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9.
"Sariputta, the Tathagata has these ten Tathagata's powers, possessing
which he claims the herd-leader's place, roars his lion's roar in the
assemblies, and sets rolling the Wheel of Brahma.5 What are the ten?
10.
(1) "Here, the Tathagata understands as it actually is the possible as
possible and the impossible as impossible.6 And that[*p.70] is a
Tathagata's power that the Tathagata has, by virtue of which he claims the
herd-leader's place, roars his lion's roar in the assemblies, and sets rolling
the Wheel of Brahma.
11.
(2) "Again, the Tathagata understands as it actually is the results of
actions undertaken, past, future and present, with possibilities and with
causes. That too is a Tathagata's power...7
12.
(3) "Again, the Tathagata understands as it actually is the ways leading
to all destinations. That too is a Tathagata's power...8
13.
(4) "Again, the Tathagata understands as it actually is the world with its
many and different elements. That too is a Tathagata's power...9
14.
(5) "Again, the Tathagata understands as it actually is how beings have
different inclinations. That too is a Tathagata's power...10
15.
(6) "Again, the Tathagata understands as it actually is the disposition of
the faculties of other beings, other persons. That too is a Tathagata's
power...11
16.
(7) "Again, the Tathagata understands as it actually is the defilement,
the cleansing and the emergence in regard to the jhanas, liberations, concentrations
and attainments. That too is a Tathagata's power...12
17.
(8) "Again, the Tathagata recollects his manifold past lives, that is, one
birth, two births, three births, four births, five births, ten births, twenty
births, thirty births, forty births, fifty births, a hundred births, a thousand
births, a hundred thousand births, many aeons of world-contraction, many aeons
of world-expansion, many aeons of world-contraction and expansion: 'There I was
so named, of such a clan, with such an appearance, such was my nutriment, such
my experience of pleasure and pain, such my life-term; and passing away from
there, I reappeared elsewhere; and there too I was so named, of such a clan,
with such an appearance, such was my nutriment, such my experience of pleasure
and pain, such my life-term; and passing away from there, I reappeared here.'
Thus with their aspects and particulars he recollects his manifold past lives.
That too is a Tathagata's power...
18.
(9) "Again, with the divine eye, which is purified and surpasses the
human, the Tathagata sees beings passing away and reappearing, inferior and
superior, fair and ugly, fortunate and unfortunate, and he understands how
beings pass on according to their actions thus: 'These worthy beings who were
ill-conducted in body, speech and mind, revilers of noble ones, wrong in their
views, giving effect to wrong view in their actions, on the dissolution of the
body,[*p.71] after death, have reappeared in a state of deprivation, in a bad
destination, in perdition, even in hell; but these worthy beings who were
well-conducted in body, speech and mind, not revilers of noble ones, right in
their views, giving effect to right view in their actions, on the dissolution
of the body, after death, have reappeared in a good destination, even in the
heavenly world.' Thus with the divine eye, which is purified and surpasses the
human, he sees beings passing away and reappearing, inferior and superior, fair
and ugly, fortunate and unfortunate, and he understands how beings pass on
according to their actions. That too is a Tathagata's power...
19.
(10) "Again, by realizing it for himself with direct knowledge, the
Tathagata here and now enters upon and abides in the deliverance of mind and
deliverance by wisdom that are taintless with the destruction of the taints.
That too is a Tathagata's power that a Tathagata has, by virtue of which he
claims the herd-leader's place, roars his lion's roar in the assemblies, and
sets rolling the Wheel of Brahma.
20.
"The Tathagata has these ten Tathagata's powers, possessing which he
claims the herd-leader's place, roars his lion's roar in the assemblies, and
sets rolling the Wheel of Brahma.
21.
"Sariputta, when I know and see thus, should anyone say of me: 'The
recluse Gotama does not have any superhuman states, any distinction in
knowledge and vision worthy of the noble ones. The recluse Gotama teaches a
Dhamma (merely) hammered out by reasoning, following his own line of inquiry as
it occurs to him' -- unless he abandons that assertion and that state of mind
and relinquishes that view, then as (surely as if he had been) carried off and
put there he will wind up in hell.13 Just as a bhikkhu possessed of
virtue, concentration and wisdom would here and now enjoy final knowledge, so
it will happen in this case, I say, that unless he abandons that assertion and
that state of mind and relinquishes that view, then as (surely as if he had
been) carried off and put there he will wind up in hell.
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