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Aṅguttara Nikāya - The Numerical Discourses

4: The Book of the Fours

IV. Situations — AN 4.36: Doṇa

1At one time the Buddha was traveling along the road between Ukkaṭṭhā and Setabya, as was the brahmin Doṇa.

Doṇa saw that the Buddha’s footprints had thousand-spoked wheels, with rims and hubs, complete in every detail. It occurred to him: “It’s incredible, it’s amazing! Surely these couldn’t be the footprints of a human being?”

The Buddha had left the road and sat at the root of a tree cross-legged, with his body straight and his mindfulness established right there.

Then Doṇa, following the Buddha’s footprints, saw him sitting at the tree root — impressive and inspiring, with peaceful faculties and mind, attained to the highest taming and serenity, like an elephant with tamed, guarded, and controlled faculties. He went up to the Buddha and said to him:


2“Sir, might you be a god?”

“I will not be a god, brahmin.”

“Might you be a fairy?”

“I will not be a fairy.”

“Might you be a native spirit?”

“I will not be a native spirit.”

“Might you be a human?”

“I will not be a human.”


3“When asked whether you might be a god, fairy, native spirit, or human, you answer that you will not be any of these. What then might you be?”

4“Brahmin, if I had not given up defilements I might have become a god … a fairy … a native spirit … or a human. But I have given up those defilements, cut them off at the root, made them like a palm stump, obliterated them so they are unable to arise in the future.


Suppose there was a blue water lily, or a pink or white lotus. Though it sprouted and grew in the water, it would rise up above the water and stand with no water clinging to it. In the same way, though I was born and grew up in the world, I live having mastered the world, and the world does not cling to me.

Remember me, brahmin, as a Buddha.


5I could have been reborn as a god,
or as a fairy flying through the sky.
I could have become a native spirit,
or returned as a human.
But the defilements that could bring about these rebirths
I’ve ended, smashed, and gutted.

6Like a graceful lotus,
to which water does not cling,
the world doesn’t cling to me,
and so, brahmin, I am a Buddha.”

1Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā antarā ca ukkaṭṭhaṁ antarā ca setabyaṁ addhānamaggappaṭipanno hoti.

Doṇopi sudaṁ brāhmaṇo antarā ca ukkaṭṭhaṁ antarā ca setabyaṁ addhānamaggappaṭipanno hoti. Addasā kho doṇo brāhmaṇo bhagavato pādesu cakkāni sahassārāni sanemikāni sanābhikāni sabbākāraparipūrāni; disvānassa etadahosi:  "acchariyaṁ vata bho, abbhutaṁ vata bho. Na vatimāni manussabhūtassa padāni bhavissantī"ti.

Atha kho bhagavā maggā okkamma aññatarasmiṁ rukkhamūle nisīdi pallaṅkaṁ ābhujitvā ujuṁ kāyaṁ paṇidhāya parimukhaṁ satiṁ upaṭṭhapetvā.

Atha kho doṇo brāhmaṇo bhagavato padāni anugacchanto addasa bhagavantaṁ aññatarasmiṁ rukkhamūle nisinnaṁ pāsādikaṁ pasādanīyaṁ santindriyaṁ santamānasaṁ uttamadamathasamathamanuppattaṁ dantaṁ guttaṁ saṁyatindriyaṁ nāgaṁ. Disvāna yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: 


2"Devo no bhavaṁ bhavissatī"ti?

"Na kho ahaṁ, brāhmaṇa, devo bhavissāmī"ti.

"Gandhabbo no bhavaṁ bhavissatī"ti?

"Na kho ahaṁ, brāhmaṇa, gandhabbo bhavissāmī"ti.

"Yakkho no bhavaṁ bhavissatī"ti?

"Na kho ahaṁ, brāhmaṇa, yakkho bhavissāmī"ti.

"Manusso no bhavaṁ bhavissatī"ti?

"Na kho ahaṁ, brāhmaṇa, manusso bhavissāmī"ti.


3"‘Devo no bhavaṁ bhavissatī’ti, iti puṭṭho samāno:  ‘Na kho ahaṁ, brāhmaṇa, devo bhavissāmī’ti vadesi. ‘Gandhabbo no bhavaṁ bhavissatī’ti, iti puṭṭho samāno:  ‘Na kho ahaṁ, brāhmaṇa, gandhabbo bhavissāmī’ti vadesi. ‘Yakkho no bhavaṁ bhavissatī’ti, iti puṭṭho samāno:  ‘Na kho ahaṁ, brāhmaṇa, yakkho bhavissāmī’ti vadesi. ‘Manusso no bhavaṁ bhavissatī’ti, iti puṭṭho samāno:  ‘Na kho ahaṁ, brāhmaṇa, manusso bhavissāmī’ti vadesi. Atha ko carahi bhavaṁ bhavissatī"ti?

4"Yesaṁ kho ahaṁ, brāhmaṇa, āsavānaṁ appahīnattā devo bhaveyyaṁ, te me āsavā pahīnā ucchinnamūlā tālāvatthukatā anabhāvaṅkatā āyatiṁ anuppādadhammā. Yesaṁ kho ahaṁ, brāhmaṇa, āsavānaṁ appahīnattā gandhabbo bhaveyyaṁ … yakkho bhaveyyaṁ … manusso bhaveyyaṁ, te me āsavā pahīnā ucchinnamūlā tālāvatthukatā anabhāvaṅkatā āyatiṁ anuppādadhammā.


Seyyathāpi, brāhmaṇa, uppalaṁ vā padumaṁ vā puṇḍarīkaṁ vā udake jātaṁ udake saṁvaḍḍhaṁ udakā accuggamma tiṭṭhati anupalittaṁ udakena; evamevaṁ kho ahaṁ, brāhmaṇa, loke jāto loke saṁvaḍḍho lokaṁ abhibhuyya viharāmi anupalitto lokena.

Buddhoti maṁ, brāhmaṇa, dhārehīti.


5Yena devūpapatyassa,
gandhabbo vā vihaṅgamo;
Yakkhattaṁ yena gaccheyyaṁ,
manussattañca abbaje;
Te mayhaṁ āsavā khīṇā,
viddhastā vinaḷīkatā.

6Puṇḍarīkaṁ yathā vaggu,
Toyena nupalippati;
Nupalippāmi lokena,
Tasmā buddhosmi brāhmaṇā"ti.

Chaṭṭhaṁ.