Dighanikaya 0.58

0.58

Majjhimabhāṇakā pana vadanti – ‘‘ānandatthero attano arahattappattiṃ ñāpetukāmo bhikkhūhi saddhiṃ nāgato, bhikkhū yathāvuḍḍhaṃ attano attano pattāsane nisīdantā ānandattherassa āsanaṃ ṭhapetvā nisinnā. Tattha keci evamāhaṃsu – ‘etaṃ āsanaṃ kassā’ti? ‘Ānandassā’ti. ‘Ānando pana kuhiṃ gato’ti? Tasmiṃ samaye thero cintesi – ‘idāni mayhaṃ gamanakālo’ti. Tato attano ānubhāvaṃ dassento pathaviyaṃ nimujjitvā attano āsaneyeva attānaṃ dassesī’’ti, ākāsena gantvā nisīdītipi eke. Yathā vā tathā vā hotu. Sabbathāpi taṃ disvā āyasmato mahākassapassa sādhukāradānaṃ yuttameva.

The reciters of the Majjhima, however, say: “Ānanda Thera, wishing to make known his attainment of arahantship, did not arrive with the bhikkhus. The bhikkhus, sitting down on their respective seats according to seniority, sat having left a seat for Ānanda Thera. There some said: ‘For whom is this seat?’ ‘For Ānanda.’ ‘Where, then, has Ānanda gone?’ At that moment the elder thought: ‘Now it is time for me to go.’ Then, demonstrating his supernormal power, he submerged into the earth and manifested himself right on his own seat”; others say that he went through the air and sat down. Be that as it may. In every way, seeing him, the giving of approval by Venerable Mahākassapa was entirely proper.