[55] Bhikkhus, at one time I was dwelling at Ukkaṭṭhā in the Subhavana Grove, at the root of a royal sāla tree. Then, bhikkhus, as I was in seclusion, gone into retreat, this reflection arose in my mind: "That pure abode (suddhāvāsa) is not easily come by which has not been dwelt in by me in all this long stretch of time, apart from the devas of the Pure Abodes. Suppose I were to approach the devas of the Pure Abodes." Then, bhikkhus, just as a strong man might stretch out his bent arm or bend back his outstretched arm, even so I vanished from the Subhavana Grove at the root of the royal sāla tree at Ukkaṭṭhā and appeared among the Avihā devas.
In that very company of deities, bhikkhus, many hundreds of deities, many thousands of deities approached me; having approached and paid homage to me, they stood to one side. Standing to one side, bhikkhus, those deities said to me: "Ninety-one aeons back from now, good sir (mārisa), the Blessed One Vipassī, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One, arose in the world. The Blessed One Vipassī, good sir, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One, was a khattiya by birth; he arose in a khattiya family. The Blessed One Vipassī, good sir, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One, was a Koṇḍañña by clan. The measure of the lifespan of the Blessed One Vipassī, good sir, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One, was eighty thousand years. The Blessed One Vipassī, good sir, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One, was fully enlightened at the root of a pāṭali tree. The Blessed One Vipassī, good sir, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One, had the pair of disciples named Khaṇḍa and Tissa, the chief pair, the auspicious pair. There were three assemblies of the disciples of the Blessed One Vipassī, good sir, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One: one assembly of disciples was of six million eight hundred thousand bhikkhus; one assembly of disciples was of one hundred thousand bhikkhus; one assembly of disciples was of eighty thousand bhikkhus. These three assemblies of the disciples of the Blessed One Vipassī, good sir, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One, consisted entirely of those whose taints (āsava) were destroyed. The bhikkhu named Asoka was the attendant of the Blessed One Vipassī, good sir, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One—his chief attendant. The king named Bandhumā was his father; the queen named Bandhumatī was the mother who bore him; the city named Bandhumatī was King Bandhumā's capital. Such, good sir, was the renunciation of the Blessed One Vipassī, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One; such his going forth, such his striving, such his full enlightenment, such his setting rolling of the Wheel of the Dhamma. And we, good sir, having lived the holy life (brahmacariya) under the Blessed One Vipassī, having dispelled sensual desire (kāmacchanda) for sensual pleasures, have arisen here."
In that very company of deities, bhikkhus, many hundreds of deities, many thousands of deities approached me; having approached and paid homage to me, they stood to one side. Standing to one side, bhikkhus, those deities said to me: "Thirty-one aeons back from now, good sir, the Blessed One Sikhī … We, good sir, … under the Blessed One Sikhī … In that very thirty-first aeon, good sir, the Blessed One Vessabhū … We, good sir, … under the Blessed One Vessabhū … In this very auspicious aeon (bhaddakappa), good sir, the Blessed One Kakusandha … Koṇāgamana … Kassapa … We, good sir, having lived the holy life under the Blessed One Kakusandha … Koṇāgamana … Kassapa, having dispelled sensual desire for sensual pleasures, have arisen here."
In that very company of deities, bhikkhus, many hundreds of deities, many thousands of deities approached me; having approached and paid homage to me, they stood to one side. Standing to one side, bhikkhus, those deities said to me: "In this very auspicious aeon, good sir, the Blessed One, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One, has now arisen in the world. The Blessed One, good sir, is a khattiya by birth, arisen in a khattiya family; the Blessed One, good sir, is a Gotama by clan. The measure of the Blessed One's lifespan, good sir, is small, limited, and fleeting: one who lives long lives a hundred years or a little more. The Blessed One, good sir, was fully enlightened at the root of an assattha tree. The Blessed One, good sir, has the pair of disciples named Sāriputta and Moggallāna, the chief pair, the auspicious pair. There has been one assembly of the Blessed One's disciples, good sir: one thousand two hundred and fifty bhikkhus. This one assembly of the Blessed One's disciples, good sir, consisted entirely of those whose taints were destroyed. The bhikkhu named Ānanda is the attendant of the Blessed One, good sir—his chief attendant. The king named Suddhodana is his father; the queen named Māyā the mother who bore him; the city of Kapilavatthu the capital. Such, good sir, was the Blessed One's renunciation; such his going forth, such his striving, such his full enlightenment, such his setting rolling of the Wheel of the Dhamma. And we, good sir, having lived the holy life under the Blessed One, having dispelled sensual desire for sensual pleasures, have arisen here."
