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having approached and paid homage to the Blessed One, he sat down to one side. Seated to one side, the Venerable Ananda said to the Blessed One: "Venerable sir, the Venerable Phagguna is afflicted, suffering, gravely ill. It would be good, Venerable sir, if the Blessed One would approach the Venerable Phagguna, out of compassion." The Blessed One consented by silence. Then, in the evening, having risen from seclusion, the Blessed One approached the Venerable Phagguna. The Venerable Phagguna saw the Blessed One coming from afar. Having seen him, he... on the couch you are defiling. Then the Blessed One said to Venerable Phagguna: “Enough, Phagguna, do not defile the couch. These seats have been arranged by others; I will sit there.” The Blessed One sat on the prepared seat. Having sat down, the Blessed One said to Venerable Phagguna: “Are you, Phagguna, able to endure? Are you able to carry on? Are your painful feelings receding, not advancing? Is their recession evident, not their advance?” “No, venerable sir, I am not able to endure, nor able to carry on. My severe painful feelings are advancing, not receding; their advance is evident, not their recession. “Just as, venerable sir, a strong man might strike one’s head with a sharp sword; even so, venerable sir, excessive winds are striking my head. No, venerable sir, I am not able to endure, nor able to carry on. My severe painful feelings are advancing, not receding; their advance is evident, not their recession. “Just as, venerable sir, a strong man might bind one’s head with a tight leather strap; even so, venerable sir, excessive head pains are in my head. No, venerable sir, I am not able to endure, nor able to carry on. My severe painful feelings are advancing, not receding; their advance is evident, not their recession. “Just as, venerable sir, a skilled butcher or a butcher’s apprentice might carve up an ox’s belly with a sharp butcher’s knife; even so, venerable sir, excessive winds are carving up my belly. No, venerable sir, I am not able to endure, nor able to carry on. My severe painful feelings are advancing, not receding; their advance is evident, not their recession. “Just as, venerable sir, two strong men might seize a weaker man by both arms As if taking coals from a brazier, they would burn and scorch him; just so, venerable sir, is the excessive burning in my body. For me, venerable sir, it is not bearable, not endurable. Strong painful feelings assail me, they do not recede; their advance is evident, not their retreat. Then the Blessed One, having instructed, encouraged, inspired, and gladdened Venerable Phagguna with a Dhamma talk, rose from his seat and departed. Then Venerable Phagguna, not long after the Blessed One had departed, passed away. And at that time, at the moment of his death, his faculties became clear. Then Venerable Ananda approached the Blessed One; having approached, he bowed to the Blessed One and sat down to one side. Seated to one side, Venerable Ananda said to the Blessed One: ‘‘Venerable sir, Venerable Phagguna, not long after the Blessed One had departed, passed away. And at that time, at the moment of his death, his faculties became clear.’’ ‘‘Why, Ananda, should the faculties of the monk Phagguna not become clear! Ananda, the mind of the monk Phagguna was not yet freed from the five lower fetters. Having heard that Dhamma teaching, his mind was freed from the five lower fetters. ‘‘Ananda, there are these six advantages in listening to the Dhamma at the right time, and in examining the meaning at the right time. Which six? Here, Ananda, the mind of a monk is not yet freed from the five lower fetters. At that time, at the moment of his death, he obtains a vision of the Tathagata. To him, the Tathagata teaches the Dhamma that is good in the beginning, good in the middle, good in the end, with meaning and with letter, proclaiming the entirely complete and purified holy life. Having heard that Dhamma teaching, his mind is freed from the five lower fetters. This, Ananda, is the first advantage of listening to the Dhamma at the right time. ‘‘Furthermore, Ananda, b A monk's mind is not freed from the five lower fetters. At that time, at the time of death, he does not get to see the Tathāgata, but he does get to see a disciple of the Tathāgata. That disciple of the Tathāgata teaches him the Dhamma, beautiful in the beginning, beautiful in the middle, beautiful in the end, with meaning and with phrasing, he proclaims the utterly complete and pure holy life. Having heard that Dhamma teaching, his mind is freed from the five lower fetters. This, Ānanda, is the second benefit of listening to the Dhamma at the right time. Again, Ānanda, a monk's mind is not freed from the five lower fetters. At that time, at the time of death, he does not get to see the Tathāgata, nor does he get to see a disciple of the Tathāgata; but he ponders, reflects, and contemplates with his mind the