The Great Discourse on the Lion's Roar

Ñanamoli Thera, Bhikkhu Bodhi (trans.), Mahasihanada Sutta (MN 12); Wisdom Quarterly

The Belum Caves Buddha near Kurnool in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh is part of the second largest cave system on the subcontinent, which once used by Jain and Buddhist monks as determined by artifacts found inside dating back to 4500 BCE, now in the Museum at Anantapur. The area is now a protected archaeological and geological site developed as a state tourist attraction (Vesuvianite/Flickr.com).

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[The Hair-Raising Discourse]
1. Thus have I heard. On one occasion the Buddha was living at Vesali in the grove outside the city to the west.

2. Now on that occasion Sunakkhatta, son of the Licchavis, had recently left this Dhamma and Discipline [Note 1]. He was making this statement before the Vesali assembly: 

The recluse Gotama does not have any superhuman states, any distinction in knowledge and vision worthy of the noble ones.  [2]  

The recluse Gotama teaches a Dharma (merely) hammered out by reasoning, following his own line of inquiry as it occurs to him.

And when he teaches the Dhamma to anyone, it leads that person who practices it to the complete destruction of suffering. [3]

3. Then when it was morning, Venerable Sariputta dressed, and taking his bowl and outer robe, went into Vesali for alms. He heard Sunakkhatta, son of the Licchavis, making this statement before the Vesali assembly. When he had wandered for alms in Vesali and had returned from his almsround, after his meal he went to the Blessed One, and after paying homage to him, he sat down at one side and told the Blessed One what Sunakkhatta was saying.

4. (The Buddha:) "Sariputta, the misguided man Sunakkhatta is angry, and his words are spoken out of anger. Thinking to discredit the Tathagata, he actually praises him; for it is a praise of the Tathagata to say of him: 'When he teaches the Dharma to anyone, it leads him that person who practices it to the complete destruction of suffering.'

A lion's roar can be heard up to 5 miles away

5. "Sariputta, this misguided man Sunakkhatta will never infer of me according to Dharma [truth, reality, "the way it really is"]: 'That Blessed One is accomplished, fully enlightened, perfect in true knowledge and conduct, sublime, knower of worlds, incomparable leader of persons to be tamed, teacher of devas and humans, enlightened, blessed.' [4]

6. "And he will never infer of me according to Dharma: 'That Blessed One enjoys the various kinds of SUPERNORMAL POWER:

• having been one, he becomes many; 
• having been many, he becomes one; 
• he appears and vanishes; 
• he goes unhindered through a wall, through an enclosure, through a mountain, as though through space; 
• he dives in and out of the earth as though it were water; 
• he walks on water without sinking as though it were earth; 
• seated cross-legged, he travels in space like a bird; 
• with his hand he touches and strokes the moon and sun so powerful and mighty; 
• he wields bodily mastery even as far as the Brahma-world.'

7. "And he will never infer of me according to Dharma: 'With the divine ear element, which is purified and surpasses the human, that Blessed One hears both kinds of sounds, the heavenly and the human, those that are far as well as near.'

8. "And he will never infer of me according to Dharma:

• 'That Blessed One encompasses with his own mind the minds of other beings, other persons. 
• He understands a mind affected by lust as affected by lust and a mind unaffected by lust as unaffected by lust; 
• he understands a mind affected by hate as affected by hate and a mind unaffected by hate as unaffected by hate; 
• he understands a mind affected by delusion as affected by delusion and a mind unaffected by delusion as unaffected by delusion; 
• he understands a contracted mind as contracted and a distracted mind as distracted; 
• he understands an exalted mind as exalted and an unexalted mind as unexalted; 
• he understands a surpassed mind as surpassed and an unsurpassed mind as unsurpassed; 
• he understands a concentrated mind as concentrated and an unconcentrated mind as unconcentrated; 
• he understands a liberated mind as liberated and an unliberated mind as unliberated.'

Ten Powers of a Tathagata

9. "Sariputta, the Tathagata [a supremely enlightened buddha] has these ten Tathagata's powers, possessing which he claims the herd-leader's place, roars his lion's roar in the assemblies, and sets rolling the Wheel of Brahma.[5]

What are the ten?

• 10. (1) "Here, the Tathagata understands as it actually is the possible as possible and the impossible as impossible.[6] And that is a Tathagata's power that the Tathagata has, by virtue of which he claims the herd-leader's place, roars his lion's roar in the assemblies, and sets rolling the Wheel of Brahma.

• 11. (2) "Again, the Tathagata understands as it actually is the results of actions undertaken, past, future and present, with possibilities and with causes. That too is a Tathagata's power...[7] 
• 12. (3) "Again, the Tathagata understands as it actually is the ways leading to all destinations. That too is a Tathagata's power...[8] 
• 13. (4) "Again, the Tathagata understands as it actually is the world with its many and different elements. That too is a Tathagata's power...[9] 
• 14. (5) "Again, the Tathagata understands as it actually is how beings have different inclinations. That too is a Tathagata's power...[10] 
• 15. (6) "Again, the Tathagata understands as it actually is the disposition of the faculties of other beings, other persons. That too is a Tathagata's power...[11] 
• 16. (7) "Again, the Tathagata understands as it actually is the defilement, the cleansing and the emergence in regard to the jhanas, liberations, concentrations and attainments. That too is a Tathagata's power...[12] 

[COUNTLESS PAST LIVES]

• 17. (8) "Again, the Tathagata recollects his manifold past lives, that is, one birth, two births, three births, four births, five births, ten births, 20 births, 30 births, 40 births, 50 births, a 100 births, a thousand births, a hundred-thousand births, many aeons of world-contraction, many aeons of world-expansion, many aeons of world-contraction and expansion: 'There I was so named, of such a clan, with such an appearance, such was my nutriment, such my experience of pleasure and pain, such my life-term; and passing away from there, I reappeared elsewhere; and there too I was so named, of such a clan, with such an appearance, such was my nutriment, such my experience of pleasure and pain, such my life-term; and passing away from there, I reappeared here.' Thus with their aspects and particulars he recollects his manifold past lives. That too is a Tathagata's power...

