The Buddha's cousin, Devadatta, was also his disciple, but he had an evil plan: he wanted to do away with the Buddha and take his place. Devadatta was later expelled, but he enticed some of the Buddha's disciples to go with him in order to enjoy the abundant offerings given by King Ajatasatru of Magadha. When Sariputra heard about this, he went to Devadatta's place and admonished his disciples."What is the purpose of becoming a monk? To accept offerings or to do spiritual cultivation? Aren't you ashamed of yourselves for abandoning the right way and following the wrong way?" When the disciples heard Sariputra's admonition, they were indeed ashamed of themselves, so they apologized to him and rejoined the Buddha's order of monks.

When the Buddha announced that he was going to leave this world and enter nirvana in three months, Sariputra thought, "It will be too painful to witness the passing away of the Buddha, so I'd better pass away and enter nirvana before he does."

Sariputra approached the Buddha."Buddha, you have informed us that you will pass away, and I do not want to see you pass away, so I want to die before you. I hope you will understand."

When the Buddha heard this, he looked at Sariputra for a while and finally said,"It's up to you, but where are you going to die?"

"My hometown, where my hundred-year-old mother sill lives. I would like to say good-bye to her. Then, I will pass away in the room where I was born."He then went back to his hometown with a novice.

When he arrived home, everyone in the village was quite happy to see him. The happiest people were, of course, Sariputra's old mother and his relatives. They eagerly prepared his room. However, they were shocked when Sariputra told them that he was going to pass away.

"Don't feel sad for me," Sariputra told his mother calmly."My death is not the same as any other ordinary person's. My mind is at peace. In this life, I've been very fortunate to have the Buddha as my mentor, and I've been saved from the cycle of reincarnation. I'm also free from all anxieties and worries. I've come back here because I want to pass away before the Buddha does in three months. Who doesn't die? It's fortunate that I found the true meaning of life and can enter nirvana."

Although his mother was still sad, she was at least happy that her son was free from the cycle of reincarnation and was able to enter nirvana.

The next morning when Sariputra woke up, a lot of people were already waiting to see him. They entered his room and Sariputra spoke to them. "In the last forty years or so, I have learnt a lot from my teacher, the Buddha, and I have attained enlightenment. It is a rare chance to encounter a buddha, so you must industriously study his teachings."

Sariputra then lay down on his right side and passed away. After he died, his body was cremated and the novice carrid his remains back to the Jetavana Garden. The novice went to Ananda's room and reported everything to him. Ananda felt very heavy-hearted, and he went to tell the Buddha about it.

The Buddha said to Ananda and all the disciples,"You must not feel so upset, because nothing is permanent in this world. Sariputra has died, but his spirit is still with us."