Dhamma as he has heard it, as he has learned it. As he ponders, reflects, and contemplates with his mind the Dhamma as he has heard it, as he has learned it, his mind is freed from the five lower fetters. This, Ānanda, is the third benefit of examining the meaning at the right time. Here, Ānanda, a monk's mind is freed from the five lower fetters, but his mind is not freed from the unsurpassed destruction of attachments. At that time, at the time of death, he gets to see the Tathāgata. The Tathāgata teaches him the Dhamma, beautiful in the beginning, beautiful in the middle, beautiful in the end, with meaning and with phrasing, he proclaims the utterly complete and pure holy life. Having heard that Dhamma teaching, his mind is freed from the unsurpassed destruction of attachments. This, Ānanda, is the fourth benefit of listening to the Dhamma at the right time. Again, Ānanda, a monk's mind is freed from the five lower fetters, but his mind is not freed from the unsurpassed destruction of attachments. At that time, at the time of death, he does not get to see the Tathāgata ...for seeing. But he obtains a disciple of the Tathāgata for seeing. To him, the Tathāgata's disciple teaches the Dhamma, beautiful in the beginning... and proclaims the perfectly pure holy life. Having heard that teaching of the Dhamma, his mind is liberated in the unsurpassed destruction of the substrata of existence. This, Ānanda, is the fifth benefit of listening to the Dhamma at the proper time. Furthermore, Ānanda, a monk's mind is liberated from the five lower fetters, but his mind is not yet liberated in the unsurpassed destruction of the substrata of existence. At that time, at the time of death, he does not obtain the Tathāgata for seeing, nor does he obtain a disciple of the Tathāgata for seeing; but he contemplates, examines, and reflects upon the Dhamma as he has heard it and mastered it. As he contemplates, examines, and reflects upon the Dhamma as he has heard it and mastered it, his mind is liberated in the unsurpassed destruction of the substrata of existence. This, Ānanda, is the sixth benefit of examining the meaning at the proper time. These, Ānanda, are the six benefits of listening to the Dhamma at the proper time and examining the meaning at the proper time. End of the second. 3. The Discourse on the Six Kinds of Birth. 57. At one time the Blessed One was staying at Rājagaha, on Vulture Peak Mountain. Then Ven. Ānanda approached the Blessed One; having approached and paid homage to the Blessed One, he sat down to one side. Seated to one side, Ven. Ānanda said to the Blessed One: "Venerable sir, Pūraṇa Kassapa has declared six kinds of birth: black birth is declared, blue birth is declared, red birth is declared, yellow birth is declared, white birth is declared, supremely white birth is declared." "Herein, Venerable sir, Pūraṇa Kassapa has declared black birth as: sheep-butchers, pig-butchers, bird-hunters, deer-hunters, hunters, fish-killers, thieves, executioners, jailers, or any others who engage in cruel occupations." "Herein, Venerable sir, Pūraṇa Kassapa has declared blue birth as..." are declared, monks who live by thorns, or any others who are karma-advocates, action-advocates. “Here, venerable sir, by Pūraṇa Kassapa, the red-birth is declared: the Nigaṇṭhas, those with a single robe. “Here, venerable sir, by Pūraṇa Kassapa, the yellow-birth is declared: laypeople in white clothes, disciples of the naked ascetics. “Here, venerable sir, by Pūraṇa Kassapa, the white-birth is declared: the Ājīvakas, male and female. “Here, venerable sir, by Pūraṇa Kassapa, the supreme-white-birth is declared: Nanda Vaccha, Kisa Saṅkicca, Makkhali Gosāla. By Pūraṇa Kassapa, venerable sir, these six births are declared.” “But Ananda, does everyone in the world approve of Pūraṇa Kassapa declaring these six births?” “No, venerable sir.” “Just as, Ananda, a poor, destitute, unfortunate man, against his will, might have a hole hung on him, saying: ‘Here, good man, this meat is to be eaten by you, and the price is to be paid by you.’ Even so, Ananda, Pūraṇa Kassapa has declared these six births without the agreement of these ascetics and brahmins, as would a foolish, unskillful, ignorant, incompetent person. “But I, Ananda, declare six births. Listen to that, pay careful attention; I will speak.” “Yes, venerable sir,” Venerable Ananda replied to the Blessed One. The Blessed One said this: “What, Ananda, are the six births? Here, Ananda, some individual, being of black birth, is born into black phenomena. Here, Ananda, some individual, being of black birth, is born into white phenomena. Here, Ananda, some individual, being of black birth, is born into neither-black-nor-white Nibbāna. Here, Ananda, some individual, being of white birth, is born into black phenomena. Here, Ananda, some individual, being of white birth, is born into white phenomena. Here, Ananda, some individual, being of white birth, is born into neither-black-nor-white ...