[THE WORKING OF KARMA]

• 18. (9) "Again, with the divine eye, which is purified and surpasses the human, the Tathagata sees beings passing away and reappearing, inferior and superior, fair and ugly, fortunate and unfortunate, and he understands how beings pass on according to their actions thus: 'These worthy beings who were ill-conducted in body, speech and mind, revilers of noble ones, wrong in their views, giving effect to wrong view in their actions, on the dissolution of the body, after death, have reappeared in a state of deprivation, in a bad destination, in perdition, even in hell. But these worthy beings who were well-conducted in body, speech and mind, not revilers of noble ones, right in their views, giving effect to right view in their actions, on the dissolution of the body, after death, have reappeared in a good destination, even in the heavenly world.' Thus with the divine eye, which is purified and surpasses the human, he sees beings passing away and reappearing, inferior and superior, fair and ugly, fortunate and unfortunate, and he understands how beings pass on according to their actions. That too is a Tathagata's power...

[NIRVANA]

• 19. (10) "Again, by realizing it for himself with direct knowledge, the Tathagata here and now enters upon and abides in the deliverance of mind and deliverance by wisdom that are taintless with the destruction of the taints. That too is a Tathagata's power that a Tathagata has, by virtue of which he claims the herd-leader's place, roars his lion's roar in the assemblies, and sets rolling the Wheel of Brahma. ...

[REBIRTH]
57. "Sariputta, there are certain recluses and brahmins whose doctrine and view is this: 'Purification comes about through the round of rebirths (samsara).'

"But it is impossible to find a realm in the round that I have not already passed through in this long journey, except for the devas of the Pure Abodes. And had I passed through the round as a deva in the Pure Abodes, I would never have returned to this world.[20]

58. "There are certain recluses and brahmins whose doctrine and view is this: 'Purification comes about through (some particular kind of) rebirth.'

"But it is impossible to find a kind of rebirth that I have not been reborn in already in this long journey, except for the devas of the Pure Abodes...

59. "There are certain recluses and brahmins whose doctrine and view is this: 'Purification comes about through (some particular [heavenly]) abode.'

"But it is impossible to find a kind of abode that I have not already dwelt in... except for the devas of the Pure Abodes...

60. "There are certain recluses and brahmins whose doctrine and view is this: 'Purification comes about through sacrifice.'

"But it is impossible to find a kind of sacrifice that has not already been offered up by me in this long journey, when I was either a head-anointed noble king or a well-to-do-brahmin.

61. "There are certain recluses and brahmins whose doctrine and view is this: 'Purification comes about through fire-worship.'

But it is impossible to find a kind of fire that has not already been worshipped by me in this long journey, when I was either a head-anointed noble king or a well-to-do brahmin.

62. "Sariputta, there are certain recluses and brahmins whose doctrine and view is this: 'As long as this good man is still young, a black-haired young man endowed with the blessing of youth, in the prime of life, so long is he perfect in his lucid wisdom. But when this good man is old, aged, burdened with years, advanced in life, and come to the last stage, being 80, 90, or a 100-years-old, then the lucidity of his wisdom is lost.'

"But it should not be regarded so. I am now old, aged, burdened with years, advanced in life, and come to the last stage: my years have turned 80.

"Now suppose that I had four disciples with a hundred years' lifespan, perfect in mindfulness, retentiveness, memory and lucidity of wisdom. [21] Just as a skilled archer, trained, practiced and tested, could easily shoot a light arrow across the shadow of a palm tree, suppose that they were even to that extent perfect in mindfulness, retentiveness, memory and lucidity of wisdom. Suppose that they continuously asked me about the four foundations of mindfulness and that I answered them when asked and that they remembered each answer of mine and never asked a subsidiary question or paused except to eat, drink, consume food, taste, urinate, defecate, and rest in order to remove sleepiness and tiredness.

"Still the Tathagata's exposition of the Dharma, his explanations of factors of the Dharma, and his replies to questions would not yet come to an end. But meanwhile those four disciples of mine with their hundred years' lifespan would have died at the end of those hundred years. Sariputta, even if you have to carry me about on a bed, still there will be no change in the lucidity of the Tathagata's wisdom.

63. "Rightly speaking, were it to be said of anyone: 'A being not subject to delusion has appeared in the world for the welfare and happiness of many, out of compassion for the world, for the good, welfare and happiness of gods and humans,' it is of me indeed that rightly speaking this should be said."

64. Now on that occasion Venerable Nagasamala [the Buddha's attendant before Ananda] was standing behind the Blessed One fanning him. [22] Then he said to the Blessed One: "It is wonderful, venerable sir, it is marvelous! As I listened to this discourse on the Dharma, the hairs of my body stood up.

"Venerable sir, what is the name of this discourse on the Dharma?"

"As to that, Nagasamala, you may remember this discourse on the Dharma as 'The Hair-raising Discourse.'" [23]  More