[31] Now the fifty householder friends of the Venerable Yasa — countrymen, sons of families of long-standing lineage in successive rank — heard: "Yasa, the son of a good family, it is said, has shaved off his hair and beard, put on the ochre robes, and gone forth (pabbajjā) from the home life into homelessness." Having heard this, they thought: "Surely this is no inferior Dhamma and Discipline, this is no inferior going forth, wherein Yasa, the son of a good family, has shaved off his hair and beard, put on the ochre robes, and gone forth from the home life into homelessness." They approached the Venerable Yasa; having approached, they paid homage to the Venerable Yasa and stood to one side. Then the Venerable Yasa, taking those fifty householder friends, approached the Blessed One; having approached, he paid homage to the Blessed One and sat down to one side. Sitting to one side, the Venerable Yasa said this to the Blessed One: "Venerable sir, these fifty householder friends of mine are countrymen, sons of families of long-standing lineage in successive rank. May the Blessed One exhort them; may he instruct them."
The Blessed One gave them a progressive talk (anupubbikathā), that is to say: talk on giving, talk on virtue, talk on the heavens; he made known the danger, the degradation, and the defilement of sensual pleasures, and the benefit in renunciation (nekkhamma). When the Blessed One knew that their minds were ready, that their minds were pliant, that their minds were free of the hindrances (nīvaraṇa), that their minds were uplifted, that their minds were confident, then he made known the Dhamma teaching that the Buddhas themselves have exalted: suffering (dukkha), its origin, its cessation, the path. Just as a clean cloth free of stains would properly take the dye, even so, in that very seat, there arose in them the dustless, stainless vision of the Dhamma (dhammacakkhu): "Whatever is subject to origination, all that is subject to cessation."
Then they, having seen the Dhamma, attained the Dhamma, understood the Dhamma, plunged into the Dhamma, having crossed beyond doubt (vicikicchā), with perplexity gone, having attained self-confidence, independent of others in the Teacher's dispensation, said this to the Blessed One: "Venerable sir, may we receive the going forth in the presence of the Blessed One; may we receive the full admission (upasampadā)." "Come, bhikkhus," said the Blessed One; "well proclaimed is the Dhamma; live the holy life (brahmacariya) for the complete making an end of suffering." That itself was the full admission of those venerable ones.
Then the Blessed One exhorted and instructed those bhikkhus with a talk on the Dhamma. As they were being exhorted and instructed by the Blessed One with a talk on the Dhamma, their minds (citta) were liberated from the taints (āsava) through non-clinging.
Now at that time there were sixty-one arahants in the world.
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.