The Path to Nirvana: Konḍaṇṅa's Journey : หน้า 182/263

It is interesting to consider that although the Buddha taught the same sermon to all five monks in the Pañcavaggiya, it was only Konḍaṇṅa who attained stream-entry as a result. The reason for the difference in attainment is due to the difference in the accumulated Perfections of the monks in the group. Study of Koṇḍaṇṅa’s past reveals that during the dispensation of Vipassi Buddha, he was born as a rice-farmer named “Mahākāla”. In the crop cycle, Mahākāla would find the opportunity to make an offering to Vipassi Buddha and his community no less than nine times! 1. when the tips of the rice shoots could be ground into milk; 2. when the rice had grown into seedlings 3. at the first harvest; 4. when the rice was bound into handfuls; 5. when the rice was bound into sheaves; 6. when the rice was transported to the yard; 7. when the rice was arranged in stooks; 8. when the rice was threshed; 9. when the rice was stored in silos; Every time Mahākala made an offering, he would make the wish that he might forever be the first to attain the Path and Fruit of Nirvana during the dispensation of the next Buddha to come. Whenever there was the opportunity to perform a wholesome act, Koṇḍaṇṅa would always make sure that he was the first to do it, and cultivated Perfections in this way until it became engrained in his being. He would do everything in earnest and with dedication — never with reluctance. 1. Ānuggatra Nikāya, Ekanipāta, Ekadagga Sutta 1