sutta » an » an10 » Aṅguttara Nikāya 10.21

Sīhanādasutta

The Lion’s Roar

“Sīho, bhikkhave, migarājā sāyanhasamayaṁ āsayā nikkhamati.
“Mendicants, towards evening the lion, king of beasts, emerges from his den,

Āsayā nikkhamitvā vijambhati.
yawns,

Vijambhitvā samantā catuddisaṁ anuviloketi.
looks all around the four quarters,

Samantā catuddisaṁ anuviloketvā tikkhattuṁ sīhanādaṁ nadati.
and roars his lion’s roar three times.

Tikkhattuṁ sīhanādaṁ naditvā gocarāya pakkamati.
Then he sets out on the hunt.

Taṁ kissa hetu?
Why is that?

‘Māhaṁ khuddake pāṇe visamagate saṅghātaṁ āpādesin’ti.
‘May I not injure any little creatures on unclear ground.’

‘Sīho’ti kho, bhikkhave, tathāgatassetaṁ adhivacanaṁ arahato sammāsambuddhassa.
‘Lion’ is a term for the Realized One, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha.

Yaṁ kho, bhikkhave, tathāgato parisāya dhammaṁ deseti, idamassa hoti sīhanādasmiṁ.
When the Realized One teaches Dhamma to an assembly, this is his lion’s roar.

Dasayimāni, bhikkhave, tathāgatassa tathāgatabalāni, yehi balehi samannāgato tathāgato āsabhaṁ ṭhānaṁ paṭijānāti, parisāsu sīhanādaṁ nadati, brahmacakkaṁ pavatteti.
The Realized One possesses ten powers of a Realized One. With these he claims the bull’s place, roars his lion’s roar in the assemblies, and turns the divine wheel.

Katamāni dasa?
What ten?

Idha, bhikkhave, tathāgato ṭhānañca ṭhānato aṭṭhānañca aṭṭhānato yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti.
Firstly, the Realized One truly understands the possible as possible and the impossible as impossible.

Yampi, bhikkhave, tathāgato ṭhānañca ṭhānato aṭṭhānañca aṭṭhānato yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti, idampi, bhikkhave, tathāgatassa tathāgatabalaṁ hoti, yaṁ balaṁ āgamma tathāgato āsabhaṁ ṭhānaṁ paṭijānāti, parisāsu sīhanādaṁ nadati, brahmacakkaṁ pavatteti.
Since he truly understands this, this is a power of the Realized One. Relying on this he claims the bull’s place, roars his lion’s roar in the assemblies, and turns the divine wheel.

Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, tathāgato atītānāgatapaccuppannānaṁ kammasamādānānaṁ ṭhānaso hetuso vipākaṁ yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti.
Furthermore, the Realized One truly understands the result of deeds undertaken in the past, future, and present in terms of grounds and causes.

Yampi, bhikkhave, tathāgato atītānāgatapaccuppannānaṁ kammasamādānānaṁ ṭhānaso hetuso vipākaṁ yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti, idampi, bhikkhave, tathāgatassa tathāgatabalaṁ hoti, yaṁ balaṁ āgamma tathāgato āsabhaṁ ṭhānaṁ paṭijānāti, parisāsu sīhanādaṁ nadati, brahmacakkaṁ pavatteti.
Since he truly understands this, this is a power of the Realized One. …

Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, tathāgato sabbatthagāminiṁ paṭipadaṁ yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti.
Furthermore, the Realized One truly understands where all paths of practice lead.

Yampi, bhikkhave, tathāgato sabbatthagāminiṁ paṭipadaṁ yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti, idampi, bhikkhave, tathāgatassa tathāgatabalaṁ hoti, yaṁ balaṁ āgamma tathāgato āsabhaṁ ṭhānaṁ paṭijānāti, parisāsu sīhanādaṁ nadati, brahmacakkaṁ pavatteti.
Since he truly understands this, this is a power of the Realized One. …

Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, tathāgato anekadhātuṁ nānādhātuṁ lokaṁ yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti.
Furthermore, the Realized One truly understands the world with its many and diverse elements.

