependent on another as a refuge.
Ye hi keci, ānanda, etarahi vā mamaccaye vā attadīpā viharissanti attasaraṇā anaññasaraṇā, dhammadīpā dhammasaraṇā anaññasaraṇā; tamatagge mete, ānanda, bhikkhū bhavissanti ye keci sikkhākāmā”ti.
Whoever, Ānanda, now or after my passing, dwells as an island unto themselves, with themselves as their own refuge, not dependent on another as a refuge; with the Dhamma as their island, with the Dhamma as their refuge, not dependent on another as a refuge; they, Ānanda, will be the foremost of those who are keen on the training.”