Mahāsīhanādasutta

Majjhima Nikāya 12

The Longer Discourse on the Lion’s Roar · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral

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Tāyapi kho ahaṁ, sāriputta, iriyāya tāya paṭipadāya tāya dukkarakārikāya nājjhagamaṁ uttariṁ manussadhammā alamariyañāṇadassanavisesaṁ.
Taṁ kissa hetu?
Imissāyeva ariyāya paññāya anadhigamā, yāyaṁ ariyā paññā adhigatā ariyā niyyānikā, niyyāti takkarassa sammā dukkhakkhayāya.

But Sāriputta, I did not achieve any superhuman distinction in knowledge and vision worthy of the noble ones by that conduct, that practice, that grueling work. Why is that? Because I didn’t achieve that noble wisdom that’s noble and emancipating, and which delivers one who applies it to the complete ending of suffering.

Santi kho pana, sāriputta, eke samaṇabrāhmaṇā evaṁvādino evaṁdiṭṭhino:
‘saṁsārena suddhī’ti.
Na kho pana so, sāriputta, saṁsāro sulabharūpo yo mayā asaṁsaritapubbo iminā dīghena addhunā, aññatra suddhāvāsehi devehi.
Suddhāvāse cāhaṁ, sāriputta, deve saṁsareyyaṁ, nayimaṁ lokaṁ punarāgaccheyyaṁ.

There are some ascetics and brahmins who have this doctrine and view: ‘Purity comes from transmigration.’ But it’s not easy to find a realm that I haven’t previously transmigrated to in all this long time, except the gods of the pure abodes. For if I had transmigrated to the gods of the pure abodes I would not have returned to this realm again.

Santi kho pana, sāriputta, eke samaṇabrāhmaṇā evaṁvādino evaṁdiṭṭhino:
‘upapattiyā suddhī’ti.
Na kho pana sā, sāriputta, upapatti sulabharūpā yā mayā anupapannapubbā iminā dīghena addhunā, aññatra suddhāvāsehi devehi.
Suddhāvāse cāhaṁ, sāriputta, deve upapajjeyyaṁ, nayimaṁ lokaṁ punarāgaccheyyaṁ.

There are some ascetics and brahmins who have this doctrine and view: ‘Purity comes from rebirth.’ But it’s not easy to find any rebirth that I haven’t previously been reborn in …

Santi kho pana, sāriputta, eke samaṇabrāhmaṇā evaṁvādino evaṁdiṭṭhino:
‘āvāsena suddhī’ti.
Na kho pana so, sāriputta, āvāso sulabharūpo yo mayā anāvuṭṭhapubbo iminā dīghena addhunā, aññatra suddhāvāsehi devehi.
Suddhāvāse cāhaṁ, sāriputta, deve āvaseyyaṁ, nayimaṁ lokaṁ punarāgaccheyyaṁ.

There are some ascetics and brahmins who have this doctrine and view: ‘Purity comes from abode of rebirth.’ But it’s not easy to find an abode where I haven’t previously abided …

Santi kho pana, sāriputta, eke samaṇabrāhmaṇā evaṁvādino evaṁdiṭṭhino:
‘yaññena suddhī’ti.
Na kho pana so, sāriputta, yañño sulabharūpo yo mayā ayiṭṭhapubbo iminā dīghena addhunā, tañca kho raññā vā satā khattiyena muddhāvasittena brāhmaṇena vā mahāsālena.

There are some ascetics and brahmins who have this doctrine and view: ‘Purity comes from sacrifice.’ But it’s not easy to find a sacrifice that I haven’t previously offered in all this long time, when I was an anointed aristocratic king or a well-to-do brahmin.

Santi kho pana, sāriputta, eke samaṇabrāhmaṇā evaṁvādino evaṁdiṭṭhino:
‘aggiparicariyāya suddhī’ti.
Na kho pana so, sāriputta, aggi sulabharūpo yo mayā apariciṇṇapubbo iminā dīghena addhunā, tañca kho raññā vā satā khattiyena muddhāvasittena brāhmaṇena vā mahāsālena.

There are some ascetics and brahmins who have this doctrine and view: ‘Purity comes from serving the sacred flame.’ But it’s not easy to find a fire that I haven’t previously served in all this long time, when I was an anointed aristocratic king or a well-to-do brahmin.

