In the Buddha's Words - Bhikkhu Bodhi [223]
“When the lion, the king of beasts, roars its lion’s roar, most of the animals that hear the sound are filled with fear, a sense of urgency, and terror. Those who live in holes enter their holes; those who live in the water enter the water; those who live in the woods enter the woods; and the birds fly up into the air. Even those royal bull elephants, bound by strong thongs in the villages, towns, and capital cities, burst and break their bonds asunder; frightened, they urinate and defecate and flee here and there. So powerful among the animals, monks, is the lion, the king of beasts, so majestic and mighty.
“So too, monks, when the Tathāgata arises in the world, an arahant, perfectly enlightened, accomplished in true knowledge and conduct, fortunate, knower of the world, unsurpassed leader of persons to be tamed, teacher of devas and humans, the Enlightened One, the Blessed One, he teaches the Dhamma thus: ‘Such is form, such its origin, such its passing away; such is feeling... such is perception... such are volitional formations... such is consciousness, such its origin, such its passing away.’
“Then, monks, when those devas who are long-lived, beautiful, abounding in happiness, dwelling for a long time in lofty palaces, hear the Tathāgata’s teaching of the Dhamma, most68 are filled with fear, a sense of urgency, and terror, [saying]: ‘It seems, though we thought ourselves permanent, that we are impermanent; it seems, though we thought ourselves stable, that we are unstable; it seems, though we thought ourselves eternal, that we are transient. It seems, sir, that we are impermanent, unstable, transient, included within identity.’69 So powerful, monks, is the Tathāgata over this world together with its devas, so majestic and mighty.”
(SN 22:78: III 84–85)
(8) Why Is He Called the Tathāgata?
“The world, monks, has been fully awakened to by the Tathāgata; the Tathāgata is detached from the world. The origin of the world has been fully awakened to by the Tathāgata; the Tathāgata has abandoned the origin of the world. The cessation of the world has been fully awakened to by the Tathāgata; the Tathāgata has realized the cessation of the world. The way to the cessation of the world has been fully awakened to by the Tathāgata; the Tathāgata has developed the way to the cessation of the world.
“In the world, monks, with its devas, with Māra, with Brahmā, in this population with its ascetics and brahmins, with its devas and humans, whatever there is that is seen, heard, sensed, cognized, reached, sought after, examined by the mind, all that has been awakened to by the Tathāgata; therefore he is called the Tathāgata.
“From the night he fully awakened, monks, until the night he attains final Nibbāna, in this interval, whatever he speaks, talks of, and expounds, all that is just so, not otherwise; therefore he is called the Tathāgata.
“As he speaks, monks, so he does; as he does, so he speaks. Since he does as he speaks and speaks as he does, therefore he is called the Tathāgata.
“In this world, monks, with its devas, with Māra, with Brahmā, in this population with its ascetics and brahmins, with its devas and humans, the Tathāgata is the vanquisher, the unvanquished, the universal seer, the wielder of mastery; therefore he is called the Tathāgata.”
Having directly known all the world,
All in the world exactly as it is,
He is detached from all the world,
Unengaged with all the world.
He indeed is the all-vanquishing sage,
The one released from all the knots,
Who has reached the supreme state of peace,
Nibbāna, without fear from any side.
He is the Buddha, with taints destroyed,
Untroubled, with all doubts cut off,
Who has attained the destruction of all kamma,
Liberated in the extinction of acquisitions.
He is the Blessed One, the Buddha,
He is the lion, unsurpassed,
In this world together with its devas,
He set in motion the wheel