What were the Buddha's last words?

Sister Vajira, Francis Story (trans.), Maha-Parinibbana Sutra: "Last Days of the Buddha" (accesstoinsight.org, DN 16) edited by Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson, Wisdom Quarterly

Part VI: Passing Away: The Buddha's final words

1. Now the Blessed One said, "Ananda, it may be that to some among you the thought will come: 'Ended is the word of the Teacher; we have a Teacher no longer.'

"But, Ananda, it should not be considered in this way. For what I have proclaimed and made known as the Doctrine and Discipline (Dhamma-Vinaya), that shall be your Teacher when I am gone [beyond].

2. "And, Ananda, though now the monastics address one another as 'friend,' let it not be so when I am not here. The senior monastics, Ananda, may address the junior ones by their name, their family name, or as 'friend,' but the junior ones should address the senior ones as 'venerable sir' or 'your reverence ' [Note 55].

3. "Ananda, when I am no longer here, if it is desired, the Sangha (Monastic Community) may abolish the lesser and minor rules [56].

4. "And, Ananda, when I am gone [beyond], let the higher punishment be imposed on the monk Channa" [57].

"But, venerable sir, what is the 'higher punishment'?"

"The monk Channa, Ananda, may say what he will, but the monastics should neither converse with him nor exhort him nor admonish him."

There were monastics and many more devas.

5. Then the Blessed One addressed the monastics, saying: "It may be, monastics, that one of you is in doubt or perplexity as to the Buddha, the Dharma, or the Sangha, the path or the practice. If that is so then raise a question, monastics! Do not feel remorse later with the thought, 'The Teacher was with us face to face, yet we failed to ask him.'"

6. But when this was said, the monastics were silent. And a second and a third time the Blessed One said to them, "It may be, monastics, that one of you is in doubt or perplexity as to the Buddha, the Dharma, or the Sangha, the path or the practice. If that is so then raise a question, monks! Do not feel remorse later on with the thought, 'The Teacher was with us face to face, yet we failed to ask him.'"

And for a second and a third time the monastics were silent. Then the Blessed One said to them, "Monastics, it may be out of respect for the Teacher that you ask no questions. Then, monastics, let friend communicate it to friend." Yet still the monastics were silent.

7. Then Ananda said to the Blessed One, "O, venerable sir, it is marvelous and most wonderful! This confidence I have in the community of monastics, that not even one monastic is in doubt or perplexity as to the Buddha, the Dharma, or the Sangha, the path or the practice."

"You speak out of confidence (faith), Ananda, but here the Tathagata knows for certain that among this community of monastics there is not even one monastic who is in doubt or perplexity as to the Buddha, the Dharma, or the Sangha, the path or the practice. For, Ananda, among this large number (500) even the lowest is a stream-enterer, secure from downfall, assured, and bound for enlightenment."

8. And the Blessed One addressed them, saying: "Behold now, monastics, I exhort you: All compounded things are hurtling toward destruction. Strive with earnestness!" [58]

This was the last word of the Tathagata (the Wayfarer, the One Arrived at Suchness, the Thus Come/Thus Gone One, the Buddha).

How the Buddha passed into final-nirvana

9. And the Blessed One entered the first absorption (jhana). Rising from the first absorption, he entered the second absorption. Rising from the second absorption, he entered the third absorption. Rising from the third absorption, he entered the fourth absorption. And rising out of the fourth absorption, he entered the sphere of boundless space (the fifth absorption). Rising from the attainment of the sphere of boundless space, he entered the sphere of boundless consciousness (sixth absorption). Rising from the attainment of the sphere of boundless consciousness, he entered the sphere of nothingness (seventh absorption). Rising from the attainment of the sphere of nothingness, he entered the sphere of neither-perception-nor-non-perception (eighth absorption). And rising out of the attainment of the sphere of neither-perception-nor-non-perception, he attained to the extinction of perception and feeling.

10. Then Ananda commented, "Venerable Anuruddha, the Blessed One has passed away."

"No, friend Ananda, the Blessed One has not passed away. He has entered the state of the extinction of perception and feeling" [59].

Dimensional travel: all across the universe

11. Then the Blessed One, rising from the extinction of perception and feeling, entered the sphere of neither-perception-nor-non-perception. Rising from the attainment of the sphere of neither-perception-nor-non-perception, he entered the sphere of nothingness. Rising from the attainment of the sphere of nothingness, he entered the sphere of boundless consciousness. Rising from the attainment of the sphere of boundless consciousness, he entered the sphere of boundless space. Rising from the attainment of the sphere of boundless space, he entered the fourth absorption. Rising from the fourth absorption, he entered the third absorption. Rising from the third absorption, he entered the second absorption. Rising from the second absorption, he entered the first absorption (jhana).

Rising from the first absorption, he entered the second absorption. Rising from the second absorption, he entered the third absorption. Rising from the third absorption, he entered the fourth absorption. And, rising from the fourth absorption, the Blessed One immediately passed into final nirvana.

The World's Echo

12. And when the Blessed One had passed into final nirvana, simultaneously there came a tremendous earthquake, hair raising and astounding, and thunder rolled across the skies. More

NOTES: 55. In Pali, "friend" is avuso, "venerable sir" = bhante, "your reverence" = ayasma.

56. Because Ananda, at this point, neglected to ask what the "minor" rules were, the Sangha decided not to abolish any of the rules of the Monastic Disciplinary Code (Vinaya).
57. Channa had been the Buddha's charioteer when he was still Prince Siddhartha in the palace in Shakya Land [Scythia]. Because of his prior connection with the Buddha, he was obstinate and refused to submit to discipline. This imposition of the "higher punishment" (brahmadanda, "supreme stick or cudgel") humbled him into a cooperative and unhaughty monastic.
58. Handa dani bhikkhave amantayami vo: Vayadhamma sankhara appamadena sampadetha. Earnestness (appamada) is explained as "presence of mindfulness." The Commentary explains, "'You should accomplish all your duties without allowing mindfulness to lapse!' Thus did the Blessed One, while on the bed of his final nirvana, summarize in that one word earnestness the advice he had given through 45 years [of his teaching ministry]."
59. Ven. Anuruddha, the elder brother of Ananda, knew this through the super-normal ability to read the minds of others he possessed.