Cp. SN 56.39:1.2. At DN 2:35.2 this is the attitude of a servant to the king.

The same phrase is used of the Buddha’s assembly at MN 77:6.64, but with a different attitude: the Buddha’s assembly is poised expectantly, while Udāyī’s is gazing up at his face.

For the Mahāsaṅgīti sati (“reminded”), PTS reads pīti here, but the phrase occurs at MN 89:4.2 and DN 9:6.32, both times with sati.

The same claim is recorded at MN 14:17.2.

Pubbanta and aparanta (literally “prior end” and “posterior end”) are technical terms found exclusively in Buddhism, and only used in the context of speculative views. It seems the Buddha had a contextual reason to avoid the generic words for “past” (atīta) and “future” (anāgata), and I reflect that in my translation. Pubbanta is semantically identical with pubbakoti, the “first point” of existence or transmigration (SN 48.50:5.3). This is emphasized by Nāgarjuna, who introduces the terms pubbanta and aparanta immediately after discussing the “first point” of transmigration, and associates them with the “extremes” (anta) of eternalism and annihilationism (Mūlamadhyamakakārikā 25.20–23). Thus such talk is not merely about the past as in what happened yesterday, or the future as in what I’ll do next week, but unmoored speculations about the “first beginning” and the “final end”.

The Buddha does not claim to see every fact and detail, but he comprehends the principle that underlies all suffering.

Attabhāva is literally “the state of the self”, and refers to the body in which consciousness has been incarnated. While attā usually has a psychological or metaphysical sense, it sometimes means the “body”, a usage found also in the Sanskrit ātman (eg. Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 1.2.4).

The curious mud-goblin (paṁsupisācaka) is similarly mentioned at Ud 4.4:7.3.

For more on this theory see note on MN 80:2.4.

The statement on the “splendor of the self after death” is not found in the parallel at MA 208.

Ābhā nanubhonti (“luminosity makes no impression”) is glossed as obhāsaṁ na vaḷañjanti, “does not partake of the light”. At AN 4.127:1.4 the same phrase, in regard to the space where the light of the sun does not reach, is glossed pabhā nappahonti, i.e. “light is ineffective”. Compare ananubhūtaṁ at MN 49:11.1.

Vā here is conjunctive.

“Grounded practice” is ākāravatī paṭipadā, for which compare the “grounded faith” (ākāravatī saddhā) of MN 47:16.1 and MN 60:4.1.

“Water ladle” (udañcanika, variant uddekanika, commentary udakavāraka) is a unique term. Read udañchanika in the sense “(ladle) for drawing water” (cp. Sanskrit ākarṣa for Pali añchana). | The terms udakamaṇika (“water jar”) and udañchanika (“water ladle”) pun on Udāyī’s name.