English
The Great Chapter The Discourse on the Lion's Roar A lion, monks, king of beasts, in the evening, comes forth from its lair. Having come forth from its lair, it stretches. Having stretched, it surveys all four directions. Having surveyed all four directions, it roars the lion's roar three times. Having roared the lion's roar three times, it goes forth to its hunting ground. For what reason? 'Lest I should harm small creatures that have gone astray!' 'Lion', monks, is an appellation for the Tathāgata, the Arahant, the Perfectly Self-Awakened One. When, monks, the Tathāgata teaches the Dhamma to an assembly, this is his lion's roar. These ten, monks, are the Tathāgata's powers of a Tathāgata, endowed with which powers the Tathāgata claims the foremost place, roars the lion's roar in assemblies, and sets rolling the wheel of Dhamma. Which are these ten? Here, monks, the Tathāgata understands as it actually is the possible as possible and the impossible as impossible. That too, monks, that the Tathāgata understands as it actually is the possible as possible and the impossible as impossible, this too, monks, is a power of the Tathāgata, relying on which power the Tathāgata claims the foremost place, roars the lion's roar in assemblies, and sets rolling the wheel of Dhamma. Furthermore, monks, the Tathāgata understands as it actually is the results of past, future, and present actions, with their reasons and causes. That too, monks, that the Tathāgata understands as it actually is the results of past, future, and present actions, with their reasons and causes, this too, monks, is a power of the Tathāgata, relying on which power the Tathāgata claims the foremost place, roars the lion's roar in assemblies, and sets rolling the wheel of Dhamma. Furthermore, monks, the Tathāgata understands all paths... the path, as it really is. And that, monks, the Tathāgata understands the path leading to all destinations, as it really is, this too, monks, is a power of the Tathāgata, relying on which power the Tathāgata claims the foremost place, roars his lion's roar in assemblies, and sets in motion the Wheel of Dhamma. "Furthermore, monks, the Tathāgata understands the world with its many and various elements, as it really is. And that, monks, the Tathāgata understands the world with its many and various elements, as it really is, this too, monks, is a power of the Tathāgata, relying on which power the Tathāgata claims the foremost place, roars his lion's roar in assemblies, and sets in motion the Wheel of Dhamma. "Furthermore, monks, the Tathāgata understands the diverse dispositions of beings, as they really are. And that, monks, the Tathāgata understands the diverse dispositions of beings, as they really are, this too, monks, is a power of the Tathāgata, relying on which power the Tathāgata claims the foremost place, roars his lion's roar in assemblies, and sets in motion the Wheel of Dhamma. "Furthermore, monks, the Tathāgata understands the maturity and immaturity of the faculties of other beings, other persons, as they really are. And that, monks, the Tathāgata understands the maturity and immaturity of the faculties of other beings, other persons, as they really are, this too, monks, is a power of the Tathāgata, relying on which power the Tathāgata claims the foremost place, roars his lion's roar in assemblies, and sets in motion the Wheel of Dhamma. "Furthermore, monks, the Tathāgata understands the defilement, the purification, and the emergence from the jhānas, liberations, concentrations, and attainments, as they really are. And that... ...he understands, this too, monks, is a power of the Tathāgata, relying on which power the Tathāgata claims the foremost place, roars his lion's roar in assemblies, and sets in motion the Wheel of Dhamma. "Furthermore, monks, the Tathāgata recollects his manifold past existences, namely—one birth, two births, three births, four births, five births, ten births, twenty births, thirty births, forty births, fifty births, a hundred births, a thousand births, a hundred thousand births. many eons of cosmic contraction, many eons of cosmic expansion, many eons of cosmic contraction and expansion, ‘There I was of such a name, of such a clan, of such a color, of such a food, experiencing such pleasure and pain, with such a lifespan. Having passed away from there, I arose yonder. There too I was of such a name, of such a clan, of such a color, of such a food, experiencing such pleasure and pain, with such a lifespan. Having passed away from there, I arose here.’ Thus he recollects his manifold past lives with their details and their features. And furthermore, bhikkhus, that the Tathāgata recollects his manifold past lives, that is to say – one birth, two births... ...thus he recollects his manifold past lives with their details and their features, this too, bhikkhus, is a power of the Tathāgata, relying on which power the Tathāgata claims the foremost place, roars his lion's roar in assemblies, and sets rolling the Brahma-wheel. Furthermore, bhikkhus, the Tathāgata with the divine eye, purified and surpassing human, sees beings passing away and being reborn, inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, fortunate and unfortunate. He understands beings according to their kamma: ‘Indeed, these beings, endowed with bad conduct of body, endowed with bad conduct of speech, endowed with bad conduct of mind, revilers of the noble ones, holding wrong view, undertaking actions based on wrong view, with the breaking up of the body, after death, are reborn in a state of deprivation, a bad destination, a downfall, in hell. Or again, these beings, endowed with good conduct of body, endowed with good conduct of speech, endowed with good conduct of mind, not revilers of the noble ones, holding right view, undertaking actions based on right view, with the breaking up of the body, after death, are reborn in a good destination, in a heavenly world.’ Thus with the divine eye, purified and surpassing human, he sees beings passing away and being reborn, inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, fortunate and unfortunate, he understands beings according to their kamma. And furthermore, bhikkhus, that the Tathāgata with the divine eye with purified, superhuman… and so on… he discerns beings as they fare according to their kamma. This too, bhikkhus, is a Tathāgata’s power, relying on which power the Tathāgata claims the foremost place, roars his lion’s roar in assemblies, and sets in motion the Wheel of Dhamma. Again, bhikkhus, the Tathāgata, by the destruction of the taints, here and now, by his own direct knowledge, realizes, enters, and dwells in the taintless liberation of mind and liberation by wisdom. This too, bhikkhus, that the Tathāgata, by the destruction of the taints, here and now, by his own direct knowledge, realizes, enters, and dwells in the taintless liberation of mind and liberation by wisdom, this too, bhikkhus, is a Tathāgata’s power, relying on which power the Tathāgata claims the foremost place, roars his lion’s roar in assemblies, and sets in motion the Wheel of Dhamma. These, bhikkhus, are the ten Tathāgata’s powers, endowed with which powers the Tathāgata claims the foremost place, roars his lion’s roar in assemblies, and sets in motion the Wheel of Dhamma. The First. 2. The Discourse on Terms of Expression 22. Then Venerable Ānanda approached the Blessed One; having approached and paid homage to the Blessed One, he sat down to one side. To Venerable Ānanda, seated to one side, the Blessed One said this: “Those things, Ānanda, that lead to the direct knowledge and realization of those various terms of expression, I, Ānanda, declare myself confident in that. ‘To teach the Dhamma in such a way, in various ways, that one who practices in such a way will know what is existent as existent, will know what is non-existent as non-existent, will know what is inferior as inferior, will know what is excellent as excellent, will know what is with a superior as with a superior, will know what is unsurpassed as unsurpassed; or in whatever way that is to be known, or to be seen, or to be realized, in that way he will know, or see, or realize’—this is the case. exists. This is the unsurpassed, Ananda, of knowledges, namely, the knowledge of things as they are, in each case. And from this knowledge, Ananda, another knowledge, more excellent or more sublime, I say does not exist. These ten, Ananda, are the powers of a Tathāgata, with which powers endowed, a Tathāgata claims the foremost place, roars his lion's roar in assemblies, and sets rolling the wheel of Dhamma. Which are the ten? Here, Ananda, a Tathāgata understands as it really is the possible as possible and the impossible as impossible. And that, Ananda, a Tathāgata understands as it really is the possible as possible and the impossible as impossible, this, Ananda, is a power of a Tathāgata, relying on which power a Tathāgata claims the foremost place, roars his lion's roar in assemblies, and sets rolling the wheel of Dhamma. Furthermore, Ananda, a Tathāgata understands as it really is the results of past, future, and present actions, with their reasons and causes. And that, Ananda, a Tathāgata understands as it really is the results of past, future, and present actions, with their reasons and causes, this, Ananda, is a power of a Tathāgata, relying on which power a Tathāgata claims the foremost place, roars his lion's roar in assemblies, and sets rolling the wheel of Dhamma. Furthermore, Ananda, a Tathāgata understands as it really is the path leading everywhere. And that, Ananda, a Tathāgata understands as it really is the path leading everywhere, this, Ananda, is a power of a Tathāgata, relying on which power a Tathāgata claims the foremost place, roars his lion's roar in assemblies, and sets rolling the wheel of Dhamma.