ལས་བརྒྱ་ཐམ་པ་པ 24.19

24.19

said to him, “It was not at all on account of your merit that the flowers in the udumbara forest bloomed, for this place is the royal garden of a great universal monarch. The flowers in the udumbara forest first blossom whenever a universal monarch or a bodhisattva appears. Whenever a universal monarch is enthroned on his royal seat or a bodhisattva achieves unexcelled wisdom, flowers fully bloom throughout the udumbara forest. Whenever the time is near for the passing of the universal monarch or for the Tathāgata to pass into parinirvāṇa, the flowers of the udumbara forest begin to fade. When the universal monarch passes or the Tathāgata enters parinirvāṇa, the flowers of the udumbara forest wither.

“Now the Tathāgata is in the world, and he has taken to his final bed. Tonight, in the middle of the night, he will pass beyond sorrow into the realm of nirvāṇa without any remainder of the aggregates. This is why the udumbara forest is fading. Do not mourn so. Do not suffer so. Do not lament.”

The mendicant Subhadra thought, “I have doubts about the Dharma, but I have hope that the Blessed Gautama can dispel my doubts. I will go see the Blessed Gautama, and if he agrees to answer my questions, I shall ask some questions of him.” So he disappeared from the udumbara forest and traveled to the copse of two śāla trees near Kuśinagarī.

At that time Venerable Ānanda drew near to the gates of Kuśinagarī and seated himself. The mendicant Subhadra saw Venerable Ānanda from a distance, and went to where Venerable Ānanda was. Upon his arrival he said to Venerable Ānanda, “Lord Ānanda, I