Yampi, bhikkhave, tathāgato anekadhātuṁ nānādhātuṁ lokaṁ yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti, idampi, bhikkhave, tathāgatassa tathāgatabalaṁ hoti …pe… brahmacakkaṁ pavatteti.
Since he truly understands this, this is a power of the Realized One. …

Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, tathāgato sattānaṁ nānādhimuttikataṁ yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti.
Furthermore, the Realized One truly understands the diverse convictions of sentient beings.

Yampi, bhikkhave, tathāgato sattānaṁ nānādhimuttikataṁ yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti, idampi, bhikkhave, tathāgatassa tathāgatabalaṁ hoti …pe… brahmacakkaṁ pavatteti.
Since he truly understands this, this is a power of the Realized One. …

Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, tathāgato parasattānaṁ parapuggalānaṁ indriyaparopariyattaṁ yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti.
Furthermore, the Realized One truly understands the faculties of other sentient beings and other individuals after comprehending them with his mind.

Yampi, bhikkhave, tathāgato parasattānaṁ parapuggalānaṁ indriyaparopariyattaṁ yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti, idampi, bhikkhave, tathāgatassa tathāgatabalaṁ hoti …pe… brahmacakkaṁ pavatteti.
Since he truly understands this, this is a power of the Realized One. …

Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, tathāgato jhānavimokkhasamādhisamāpattīnaṁ saṅkilesaṁ vodānaṁ vuṭṭhānaṁ yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti.
Furthermore, the Realized One truly understands corruption, cleansing, and emergence regarding the absorptions, liberations, immersions, and attainments.

Yampi …pe… pajānāti, idampi, bhikkhave, tathāgatassa tathāgatabalaṁ hoti …pe… brahmacakkaṁ pavatteti.
Since he truly understands this, this is a power of the Realized One. …

Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, tathāgato anekavihitaṁ pubbenivāsaṁ anussarati, seyyathidaṁ—ekampi jātiṁ dvepi jātiyo tissopi jātiyo catassopi jātiyo pañcapi jātiyo dasapi jātiyo vīsampi jātiyo tiṁsampi jātiyo cattālīsampi jātiyo paññāsampi jātiyo jātisatampi jātisahassampi jātisatasahassampi anekepi saṁvaṭṭakappe anekepi vivaṭṭakappe anekepi saṁvaṭṭavivaṭṭakappe, ‘amutrāsiṁ evaṁnāmo evaṅgotto evaṁvaṇṇo evamāhāro evaṁsukhadukkhappaṭisaṁvedī evamāyupariyanto, so tato cuto amutra udapādiṁ; tatrāpāsiṁ evaṁnāmo evaṅgotto evaṁvaṇṇo evamāhāro evaṁsukhadukkhappaṭisaṁvedī evamāyupariyanto, so tato cuto idhūpapanno’ti, iti sākāraṁ sauddesaṁ anekavihitaṁ pubbenivāsaṁ anussarati.
Furthermore, the Realized One recollects many kinds of past lives. That is: one, two, three, four, five, ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, a hundred, a thousand, a hundred thousand rebirths; many eons of the world contracting, many eons of the world expanding, many eons of the world contracting and expanding. He remembers: ‘There, I was named this, my clan was that, I looked like this, and that was my food. This was how I felt pleasure and pain, and that was how my life ended. When I passed away from that place I was reborn somewhere else. There, too, I was named this, my clan was that, I looked like this, and that was my food. This was how I felt pleasure and pain, and that was how my life ended. When I passed away from that place I was reborn here.’ Thus he recollects his many past lives, with features and details.

