The Life of Koṇḍañña and His Journey to Enlightenment : หน้า 180/263

If you look back at the life history of Koṇḍañña, you will remember him as being the youngest amongst the eight brahmin soothsayers selected to interpret the bodily marks of Prince Siddhattha shortly after the latter’s birth. Koṇḍañña had obviously been very highly educated both in worldly ways and in understanding meditative practices because amongst the eight, he was the only soothsayer to be able to say with precision that Siddhattha would surely renounce the world to become enlightened as a Buddha. After the Siddhattha’s renunciation of the world, Koṇḍañña had spent a further six years together with him, studying meditation, and is likely to have attained the absorptions. Thus, hearing instruction from the newly-enlightened Buddha, he was the first to attain “stream-entry” and to bear witness to the fact that the Buddha was indeed a “Fully Self-Enlightened Buddha” [Sammā Sambuddho] who had attained something never before known. Furthermore, a large number of Brahmās were able to attain the fruit of “stream-entry” at the moment the Buddha completed his teaching of the Dhammacakkapavattana Sutta. This goes further to show the superiority of the Buddha’s attainment over the teaching of other contemporary traditions—the Buddha’s teaching was benefitted from by Brahmās in the Brahmā world who normally were considered the zenith of attainment by adherents of contemporary traditions. It follows therefore that Brahmās themselves have not attained a level of Sainthood and are ignorant of the Path and Fruit of Sainthood [ariyamagga-ariyaphala]—because when they die from their existence in the Brahmā world, they must still continue to be caught up endlessly in the Cycle of Existence [samsāra]—just like the rest of the unattained worldlings. The only alternative is to remove all