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   The Four Noble Truths 1. Now the Buddha spoke saying: "Come, Ananda, let us go to Kotigama."  
"So be it, venerable sir." Then the Blessed One took up residence at Kotigama together with a large community of ascetics.  
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2. There the Blessed One addressed  them, saying: "It is through not realizing, not penetrating the Four Noble Truths that this long course of birth and  death has been passed through and undergone by me as well as by you.  
"What are the four? They are the noble truth of 
anguish; the noble  truth of the origin of anguish; the noble truth of the cessation of anguish; and the noble truth of the way to the cessation of anguish.
"But now that these have been realized and penetrated, craving for rebirth is cut off, destroyed is that which leads to becoming, and there is no re-arising."  
3. Thus did the Blessed One say, and further the Happy One, the Venerable One said:  
"Through not seeing the Four Noble Truths,
Long was the weary path from birth to birth.
When these are known, removed is rebirth's cause,
The root of sorrow plucked; then ends rebirth....
  
Stages of Enlightenment
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| Golden Buddha (freestyle-thailand.com) | 
6. Ven. Ananda  approached the Blessed One (
Bhagavan), greeted him, sat respectfully  to one side, and said: "Venerable sir, here in [the city of] Nadika there have passed away the monk Salha and the nun Nanda.
  
Likewise there have passed away the layman Sudatta and the laywoman Sujata; likewise the layman Kakudha, Kalinga, Nikata, Katissabha, Tuttha, Santuttha, Bhadda, and Subhadda. What is their destiny, venerable sir? What is their future state?"
  
7. "The monk Salha, Ananda,  through the destruction of the taints in this very lifetime has attained  to the taint-free deliverance of mind/heart and deliverance through wisdom,  having directly known and realized it by himself 
[Note 17]. 
  
"The nun Nanda, Ananda, through the destruction of the five  lower fetters (that bind beings to the world of the senses), has arisen  spontaneously (among the 
Pure Abode devas) and will come to final  cessation in that very place, not liable to return from that world.
  
"The layman Sudatta, Ananda, through the destruction of the three  fetters (self-belief, doubt, and clinging to the belief that rules and rituals can result in enlightenment), and the lessening of lust, hatred, and delusion, has  become a once-returner and is bound to make an end of suffering after  having returned but once more to this world.
  

"The laywoman Sujata, Ananda, through the destruction of the three  fetters has become a stream-enterer, and is safe from falling into the  states of misery, assured, and bound for enlightenment.
  
"The layman Kakudha, Ananda, through the destruction of the five  lower fetters (that bind beings to the Sense Sphere), has arisen  spontaneously (among the Pure Abode devas), and will come to final  cessation in that very place, not liable to return from that world.
  
"So it is with Kalinga, Nikata, Katissabha, Tuttha, Santuttha,  Bhadda, and Subhadda, and with more than 50 laymen in Nadika. More  than 90 laymen who have passed away in Nadika, Ananda, through the  destruction of the three fetters, and the lessening of lust, hatred, and  delusion, have become once-returners and are bound to make an end of  suffering after having returned but once more to this world.
  
"More than 500 [an idiom that means "a large number" of] laymen who have passed away in Nadika,  Ananda, through the complete destruction of the three fetters have  become stream-enterers and are safe from falling into the states of  misery, assured, and bound for enlightenment.
  
The Mirror of the Dharma

8. "Truly,  Ananda, it is nothing strange that human beings should die. 
"But if each  time it happens you should come to the Tathagata [a self-referential term for the Buddha] and ask about them in  this manner, indeed it would be troublesome to him. 
"Therefore, Ananda, I  will give you the teaching called the Mirror of the Dharma, possessing  which the noble disciple [one who has attained at least the first stage of enlightenment], should it be desired, can declare of oneself:  'There is no more rebirth for me in hell, nor as an animal or ghost, nor  in any realm of woe [beneath the human world]. A stream-enterer am I, safe from falling into the  states of misery, assured am I and bound for enlightenment.'"
  
9. "And what, Ananda, is that  teaching called the Mirror of Dharma, possessing which the noble  disciple may thus declare?
  
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| Mara comes as a gentleman. | 
"In this case, Ananda, the noble disciple possesses unwavering confidence in the Buddha as follows: 'The Blessed One is an arhat, the Fully  Enlightened One, supreme in knowledge and conduct, the Happy One, the Knower of the World, the foremost trainer of beings, the teacher of 
devas and humans, the Enlightened One, the Blessed One.'
  
