Reference: Exploring the Words of the Buddha
This is a summary of MN 12: The Greater Discourse on the Lion’s Roar (Mahasihanada Sutta)
The Buddha expounds the ten powers of a Tathagata, his four kinds of intrepidity, and other superior qualities, which entitle him to “roar his lion’s roar in the assemblies.”
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MN 12 Summary
(1 – 8) Buddha faced criticism by a person, who became dissatisfied and left the Order because the Buddha would not perform any miracles for him or explain to him the beginning of things. Buddha’s response was that this man was misguided and his words were spoken out of anger; and that he will never infer of Buddha according to Dhamma.
(9 – 21) Buddha then describes the powers of Tathagata. Tathagata has a mind cleared of all taints. Such a mind has far reaching abilities.
(22-28) Tathagata is certain that he is fully enlightened; he has destroyed all taints; he is fully aware of obstructions; his Dhamma when practiced would lead to complete destruction of suffering.
(29 – 31) Tathagata has direct experience of approaching, sitting and talking in hundreds of assemblies of all kinds without fear and timidity.
(32 – 34) Tathagata has direct knowledge of egg-born generation, womb-born generation, moisture-born generation, and spontaneous generation.
(35 – 43) Tatagatha understands the path and way leading to these five destinations: Hell, the animal realm, realm of ghosts, human beings, and gods, and also to Nibbana. Furthermore, he understands the behavior and the conduct that would lead a person to those destinations.
(44 – 56) Tathagata has lived a holy life practicing extreme of asceticism, coarseness, scrupulousness and seclusion. Thus, he has gone through extremes of self-mortification, which was the prescribed practice for enlightenment by the brahmins. Yet, by such conduct, by such practice, by such performance of austerities, he did not attain any superhuman states, any distinction in knowledge and vision worthy of the noble ones.
(57 – 62) Buddha has already talked about the erroneous belief of self-mortification. Now he talks about other erroneous beliefs, such as, ‘Purification comes about through the round of rebirths, or through [some particular kind of] rebirth, or through [some particular] abode, or through sacrifice, or through fire-worship.’ Buddha could say from direct knowledge that none of these ideas were fruitful. There was also this belief that, in old age, a person lost the lucidity of his wisdom. Buddha didn’t find that to be true either. Buddha was eighty years old, but still very lucid in his wisdom.
(63 -64) The correct path for spiritual enlightenment is nibbana that Buddha achieved.
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