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I. <strong>The</strong> First Teachings - 43<br />
“Abhidosakālaṅkato Bhante Uddako Rāmaputto,” ti<br />
“Uddaka Rāmaputta died yesterday evening, 99 venerable Sir,”<br />
Bhagavato pi kho ñāṇaṁ udapādi: “Abhidosakālaṅkato Uddako Rāmaputto.” ti<br />
and this knowledge arose in the Gracious One: “Uddaka Rāmaputta died yesterday<br />
evening.”<br />
Atha kho Bhagavato etad-ahosi:<br />
<strong>The</strong>n this occurred to the Gracious One:<br />
“Mahājāniyo kho Uddako Rāmaputto,<br />
“Uddaka Rāmaputta had great understanding,<br />
sace hi so imaṁ Dhammaṁ suṇeyya khippam-eva ājāneyyā.” ti<br />
if he had heard this Dhamma he would have understood it quickly.”<br />
Atha kho Bhagavato etad-ahosi:<br />
<strong>The</strong>n this occurred to the Gracious One:<br />
“Kassa nu kho ahaṁ paṭhamaṁ Dhammaṁ deseyyaṁ?<br />
“To whom should I first teach the Dhamma?<br />
Ko imaṁ Dhammaṁ khippam-eva ājānissatī?” ti<br />
Who will be able to understand the Dhamma quickly?”<br />
Atha kho Bhagavato etad-ahosi:<br />
<strong>The</strong>n this occurred to the Gracious One:<br />
“Bahūpakārā kho me pañcavaggiyā bhikkhū,<br />
“<strong>The</strong> group-of-five monks 100 were very helpful to me,<br />
ye maṁ padhānapahitattaṁ upaṭṭhahiṁsu.<br />
they attended on me when I was striving resolutely.<br />
Yan-nūnāhaṁ pañcavaggiyānaṁ bhikkhūnaṁ paṭhamaṁ Dhammaṁ deseyyan?”-ti<br />
Now, what if I first teach the Dhamma to the group-of-five monks?”<br />
99 According to Mahāvastu and Lalitavistara he had died three days earlier. <strong>The</strong> Pāḷi<br />
commentary says he had been reborn in the Nevasaññānāsaññāyatana (the Sphere of<br />
Neither-Pereception-nor-Non-Perception), again the level of meditation he had reached, the<br />
‘8th level’ of absorption. Part of the Ārūpaloka (Formless Worlds), it is the highest level in<br />
the Universe, 17 levels higher than the Mahābrahmā Worlds, from which Brahmā<br />
Sahampati had descended.<br />
100 It is interesting that even here the group-of-five are referred to as monks (bhikkhū), before<br />
they were Awakened or had even been ordained by the Buddha, this is not the case in<br />
Mahāvastu.