Yampi, bhikkhave, tathāgato anekavihitaṁ pubbenivāsaṁ anussarati, seyyathidaṁ—ekampi jātiṁ dvepi jātiyo …pe… iti sākāraṁ sauddesaṁ anekavihitaṁ pubbenivāsaṁ anussarati, idampi, bhikkhave, tathāgatassa tathāgatabalaṁ hoti, yaṁ balaṁ āgamma tathāgato āsabhaṁ ṭhānaṁ paṭijānāti, parisāsu sīhanādaṁ nadati, brahmacakkaṁ pavatteti.
Since he truly understands this, this is a power of the Realized One. …

Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, tathāgato dibbena cakkhunā visuddhena atikkantamānusakena satte passati cavamāne upapajjamāne hīne paṇīte suvaṇṇe dubbaṇṇe, sugate duggate yathākammūpage satte pajānāti: ‘ime vata bhonto sattā kāyaduccaritena samannāgatā vacīduccaritena samannāgatā manoduccaritena samannāgatā ariyānaṁ upavādakā micchādiṭṭhikā micchādiṭṭhikammasamādānā, te kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā apāyaṁ duggatiṁ vinipātaṁ nirayaṁ upapannā; ime vā pana bhonto sattā kāyasucaritena samannāgatā vacīsucaritena samannāgatā manosucaritena samannāgatā ariyānaṁ anupavādakā sammādiṭṭhikā sammādiṭṭhikammasamādānā, te kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā sugatiṁ saggaṁ lokaṁ upapannā’ti. Iti dibbena cakkhunā visuddhena atikkantamānusakena satte passati cavamāne upapajjamāne hīne paṇīte suvaṇṇe dubbaṇṇe, sugate duggate yathākammūpage satte pajānāti.
Furthermore, with clairvoyance that is purified and superhuman, the Realized One sees sentient beings passing away and being reborn—inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, in a good place or a bad place. He understands how sentient beings are reborn according to their deeds. ‘These dear beings did bad things by way of body, speech, and mind. They denounced the noble ones; they had wrong view; and they chose to act out of that wrong view. When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell. These dear beings, however, did good things by way of body, speech, and mind. They never denounced the noble ones; they had right view; and they chose to act out of that right view. When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in a good place, a heavenly realm.’ And so, with clairvoyance that is purified and superhuman, he sees sentient beings passing away and being reborn—inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, in a good place or a bad place. He understands how sentient beings are reborn according to their deeds.

Yampi, bhikkhave, tathāgato dibbena cakkhunā visuddhena atikkantamānusakena …pe… yathākammūpage satte pajānāti, idampi, bhikkhave, tathāgatassa tathāgatabalaṁ hoti, yaṁ balaṁ āgamma tathāgato āsabhaṁ ṭhānaṁ paṭijānāti, parisāsu sīhanādaṁ nadati, brahmacakkaṁ pavatteti.
Since he truly understands this, this is a power of the Realized One. …

Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, tathāgato āsavānaṁ khayā anāsavaṁ cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ diṭṭheva dhamme sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja viharati.
Furthermore, the Realized One has realized the undefiled freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom in this very life, and lives having realized it with his own insight due to the ending of defilements.

Yampi, bhikkhave, tathāgato āsavānaṁ khayā anāsavaṁ cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ diṭṭheva dhamme sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja viharati, idampi, bhikkhave, tathāgatassa tathāgatabalaṁ hoti, yaṁ balaṁ āgamma tathāgato āsabhaṁ ṭhānaṁ paṭijānāti, parisāsu sīhanādaṁ nadati, brahmacakkaṁ pavatteti.
Since he truly understands this, this is a power of the Realized One. …

Imāni kho, bhikkhave, dasa tathāgatassa tathāgatabalāni, yehi balehi samannāgato tathāgato āsabhaṁ ṭhānaṁ paṭijānāti, parisāsu sīhanādaṁ nadati, brahmacakkaṁ pavattetī”ti.
These are the ten powers of a Realized One that the Realized One possesses. With these he claims the bull’s place, roars his lion’s roar in the assemblies, and turns the divine wheel.”

Paṭhamaṁ.