Then, bhikkhus, together with the Avihā devas I approached the Atappā devas. Then, bhikkhus, together with the Avihā devas and the Atappā devas I approached the Sudassā devas. Then, bhikkhus, together with the Avihā devas, the Atappā devas, and the Sudassā devas I approached the Sudassī devas. Then, bhikkhus, together with the Avihā devas, the Atappā devas, the Sudassā devas, and the Sudassī devas I approached the Akaniṭṭhā devas.
In that very company of deities, bhikkhus, many hundreds of deities, many thousands of deities approached me; having approached and paid homage to me, they stood to one side. Standing to one side, bhikkhus, those deities said to me: "Ninety-one aeons back from now, good sir, the Blessed One Vipassī, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One, arose in the world. The Blessed One Vipassī, good sir, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One, was a khattiya by birth; he arose in a khattiya family. The Blessed One Vipassī, good sir, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One, was a Koṇḍañña by clan. The measure of the lifespan of the Blessed One Vipassī, good sir, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One, was eighty thousand years. The Blessed One Vipassī, good sir, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One, was fully enlightened at the root of a pāṭali tree. The Blessed One Vipassī, good sir, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One, had the pair of disciples named Khaṇḍa and Tissa, the chief pair, the auspicious pair. There were three assemblies of the disciples of the Blessed One Vipassī, good sir, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One: one assembly of disciples was of six million eight hundred thousand bhikkhus; one assembly of disciples was of one hundred thousand bhikkhus; one assembly of disciples was of eighty thousand bhikkhus. These three assemblies of the disciples of the Blessed One Vipassī, good sir, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One, consisted entirely of those whose taints were destroyed. The bhikkhu named Asoka was the attendant of the Blessed One Vipassī, good sir, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One—his chief attendant. The king named Bandhumā was his father; the queen named Bandhumatī was the mother who bore him; the city named Bandhumatī was King Bandhumā's capital. Such, good sir, was the renunciation of the Blessed One Vipassī, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One; such his going forth, such his striving, such his full enlightenment, such his setting rolling of the Wheel of the Dhamma. And we, good sir, having lived the holy life under the Blessed One Vipassī, having dispelled sensual desire for sensual pleasures, have arisen here."
In that very company of deities, bhikkhus, many hundreds of deities, many thousands of deities approached me; having approached and paid homage to me, they stood to one side. Standing to one side, bhikkhus, those deities said to me: "Thirty-one aeons back from now, good sir, the Blessed One Sikhī … We, good sir, … under the Blessed One Sikhī … In that very thirty-first aeon, good sir, the Blessed One Vessabhū … We, good sir, … under the Blessed One Vessabhū … In this very auspicious aeon, good sir, the Blessed One Kakusandha … Koṇāgamana … Kassapa … We, good sir, having lived the holy life under the Blessed One Kakusandha … Koṇāgamana … Kassapa, having dispelled sensual desire for sensual pleasures, have arisen here."
In that very company of deities, bhikkhus, many hundreds of deities, many thousands of deities approached me; having approached and paid homage to me, they stood to one side. Standing to one side, bhikkhus, those deities said to me: "In this very auspicious aeon, good sir, the Blessed One, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One, has now arisen in the world. The Blessed One, good sir, is a khattiya by birth, arisen in a khattiya family; the Blessed One, good sir, is a Gotama by clan. The measure of the Blessed One's lifespan, good sir, is small, limited, and fleeting: one who lives long lives a hundred years or a little more. The Blessed One, good sir, was fully enlightened at the root of an assattha tree. The Blessed One, good sir, has the pair of disciples named Sāriputta and Moggallāna, the chief pair, the auspicious pair. There has been one assembly of the Blessed One's disciples, good sir: one thousand two hundred and fifty bhikkhus. This one assembly of the Blessed One's disciples, good sir, consisted entirely of those whose taints were destroyed. The bhikkhu named Ānanda, good sir, is the attendant of the Blessed One, his chief attendant. The king named Suddhodana, good sir, is his father; the queen named Māyā the mother who bore him; the city named Kapilavatthu the capital. Such, good sir, was the Blessed One's renunciation; such his going forth, such his striving, such his full enlightenment, such his setting rolling of the Wheel of the Dhamma. And we, good sir, having lived the holy life under the Blessed One, having dispelled sensual desire for sensual pleasures, have arisen here."
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.