Hi Yong Peng and John,
This sutta passage indicates that the Buddha's discourses were witheld for a long time from most lay people, considering the stature of Anathapindika. Did the Buddha change his policy after this event?

from [m 143] (my summary with some quotes from b.bodhi version):
Anathapindika is on his deathbed, and after Sariputta gives this final discourse,
he has tears streaming down his face. Ananda asks him if he is ok, whether the pain is overwhelming and he's closing in on death, and he replies, "I am not foundering, I am not dying. Although long have I served the Buddha and the sangha, I have never heard a discourse like this. " Ananda: "these discourses are not given to lay people, only renunciates." Anathapindika: "Well then, venerable sariputta, let such talk on dhamma be given to householders. There are clansmen with little dust in their eyes who are wasting away through not hearing such talk on the dhamma. There will be those who understand."
Shortly after, anathapindika dies, reappears in Tushita heaven. He returns to jeta grove as a deity and says a verse to the Buddha to the effect that the Buddha is awesome, and Sariputta rocks. If any cultivator is consummate and reaches perfect enlightenment, they can at best only equal Sariputta in his kung fu level.


p.s. the sutta sariputta was giving was a profound one on anatta.
sariputta: "householder, you should train thus":
"I will not cling to <object>,
and my consciousness will not be dependent on <object> "... where he then enumerates through aggregates, sense bases, etc.





frank@...


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