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Aṅguttara Nikāya - The Numerical Discourses

4: The Book of the Fours

III. At Uruvelā — AN 4.23: The World

1“Mendicants, the world has been understood by a Realized One; and he is detached from the world. The origin of the world has been understood by a Realized One; and he has given up the origin of the world. The cessation of the world has been understood by a Realized One; and he has realized the cessation of the world. The practice that leads to the cessation of the world has been understood by a Realized One; and he has developed the practice that leads to the cessation of the world.

2In this world — with its gods, Māras, and Brahmās, this population with its ascetics and brahmins, its gods and humans — whatever is seen, heard, thought, known, sought, and explored by the mind, all that has been understood by a Realized One. That’s why he’s called the ‘Realized One’.

3From the night when a Realized One understands the supreme perfect awakening until the night he becomes fully extinguished — through the natural principle of extinguishment, without anything left over — everything he speaks, says, and expresses is real, not otherwise. That’s why he’s called the ‘Realized One’.

4The Realized One does as he says, and says as he does. Since this is so, that’s why he’s called the ‘Realized One’.

5In this world — with its gods, Māras and Brahmās, this population with its ascetics and brahmins, gods and humans — the Realized One is the undefeated, the champion, the universal seer, the wielder of power. That’s why he’s called the ‘Realized One’.


6Directly knowing the whole world as it is,
and everything in it,
he is detached from the whole world,
disengaged from the whole world.

7That wise one is the champion
who has escaped all ties.
He has reached ultimate peace:
extinguishment, fearing nothing from any quarter.

8He is the Buddha, with defilements ended,
untroubled, with doubts cut off.
He has attained the end of all karma,
freed with the end of attachments.

9That Blessed One is the Buddha,
he is the supreme lion,
in all the world with its gods,
he turns the holy wheel.

10And so those gods and humans,
who have gone to the Buddha for refuge,
come together and revere him,
the great one, rid of naivety:

11‘Tamed, he is the best of tamers,
peaceful, he is the hermit among the peaceful,
liberated, he is the foremost of liberators,
crossed over, he is the most excellent of guides across.’

12And so they revere him,
the great one, rid of naivety.
In the world with its gods,

1"Loko, bhikkhave, tathāgatena abhisambuddho. Lokasmā tathāgato visaṁyutto. Lokasamudayo, bhikkhave, tathāgatena abhisambuddho. Lokasamudayo tathāgatassa pahīno. Lokanirodho, bhikkhave, tathāgatena abhisambuddho. Lokanirodho tathāgatassa sacchikato. Lokanirodhagāminī paṭipadā, bhikkhave, tathāgatena abhisambuddhā. Lokanirodhagāminī paṭipadā tathāgatassa bhāvitā.

2Yaṁ, bhikkhave, sadevakassa lokassa samārakassa sabrahmakassa sassamaṇabrāhmaṇiyā pajāya sadevamanussāya diṭṭhaṁ sutaṁ mutaṁ viññātaṁ pattaṁ pariyesitaṁ anuvicaritaṁ manasā, sabbaṁ taṁ tathāgatena abhisambuddhaṁ. Tasmā ‘tathāgato’ti vuccati.

3Yañca, bhikkhave, rattiṁ tathāgato anuttaraṁ sammāsambodhiṁ abhisambujjhati yañca rattiṁ anupādisesāya nibbānadhātuyā parinibbāyati, yaṁ etasmiṁ antare bhāsati lapati niddisati sabbaṁ taṁ tatheva hoti, no aññathā. Tasmā ‘tathāgato’ti vuccati.

4Yathāvādī, bhikkhave, tathāgato tathākārī, yathākārī tathāvādī. Iti yathāvādī tathākārī, yathākārī tathāvādī. Tasmā ‘tathāgato’ti vuccati.

5Sadevake, bhikkhave, loke samārake sabrahmake sassamaṇabrāhmaṇiyā pajāya sadevamanussāya tathāgato abhibhū anabhibhūto aññadatthu daso vasavattī. Tasmā ‘tathāgato’ti vuccati.


6Sabbaṁ lokaṁ abhiññāya,
sabbaṁ loke yathātathaṁ;
Sabbaṁ lokaṁ visaṁyutto,
sabbaloke anūpayo.

7Sa ve sabbābhibhū dhīro,
sabbaganthappamocano;
Phuṭṭha'ssa paramā santi,
nibbānaṁ akutobhayaṁ.

8Esa khīṇāsavo buddho,
anīgho chinnasaṁsayo;
Sabbakammakkhayaṁ patto,
vimutto upadhisaṅkhaye.

9Esa so bhagavā buddho,
esa sīho anuttaro;
Sadevakassa lokassa,
brahmacakkaṁ pavattayī.

10Iti devā manussā ca,
ye buddhaṁ saraṇaṁ gatā;
Saṅgamma taṁ namassanti,
mahantaṁ vītasāradaṁ.

11Danto damayataṁ seṭṭho,
santo samayataṁ isi;
Mutto mocayataṁ aggo,
tiṇṇo tārayataṁ varo.

12Iti hetaṁ namassanti,
mahantaṁ vītasāradaṁ;
Sadevakasmiṁ lokasmiṁ,
natthi me paṭipuggalo"ti.

Tatiyaṁ.