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Aṅguttara Nikāya - The Numerical Discourses

4: The Book of the Fours

IV. Situations — AN 4.33: The Lion

1“Mendicants, towards evening the lion, king of beasts, emerges from his den, yawns, looks all around the four directions, and roars his lion’s roar three times. Then he sets out on the hunt.


And the animals who hear the roar of the lion, king of beasts, are typically filled with fear, awe, and terror. They return to their lairs, be they in a hole, the water, or a wood; and the birds take to the air. Even the royal elephants, bound with strong harnesses in the villages, towns, and capital cities, break apart their bonds, and urinate and defecate in terror as they flee here and there. That’s how powerful is the lion, king of beasts, among animals, how illustrious and mighty.

2In the same way, when a Realized One arises in the world — perfected, a fully awakened Buddha, accomplished in knowledge and conduct, holy, knower of the world, supreme guide for those who wish to train, teacher of gods and humans, awakened, blessed — he teaches the Dhamma: ‘Such is identity, such is the origin of identity, such is the cessation of identity, such is the practice that leads to the cessation of identity.’


Now, there are gods who are long-lived, beautiful, and very happy, lasting long in their divine palaces. When they hear this teaching by the Realized One, they’re typically filled with fear, awe, and terror. ‘Oh no! It turns out we’re impermanent, though we thought we were permanent! It turns out we don’t last, though we thought we were everlasting! It turns out we’re transient, though we thought we were eternal! It turns out that we’re impermanent, not lasting, transient, and included within identity.’

That’s how powerful is the Realized One in the world with its gods, how illustrious and mighty.

3The Buddha, the teacher without a peer
in all the world with its gods,
rolls forth the Wheel of Dhamma
from his own insight:

4identity, its cessation,
the origin of identity,
and the noble eightfold path
that leads to the stilling of suffering.

5And then the long-lived gods,
so beautiful and famous,
are afraid and full of terror,
like the other beasts when they hear a lion.

6‘We haven’t transcended identity!
It turns out we’re impermanent!’
So they say when they hear the word
of the perfected one, free and poised.”

1"Sīho, bhikkhave, migarājā sāyanhasamayaṁ āsayā nikkhamati. Āsayā nikkhamitvā vijambhati. Vijambhitvā samantā catuddisā anuviloketi. Samantā catuddisā anuviloketvā tikkhattuṁ sīhanādaṁ nadati. Tikkhattuṁ sīhanādaṁ naditvā gocarāya pakkamati.


Ye kho pana te, bhikkhave, tiracchānagatā pāṇā sīhassa migarañño nadato saddaṁ suṇanti, te yebhuyyena bhayaṁ saṁvegaṁ santāsaṁ āpajjanti. Bilaṁ bilāsayā pavisanti, dakaṁ dakāsayā pavisanti, vanaṁ vanāsayā pavisanti, ākāsaṁ pakkhino bhajanti. Yepi te, bhikkhave, rañño nāgā gāmanigamarājadhānīsu daḷhehi varattehi bandhanehi baddhā, tepi tāni bandhanāni sañchinditvā sampadāletvā bhītā muttakarīsaṁ cajamānā yena vā tena vā palāyanti. Evaṁ mahiddhiko kho, bhikkhave, sīho migarājā tiracchānagatānaṁ pāṇānaṁ, evaṁ mahesakkho evaṁ mahānubhāvo.

2Evamevaṁ kho, bhikkhave, yadā tathāgato loke uppajjati arahaṁ sammāsambuddho vijjācaraṇasampanno sugato lokavidū anuttaro purisadammasārathi satthā devamanussānaṁ buddho bhagavā, so dhammaṁ deseti:  ‘iti sakkāyo, iti sakkāyasamudayo, iti sakkāyanirodho, iti sakkāyanirodhagāminī paṭipadā’ti.


Yepi te, bhikkhave, devā dīghāyukā vaṇṇavanto sukhabahulā uccesu vimānesu ciraṭṭhitikā, tepi tathāgatassa dhammadesanaṁ sutvā yebhuyyena bhayaṁ saṁvegaṁ santāsaṁ āpajjanti:  ‘aniccā vata kira, bho, mayaṁ samānā niccamhāti amaññimha; addhuvā vata kira, bho, mayaṁ samānā dhuvamhāti amaññimha; asassatā vata kira, bho, mayaṁ samānā sassatamhāti amaññimha. Mayaṁ kira, bho, aniccā addhuvā asassatā sakkāyapariyāpannā’ti.

Evaṁ mahiddhiko kho, bhikkhave, tathāgato sadevakassa lokassa, evaṁ mahesakkho evaṁ mahānubhāvoti.

3Yadā buddho abhiññāya,
dhammacakkaṁ pavattayī;
Sadevakassa lokassa,
satthā appaṭipuggalo.

4Sakkāyañca nirodhañca,
sakkāyassa ca sambhavaṁ;
Ariyañcaṭṭhaṅgikaṁ maggaṁ,
dukkhūpasamagāminaṁ.

5Yepi dīghāyukā devā,
vaṇṇavanto yasassino;
Bhītā santāsamāpāduṁ,
sīhassevitaremigā.

6Avītivattā sakkāyaṁ,
aniccā kira bho mayaṁ;
Sutvā arahato vākyaṁ,
vippamuttassa tādino"ti.

Tatiyaṁ.