Appāyuka Sutta: Short-lived

Ud 5.2

translated from the Pali by

Thanissaro Bhikkhu

I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying near Sāvatthī at Jeta's Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika's monastery. Then Ven. Ānanda, emerging from his seclusion in the late afternoon, went to the Blessed One and, on arrival, having bowed down to him, sat to one side. As he was sitting there he said to the Blessed One, "It's amazing, sir. It's astounding — how short-lived the Blessed One's mother was. Seven days after the Blessed One's birth she died and reappeared among the Contented [Tusita] (deva-) group."

"That's the way it is, Ānanda. That's the way it is, for the mothers of bodhisattas are short-lived. Seven days after the bodhisattas' birth, the bodhisattas' mothers pass away and reappear among the Contented (deva-) group."

Then, on realizing the significance of that, the Blessed One on that occasion exclaimed:

Those who have come to be, those who will be: All will go, leaving the body behind. The skillful person, realizing the loss of all, should live the holy life ardently.

The text of this page ("Appāyuka Sutta: Short-lived", by Thanissaro Bhikkhu) is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License . To view a copy of the license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ . Documents linked from this page may be subject to other restrictions. Transcribed from a file provided by the translator. Last revised for Access to Insight on 3 September 2012.

How to cite this document (a suggested style): "Appāyuka Sutta: Short-lived" (Ud 5.2), translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu. Access to Insight (BCBS Edition) , 3 September 2012, http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/ud/ud.5.02.than.html .

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