Santi kho pana, sāriputta, eke samaṇabrāhmaṇā evaṁvādino evaṁdiṭṭhino:
‘yāvadevāyaṁ bhavaṁ puriso daharo hoti yuvā susukāḷakeso bhadrena yobbanena samannāgato paṭhamena vayasā tāvadeva paramena paññāveyyattiyena samannāgato hoti.
Yato ca kho ayaṁ bhavaṁ puriso jiṇṇo hoti vuddho mahallako addhagato vayoanuppatto, āsītiko vā nāvutiko vā vassasatiko vā jātiyā, atha tamhā paññāveyyattiyā, parihāyatī’ti.
Na kho panetaṁ, sāriputta, evaṁ daṭṭhabbaṁ.
Ahaṁ kho pana, sāriputta, etarahi jiṇṇo vuddho mahallako addhagato vayoanuppatto, āsītiko me vayo vattati.
Idha me assu, sāriputta, cattāro sāvakā vassasatāyukā vassasatajīvino, paramāya satiyā ca gatiyā ca dhitiyā ca samannāgatā paramena ca paññāveyyattiyena.
Seyyathāpi, sāriputta, daḷhadhammā dhanuggaho sikkhito katahattho katūpāsano lahukena asanena appakasireneva tiriyaṁ tālacchāyaṁ atipāteyya,
evaṁ adhimattasatimanto evaṁ adhimattagatimanto evaṁ adhimattadhitimanto evaṁ paramena paññāveyyattiyena samannāgatā.
Te maṁ catunnaṁ satipaṭṭhānānaṁ upādāyupādāya pañhaṁ puccheyyuṁ, puṭṭho puṭṭho cāhaṁ tesaṁ byākareyyaṁ, byākatañca me byākatato dhāreyyuṁ, na ca maṁ dutiyakaṁ uttari paṭipuccheyyuṁ.
Aññatra asitapītakhāyitasāyitā aññatra uccārapassāvakammā, aññatra niddākilamathapaṭivinodanā apariyādinnāyevassa, sāriputta, tathāgatassa dhammadesanā, apariyādinnaṁyevassa tathāgatassa dhammapadabyañjanaṁ, apariyādinnaṁyevassa tathāgatassa pañhapaṭibhānaṁ.
Atha me te cattāro sāvakā vassasatāyukā vassasatajīvino vassasatassa accayena kālaṁ kareyyuṁ.
Mañcakena cepi maṁ, sāriputta, pariharissatha, nevatthi tathāgatassa paññāveyyattiyassa aññathattaṁ.

There are some ascetics and brahmins who have this doctrine and view: ‘So long as this gentleman is youthful, young, with pristine black hair, blessed with youth, in the prime of life he will be endowed with perfect lucidity of wisdom. But when he’s old, elderly, and senior, advanced in years, and has reached the final stage of life—eighty, ninety, or a hundred years old—he will lose his lucidity of wisdom.’ But you should not see it like this. For now I am old, elderly, and senior, I’m advanced in years, and have reached the final stage of life. I am eighty years old. Suppose I had four disciples with a lifespan of a hundred years. And they each were perfect in memory, rememberance, retention, and perfect lucidity of wisdom. Imagine how easily a well-trained expert archer with a strong bow would shoot a light arrow across the shadow of a palm tree. That’s how extraordinary they were in memory, rememberance, retention, and perfect lucidity of wisdom. They’d bring up questions about the four kinds of mindfulness meditation again and again, and I would answer each question. They’d remember the answers and not ask the same question twice. And they’d pause only to eat and drink, go to the toilet, and sleep to dispel weariness. But the Realized One would not run out of Dhamma teachings, words and phrases of the teachings, or spontaneous answers. And at the end of a hundred years my four disciples would pass away. Even if you have to carry me around on a stretcher, there will never be any deterioration in the Realized One’s lucidity of wisdom.

Yaṁ kho taṁ, sāriputta, sammā vadamāno vadeyya:
‘asammohadhammo satto loke uppanno bahujanahitāya bahujanasukhāya lokānukampāya atthāya hitāya sukhāya devamanussānan’ti, mameva taṁ sammā vadamāno vadeyya
‘asammohadhammo satto loke uppanno bahujanahitāya bahujanasukhāya lokānukampāya atthāya hitāya sukhāya devamanussānan’”ti.

And if there’s anyone of whom it may be rightly said that a being not liable to delusion has arisen in the world for the welfare and happiness of the people, out of sympathy for the world, for the benefit, welfare, and happiness of gods and humans, it’s of me that this should be said.”

Tena kho pana samayena āyasmā nāgasamālo bhagavato piṭṭhito ṭhito hoti bhagavantaṁ bījayamāno.
Atha kho āyasmā nāgasamālo bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:
“acchariyaṁ, bhante, abbhutaṁ, bhante.
Api hi me, bhante, imaṁ dhammapariyāyaṁ sutvā lomāni haṭṭhāni.
Konāmo ayaṁ, bhante, dhammapariyāyo”ti?
“Tasmātiha tvaṁ, nāgasamāla, imaṁ dhammapariyāyaṁ lomahaṁsanapariyāyotveva naṁ dhārehī”ti.
Idamavoca bhagavā.
Attamano āyasmā nāgasamālo bhagavato bhāsitaṁ abhinandīti.
Mahāsīhanādasuttaṁ niṭṭhitaṁ dutiyaṁ.

Now at that time Venerable Nāgasamāla was standing behind the Buddha fanning him. Then he said to the Buddha: “It’s incredible, sir, it’s amazing! While I was listening to this exposition of the teaching my hair stood up! What is the name of this exposition of the teaching?” “Well then, Nāgasamāla, you may remember this exposition of the teaching as ‘The Hair-raising Discourse’.” That is what the Buddha said. Satisfied, Venerable Nāgasamāla approved what the Buddha said.

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