AN 4.36

Doṇasutta

Ekaṁ 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:

Doṇa

At one time the Buddha was traveling along the road between Ukkaṭṭhā and Setavyā, 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, “Oh lord, how incredible, how 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, setting his body straight, and bringing mindfulness to the present. Then Doṇa, following the Buddha’s footprints, saw him sitting at the tree root—impressive and inspiring, with peaceful faculties and heart, attained to the highest self-control and serenity, like an elephant with tamed, guarded, and controlled faculties. He went up to the Buddha and said to him:

“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.

“Sir, might you be a god?” “I will not be a god, brahmin.” “Might you be a centaur?” “I will not be a centaur.” “Might you be a spirit?” “I will not be a spirit.” “Might you be a human?” “I will not be a human.”

“‘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?

“When asked whether you might be a god, centaur, spirit, or human, you answer that you will not be any of these. So what then might you be?”

“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.

“Brahmin, if I had not given up defilements I might have become a god … a centaur … a 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, unsullied by the world. Remember me, brahmin, as a Buddha.

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

I could have been reborn as a god, or as a centaur flying through the sky. I could have become a spirit, or returned as a human. But I’ve ended those defilements, they’re blown away and mown down.

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

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