Thus I have heard: One time, the Buddha was staying at Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park in Jeta’s Grove of Śrāvastī.
It was then that Venerable Rāhula visited the Buddha. He bowed his head at the Buddha’s feet, withdrew to sit at one side, and said to the Buddha, “It would be good, Bhagavān, if you would give me an explanation of the Dharma. Having heard it, I’ll go alone to a quiet place, focus on contemplation, and live earnestly. Having gone to a quiet place, focused on contemplation, and lived earnestly, I will think: ‘A clansman cuts off his hair, correctly believes not in the home life, leaves home to train on the path, cultivates the religious life, and sees the Dharma. He himself will know and realize: “My births have ended, the religious life has been established, and the task is accomplished. I myself know that I won’t be subject to a later existence.”’”
The Bhagavān then examined Rāhula’s mind. His knowledge of liberation had yet to come to fruition, and he wasn’t ready yet to receive the higher Dharma. He asked Rāhula, “Have you taught someone the five acquired aggregates yet?”
Rāhula said to the Buddha, “Not yet, Bhagavān.”
The Buddha told Rāhula, “You should give someone a talk on the five acquired aggregates, then.”
Once he received the Buddha’s instruction, Rāhula on another occasion gave someone a talk on the five acquired aggregates. After doing so, he returned to visit the Buddha. He bowed his head at the Buddha’s feet, withdrew to sit to one side, and said to the Buddha, “Bhagavān, I taught someone the five acquired aggregates. Please, Bhagavān, give me an explanation of the Dharma. Having heard the Dharma, I’ll go alone to a quiet place, focus on contemplation, and live earnestly … up to … ‘“I myself know that I won’t be subject to a later existence.”’”
The Bhagavān again examined Rāhula’s mind. His knowledge of liberation had yet to come to fruition, and he wasn’t ready to receive the higher Dharma. He asked Rāhula, “Have you taught someone the six senses yet?”
Rāhula said to the Buddha, “Not yet, Bhagavān.”
The Buddha told Rāhula, “You should give someone a talk about the six sense fields, then.”
On a different occasion, Rāhula gave someone a talk on the six senses. After teaching the six senses, he came to visit the Buddha. He bowed his head at the Buddha’s feet, withdrew to stand to one side, and said to the Buddha, “Bhagavān, I taught someone the six senses. Please, Bhagavān, give me an explanation of the Dharma. Having heard the Dharma, I’ll go alone to a quiet place, focus on contemplation, and live earnestly … up to … ‘“I myself know that I won’t be subject to a later existence.”’”
The Bhagavān then examined Rāhula’s mind. His knowledge of liberation had yet to come to fruition, and he wasn’t ready to accept the higher Dharma. He asked Rāhula, “Have you taught someone the teaching of dependent origination yet?”
Rāhula said to the Buddha, “Not yet, Bhagavān.”
The Buddha told Rāhula, “You should teach someone the teaching of dependent origination, then.”
Then, on a different occasion, Rāhula gave someone a talk on the teaching of dependent origination. [Having done that,] he came to visit the Buddha. He bowed his head at the Buddha’s feet, withdrew to stand to one side, and said to the Buddha, “[Please,] Bhagavān, give me an explanation of the Dharma. Having heard the Dharma, I’ll go alone to a quiet place, focus on contemplation, and live earnestly … up to … ‘“I myself know that I won’t be subject to a later existence.”’”
The Bhagavān again examined Rāhula’s mind. His knowledge of liberation had yet to come to fruition … up to … told Rāhula, “You should go alone to a quiet place, focus on contemplation, and examine the meaning of those subjects that you’ve taught before.”
Rāhula then accepted the Buddha’s instruction. He contemplated, weighed, and examined the meaning of those teachings that he had heard before and that he had taught before. He then thought, “These teachings all incline toward nirvāṇa, flow toward nirvāṇa, and later abide in nirvāṇa.”
Rāhula then paid the Buddha a visit. He bowed his head at the Buddha’s feet, withdrew to stand to one side, and said to the Buddha, “Bhagavān, I went alone to a quiet place, contemplated, weighed, and examined the meaning of those teachings that I’ve heard and taught before. I realized that these teachings incline toward nirvāṇa, flow toward nirvāṇa, and later abide in nirvāṇa.”
The Bhagavān then examined Rāhula’s mind. His knowledge of liberation had come to fruition, and he was ready to receive the higher Dharma. He told Rāhula, “Rāhula, everything is impermanent. What things are impermanent? The eye is impermanent. Whether its form, visual awareness, visual contact” … and so on. Impermanence is here taught at length as it was in the previous sūtras.
Rāhula then rejoiced and was gladdened by what the Buddha taught. He bowed to the Buddha and withdrew.
Having received the Buddha’s instruction, Rāhula went alone to a quiet place, focused on contempation, and lived earnestly. [He thought:] “A clansman cuts off his hair, correctly believes not in the home life, leaves home to train on the path, and cultivates the religious life until he sees the Dharma. He himself will know and realize: ‘My births have ended, the religious life has been established, and the task is accomplished. I myself know that I won’t be subject to a later existence.’” He became an arhat, and his mind was well liberated.
After the Buddha spoke this sūtra, Rāhula heard what the Buddha taught, rejoiced, and approved.