Aṇguttara Nikāya
4. Catukka Nipāta
IV. Cakka Vagga
Sutta 33
Sīha Suttaṃ
The Lion
Translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
Sourced from the edition at dhammatalks.org
For free distribution only.
[1][pts][bodh] "Monks, the lion, the king of beasts, leaves his lair in the evening.
Having left his lair, he stretches himself.
Having stretched himself, he looks all around the four directions.
Having looked all around the four directions, he roars his lion's roar three times.
Having roared his lion's roar three times, he heads out for game.
Any animals who hear the sound of the roar of the lion, the king of beasts, for the most part feel fear, terror, and fright.
Those who live in holes go into their holes.
Those who live in the water go into the water.
Those who live in the forest go into the forest.
Birds flee to the air.
Even royal bull elephants, bound by strong leather bonds in villages, towns, and capital cities, bursting and breaking their bonds, frightened, scattering their urine and feces, run to and fro.
So powerful among animals, monks, is the lion, the king of beasts — so mighty and majestic.
"In the same way, monks, when a Tathāgata appears in the world — worthy and rightly self-awakened, consummate in clear-knowing and conduct, well-gone, an expert with regard to the cosmos, unexcelled trainer of people fit to be tamed, teacher of devas and human beings, awakened, blessed — he teaches the Dhamma:
'Such is self-identification, such is the origination of self-identification, such is the cessation of self-identification, such is the practice leading to the cessation of self-identification.'[1]
Any devas who are long-lived, beautiful, abounding in pleasure, established for a long time in high palaces, on hearing the Tathāgata's Dhamma, for the most part feel fear, terror, and fright:
'Being inconstant, it seems, we supposed we were constant!
Being impermanent, we supposed we were permanent!
Non-eternal, we supposed we were eternal!
We — inconstant, impermanent, and non-eternal, it seems — are encompassed in self-identification.'
So powerful in the world with its devas, monks, is the Tathāgata — so mighty and majestic."
When the Awakened One, through direct knowledge,
— the Teacher, the person with no peer
in the world with its devas —
sets the Dhamma wheel rolling:
the cessation of self-identification,
and the cause of self-identification,
and the noble eightfold path,
leading to the stilling of suffering,
long-lived devas — beautiful, prestigious —
become fearful and frightened,
like deer at a lion's roar.
'We're not beyond self-identification.
It seems we're inconstant,' [they say,]
on hearing the word of the Worthy One,
the one fully released,
the one who is Such.
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