"The noble disciple possesses unwavering confidence in the Dharma as follows: 'Well expounded by the Blessed One is the Dharma, evident, timeless 
[18], inviting investigation, leading to liberation, to be comprehended by the wise, each for oneself.'
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| Mara's Craving, Lust, and Aversion lure Siddhartha (omegafoundation.siriuscomputing.net) | 
  
"The noble disciple possesses unwavering confidence in the Blessed One's Order of Disciples as follows: 'Well faring is the Blessed One's Order of Disciples,  harmoniously, wisely, and heedfully, that is to say, the four pairs, the eight classes of persons. The Blessed One's Order of Disciples  is worthy of honor, worthy of hospitality, worthy of offerings, worthy of veneration -- the  supreme field of merit [beneficial, exponentially profitable karma] in the world.'
  
"And the 
noble disciple possesses virtues that are dear to the 
Noble Ones, complete  and perfect, spotless and pure, which are liberating, praised by the  wise, uninfluenced (by worldly concerns), and favorable to composure/concentration  of mind.
  
10. "This, Ananda, is the  teaching called the Mirror of the Dharma, whereby the noble disciple may  know: 'There is no more rebirth for me in hell realms, nor as  an animal or ghost, nor in any realm of woe (apaya). A stream-enterer am I, safe  from falling into the states of misery, assured am I and bound for enlightenment.'"
   
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| Mara under the Bodhi tree (sarvajan.ambedkar.org) | 
11. In Nadika, in the  Brick House [Monastery], the Blessed One often gave counsel to the ascetics thus:  "Such and such is virtue; such and such is concentration; and such and  such is wisdom. Great becomes the fruit, great is the gain of  concentration when it is fully developed by virtuous conduct; great  becomes the fruit, great is the gain of wisdom when it is fully  developed by concentration; utterly freed from the taints of lust, [again-] becoming, and ignorance is the mind/heart that is fully developed in wisdom."   
12. When the Blessed One had  stayed in Nadika as long as he wished, he spoke to the Ven.  Ananda, saying: "Come, Ananda, let us go to [the city of] Vesali."
  
"So be it, O venerable sir." And the Blessed One took up his abode in Vesali  together with a large community of ascetics, and stayed in Ambapali's  grove. ...
  
Mara's Appeal
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| Mara Devaputra (fabulousmasterpieces.co.uk) | 
7. And when Ven. Ananda had gone away, 
Mara Namuci approached the  Blessed One. And standing to one side he spoke to the Buddha,  saying: "Now, O venerable one, let the Blessed One come to his final passing  away; let the Happy One utterly pass away! The time has come for the  final nirvana of the Venerable One.  
"For the Blessed One, O venerable sir, once spoke these words to me: 'I shall not  come to my final passing away, Namuci, until my monks and  nuns, laymen and laywomen, have come to be true disciples -- wise,  well-disciplined, apt and learned, preservers of the Dharma, living  according to the Dharma, abiding by the appropriate conduct, and having  learned the Buddha's word, are able to expound it, preach it, proclaim  it, establish it, reveal it, explain it in detail, and make it clear. And when adverse opinions arise, they shall be able to refute them  thoroughly and well, and to preach this convincing and liberating  Dharma' 
[23]. 
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| The Buddha reclining into final nirvana, Thailand (perstephone/flickr.com) | 
  8. "And now, O venerable sir, monks and nuns, laymen and laywomen, have become the Blessed One's  disciples in just this way. So, O venerable sir, let the Blessed One come to his  final passing away! The time has come for the final nirvana of the Venerable One.
   
"For the Blessed One, O venerable sir, spoke these words to me: 'I shall not  come to my final passing away, Namuci, until this supreme life taught by  me has become successful, prosperous, far-renowned, popular, and  widespread, until it is well proclaimed among 
devas and humans.' And this  too has come to pass in just this way. So, O venerable sir, let the Blessed One  come to his final passing away, let the Happy One utterly pass away! The  time has come for the final nirvana of the Venerable One."
9. When this was said, the Blessed  One spoke to Mara Namuci saying: "Do not trouble yourself, Namuci. Before long the final nirvana of the Tathagata will come about. Three  months hence the Tathagata will utterly pass away." 
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