UD 8.9  Paṭhama dabba sutta - Dabba (First)

Evaṁ me sutaṁ— ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā rājagahe viharati veḷuvane kalandakanivāpe. Atha kho āyasmā dabbo mallaputto yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā dabbo mallaputto bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: “parinibbānakālo me dāni, sugatā”ti.

Thus have I heard—At one time, the Blessed One was dwelling at |Rājagaha::name of a city; capital of Magadha; lit. king’s house [rājagaha]|, in the Bamboo Grove, the Squirrels’ feeding ground. Then the venerable |Dabba::name of an arahant monk; lit. competent; able [dabba]| |Mallaputta::lit. son of the Mallans [mallaputta]| approached the Blessed One. Having drawn near and paid homage to the Blessed One, he sat down to one side. Sitting to one side, the venerable Dabba Mallaputta said to the Blessed One: “It is now time for my |final Nibbāna::complete cooling, full quenching, total emancipation, dying one’s final death [parinibbāna]|, Accomplished One.”

“Yassadāni tvaṁ, dabba, kālaṁ maññasī”ti.

“Dabba, now is the time to do as you see fit.”

Atha kho āyasmā dabbo mallaputto uṭṭhāyāsanā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā padakkhiṇaṁ katvā vehāsaṁ abbhuggantvā ākāse antalikkhe pallaṅkena nisīditvā tejodhātuṁ samāpajjitvā vuṭṭhahitvā parinibbāyi.

Then the venerable Dabba Mallaputta rose from his seat, bowed down to the Blessed One, circumambulated him, and rose up into the air. Hovering in the open sky, he sat cross-legged, and entering the fire element and then emerging from it, attained final Nibbāna.

Atha kho āyasmato dabbassa mallaputtassa vehāsaṁ abbhuggantvā ākāse antalikkhe pallaṅkena nisīditvā tejodhātuṁ samāpajjitvā vuṭṭhahitvā parinibbutassa sarīrassa jhāyamānassa ḍayhamānassa neva chārikā paññāyittha na masi. Seyyathāpi nāma sappissa vā telassa vā jhāyamānassa ḍayhamānassa neva chārikā paññāyati na masi; evamevaṁ āyasmato dabbassa mallaputtassa vehāsaṁ abbhuggantvā ākāse antalikkhe pallaṅkena nisīditvā tejodhātuṁ samāpajjitvā vuṭṭhahitvā parinibbutassa sarīrassa jhāyamānassa ḍayhamānassa neva chārikā paññāyittha na masīti.

Then, when the body of the venerable Dabba Mallaputta—who had risen up into the air, sat cross-legged hovering in the open sky, entered the fire element and then emerged from it, and attained final Nibbāna—was burning and being consumed by fire, neither ashes nor soot could be seen. Just as when ghee or oil is burning and being consumed, neither ashes nor soot can be seen; even so, when the body of the venerable Dabba Mallaputta—who had risen up into the air, sat cross-legged hovering in the open sky, entered the fire element and then emerged from it, and attained final Nibbāna—was burning and being consumed by fire, neither ashes nor soot could be seen.

Atha kho bhagavā etamatthaṁ viditvā tāyaṁ velāyaṁ imaṁ udānaṁ udānesi:

Then, understanding the significance of this, the Blessed One at that time expressed this inspired utterance:

“Abhedi kāyo nirodhi saññā,
Vedanā sītibhaviṁsu sabbā;
Vūpasamiṁsu saṅkhārā,
Viññāṇaṁ atthamāgamā”ti.

“The body broke apart, |perception::The mental process of recognizing and giving meaning to experience. It marks sensory information by signs, labels, or associations drawn from memory and the field of contact. Perception shapes how one experiences the world; third of the five aggregates [sañña]| ceased,
all feelings became cold;
With the subsiding of |intentional constructs::the constructive activity that shapes each moment of experience, expressed as bodily, verbal, and mental formations; the accumulated conditioning — patterns, tendencies, and habits — produced by prior action [saṅkhāra]|,
|consciousness::quality of awareness — distinctive knowing that arises in dependence on the meeting of eye and form, ear and sound, nose and odor, tongue and taste, body and tangible object, mind and mind object [viññāṇa]| came to an end.”