This discourse is repeated at AN 11.16.

The Buddha spent his last rains retreat here (SN 47.9:1.5, DN 16:2.22.3). The fact that the Buddha is not mentioned and the setting at Pāṭaliputta suggest that he had already passed away.

Dasama means “tenth”, explained by the commentary as meaning he was tenth in line in his family. | Aṭṭhakanāgara is usually taken to be the name of a city, but neither the city nor the possessive form nāgara appear elsewhere. Since all we know of him is that he was very rich; since the Pali is in the habit of naming people after their prominent quality; and since we find elsewhere a man named after his wealth (Dhaniya at Snp 1.2), perhaps we should take aṭṭhaka from artha in the sense of “wealthy”, which agrees with the later Sanskrit sense of nāgara as “prominent citizen”.

With the rise of Pāṭaliputta, the “Chicken Monastery” (kukkuṭārāma) became an important center after the Buddha’s passing. Malalasekera (Dictionary of Pali Proper Names) suggests it was the same monastery later renowned as Aśokārāma. Ānanda stayed there often (SN 45.18–20, SN 47.21–3), which explains why Dasama expected to find him there.

Beluva was immediately north of Vesālī, so about a day’s walk from Pāṭaliputta. But Dasama could doubtless afford a carriage.

A number of “one things” are taught throughout the suttas. It seems Dasama wanted a simple summary, but Ānanda wished to challenge him.

This illustrates the development of insight based on absorption. After emerging from the attainment, the meditator reflects on the nature of that experience, realizing that even the most blissful and peaceful of states is still “chosen and intended” (abhisaṅkhataṁ abhisañcetayitaṁ), i.e. constructed by volition.

Insight must persist to bear fruit.

“Passion and love for that meditation” (teneva dhammarāgena tāya dhammanandiyā); here dhamma means the state of meditation, i.e. the jhāna. This is the “higher fetter” of rūparāga, the desire for birth in the Brahmā realms of luminous form.

Ānanda omits the final formless attainment, neither perception nor non-perception, which is not regarded as a basis for insight due to its extreme subtlety. See too MN 64:15.5.

“For cultivation”: variants include bhāvanāya, savanāya, and sevanāya. The center point of these is sevanāya, which is a synonym of bhāvanāya and near-homonym of savanāya. Also, the sense of savanāya should be “for hearing”, but he has already heard them, so they are now “for cultivation”.

Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.1 speaks of “a city with eleven doors of the unborn”. Śaṅkara identifies these as the apertures of the body: eyes, ears, nostrils, mouth, navel, genitals, anus, and the spiritual opening at the crown of the head.

“Fee for the teacher”: ācariyadhana. | “Other religions” is in reference to the Brahmanical dakṣiṇā.

This lavish demonstration of Dasama’s wealth is an early indication of the largess enjoyed by the Sangha in Pāṭaliputta. Over a century later, under Ashoka, so many corrupt individuals entered the Sangha seeking profits that a Council had to be held to expel them.