At Sāvatthī. Sāvatthinidānaṁ.

There Sāriputta addressed the mendicants: Tatra kho āyasmā sāriputto bhikkhū āmantesi: “Reverends, mendicants!” “āvuso bhikkhave”ti.

“Reverend,” they replied. “Āvuso”ti kho te bhikkhū āyasmato sāriputtassa paccassosuṁ. Sāriputta said this: Āyasmā sāriputto etadavoca:

“Just now, reverends, as I was in private retreat this thought came to mind: “Idha mayhaṁ, āvuso, rahogatassa paṭisallīnassa evaṁ cetaso parivitakko udapādi: ‘Is there anything in the world whose decay and perishing would give rise to sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress in me?’ ‘atthi nu kho taṁ kiñci lokasmiṁ yassa me vipariṇāmaññathābhāvā uppajjeyyuṁ sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupāyāsā’ti? It occurred to me: Tassa mayhaṁ, āvuso, etadahosi: ‘There is nothing in the world whose decay and perishing would give rise to sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress in me.’” ‘natthi kho taṁ kiñci lokasmiṁ yassa me vipariṇāmaññathābhāvā uppajjeyyuṁ sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupāyāsā’”ti.

When he said this, Venerable Ānanda said to him, Evaṁ vutte, āyasmā ānando āyasmantaṁ sāriputtaṁ etadavoca: “Even if the Teacher were to decay and perish? Wouldn’t that give rise to sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress in you?” “satthupi kho te, āvuso sāriputta, vipariṇāmaññathābhāvā nuppajjeyyuṁ sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupāyāsā”ti?

“Even if the Teacher were to decay and perish, that wouldn’t give rise to sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress in me. Still, I would think: “Satthupi kho me, āvuso, vipariṇāmaññathābhāvā nuppajjeyyuṁ sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupāyāsā, api ca me evamassa: ‘Oh lord, the illustrious Teacher, so mighty and powerful, has vanished! ‘mahesakkho vata bho satthā antarahito mahiddhiko mahānubhāvo. If the Buddha was to remain for a long time, that would be for the welfare and happiness of the people, out of sympathy for the world, for the benefit, welfare, and happiness of gods and humans.’” Sace hi bhagavā ciraṁ dīghamaddhānaṁ tiṭṭheyya tadassa bahujanahitāya bahujanasukhāya lokānukampāya atthāya hitāya sukhāya devamanussānan’ti.

“That must be because Venerable Sāriputta has long ago totally eradicated I-making, mine-making, and the underlying tendency to conceit. Tathā hi panāyasmato sāriputtassa dīgharattaṁ ahaṅkāramamaṅkāramānānusayā susamūhatā. So even if the Teacher were to decay and perish, it wouldn’t give rise to sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress in him.” Tasmā āyasmato sāriputtassa satthupi vipariṇāmaññathābhāvā nuppajjeyyuṁ sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupāyāsā”ti.

Dutiyaṁ.