Venerable Ānanda asked the Buddha, “Bhante, the male lay-follower named Kakudha has passed away in the Nādika village. Where has he been reborn? The male lay-follower named Kaḷingha, Nikkha, Kaṭissabha, Tuṭṭha, Santuṭṭha, Bhadda, and Subhadda have passed away in Nādika. Where have they been reborn?”
“Ānanda, the male lay-followers, Kakudha, Kaḷingha, Nikkha, Kaṭissabha, Tuṭṭha, Santuṭṭha, Bhadda, and Subhadda had attained the third stage of enlightenment having abandoned the five lower fetters before passing away. They’ve been reborn spontaneously into the Suddhāvāsa brahma world, and will attain final Nibbāna there, not liable to return from that world.
“Ānanda, over fifty lay followers in Nādika had attained the third stage of enlightenment having abandoned the five lower fetters before passing away. They’ve been reborn spontaneously into the Suddhāvāsa brahma world and will attain final Nibbāna there, not liable to return from that world.
“Ānanda, more than ninety lay followers in Nādika had attained the second stage of enlightenment having abandoned three fetters and having weakened greed, hate, and delusion before passing away. They will come back to the sensory world only once and then make an end of suffering by attaining final Nibbāna.
“Ānanda, in excess of five hundred lay followers in Nādika had attained the first stage of enlightenment having abandoned the three fetters before passing away. They are not liable to be reborn in miserable worlds. They are heading towards Nibbāna and will attain final Nibbāna within a maximum of seven lives.
“Ānanda, it’s not surprising that a human being should pass away. But, if you should come and ask me about it each and every time someone dies, that would be a bother for me. So Ānanda, I will teach you a Dhamma lesson called the mirror of the Dhamma. A noble disciple who has the qualities explained in the mirror of the Dhamma may declare of himself, ‘I will never be reborn in hell, the animal world, and the ghost world. I’ve finished with all the miserable worlds. I am a stream-enterer! I’m not liable to be reborn in lower worlds, and I am heading towards Nibbāna.’
“And what is that mirror of the Dhamma?
“Ānanda, it’s when a noble disciple has unshakable confidence in the Buddha, ‘That Blessed One is liberated, self enlightened, has true knowledge and pure conduct, attained Nibbāna, knower of worlds, supreme trainer of beings, teacher of gods and humans, the most generous and the most fortunate.’
“Also, he has unshakable confidence in the Dhamma: ‘The Dhamma is well explained by the Buddha—visible in this very life, immediately effective, inviting inspection, applied to oneself, wise people can realize it for themselves.’
“Also, he has unshakable confidence in the Saṅgha, ‘The order of the Buddha’s disciples is practicing the pure way, upright way, wise way, and generous way. It consists of the four pairs, the eight individuals. The order of the Buddha’s disciples is worthy of offerings, worthy of hospitality, worthy of gifts, worthy of greeting with joined palms, and is the supreme field of merit for the world.’
“Also, he has virtue loved by the noble ones, unbroken, flawless, unblemished, not caught up in craving, freed from wrong views, praised by wise people and leading to concentration.
“Ānanda, this is that mirror of the Dhamma. A noble disciple who has these qualities may declare of himself: ‘I will never be reborn in hell, animal world, and ghost world. I’ve finished with all miserable worlds. I am a stream-enterer! I’m not liable to be reborn in lower worlds, and am heading towards Nibbāna.’”
