46.4 （四）力

Thus have I heard:

At one time, the Buddha was at Anāthapiṇḍada's Park in the Jeta Grove near Śrāvastī.

At that time, the World-Honored One told the bhikṣus, "The Tathāgata, having attained the ten powers and the four fearlessnesses, is able to roar the lion's roar in the great assembly. What are the ten powers? Here, the Tathāgata truly knows what is possible and what is not possible.

Furthermore, the Tathāgata truly knows the causes and conditions of other sentient beings in their places of rebirth.

Furthermore, the Tathāgata truly knows the various kinds of realms, the various kinds of abodes, and the various kinds of entrances.

Furthermore, the Tathāgata truly knows the various kinds of liberation and immeasurable liberation.

Furthermore, the Tathāgata truly knows the wisdom of other sentient beings, whether it is much or little.

Furthermore, the Tathāgata truly knows the thoughts in the minds of others: he knows a mind with desire as having desire, and a mind without desire as without desire; he knows a mind with anger as having anger, and a mind without anger as without anger; he knows a mind with delusion as having delusion, and a mind without delusion as without delusion; he knows a mind with love as having love, and a mind without love as without love; he knows a mind with acceptance as having acceptance, and a mind without acceptance as without acceptance; he knows a distracted mind as having distraction, and an undistracted mind as without distraction; he knows a scattered mind as having scattering, and an unscattered mind as without scattering; he knows a small mind as having smallness, and a mind without smallness as without smallness; he knows a broad mind as having breadth, and a mind without breadth as without breadth; he knows an immeasurable mind as immeasurable, and a limited mind as limited, as he truly knows them. He knows a concentrated mind as having concentration, and a mind without concentration as without concentration; he knows a liberated mind as liberated, and a mind without liberation as without liberation.

Furthermore, the Tathāgata completely knows the path of all minds that go to various destinations, whether it is one or two lives, three, four, five, ten, fifty, a hundred, a thousand, a hundred thousand, or countless lives, or whether it is an eon of formation, an eon of destruction, or countless eons of formation and destruction. He knows, 'I was born in such and such a place in the past, with such and such a name, eating such and such food, experiencing such and such suffering and happiness, with such and such a lifespan, dying here and being born there, dying there and being born here.' He remembers such countless past lives.

Furthermore, the Tathāgata knows the destinations of sentient beings' birth and death. With his divine eye, he sees the various types of sentient beings, whether their forms are good or bad, and whether their destinations are good or bad. He knows according to the seeds they have planted through their actions. He knows that some sentient beings, with their physical, verbal, and mental actions, slander the sages, create the karma of wrong views, and when their bodies perish and their lives end, they are born in hell. He also knows that some sentient beings, with their physical, verbal, and mental actions, do not slander the sages, always practice right views, and when their bodies perish and their lives end, they are born in the good places of the heavens. This is called the purity of the divine eye, seeing the destinations of the various types of sentient beings.

Furthermore, the Tathāgata has exhausted all taints, attained the liberation of the mind free from taints and the liberation of wisdom, and has ended birth and death, established the practice of purity, accomplished what was to be done, and will not again experience existence. He truly knows this. This is called the Tathāgata's possession of these ten powers, which are called 'unattached'. He has attained the four fearlessnesses and roars the lion's roar in the great assembly, turning the wheel of the Dharma.

What are the Tathāgata's four fearlessnesses? If someone says that the Tathāgata has attained perfect enlightenment, and if there are sentient beings who want to know this, there is no such place. If there are any śramaṇas or brāhmaṇas who want to come and slander the Buddha, saying that he has not attained perfect enlightenment, there is no such place. Because there is no such place, he attains peace.

But today, I want to say that I have exhausted all taints. If there are any śramaṇas, brāhmaṇas, gods, or Māra gods who come and say that I have not exhausted all taints, there is no such place. Because there is no such place, I attain peace.

Furthermore, the Dharma I teach leads the noble ones to attain the ultimate cessation of suffering. If there are any śramaṇas, brāhmaṇas, gods, or Māra gods who come and say that the ultimate cessation of suffering has not been attained, there is no such place. Because there is no such place, I attain peace.

Furthermore, I teach the inner Dharma that leads to the lower realms. If there are any śramaṇas or brāhmaṇas who come and say that it is not so, there is no such place. This is called, bhikṣus, the Tathāgata's four kinds of fearlessness.

"If there are non-Buddhist ascetics who say, 'What powers and fearlessnesses does that śramaṇa Gautama have that he claims to be unsurpassed?' You should hold these ten powers and reply to them. If those non-Buddhist ascetics repeat their statement, 'We also accomplish the ten powers,' you bhikṣus should then ask, 'What are your ten powers?' At that time, those non-Buddhist ascetics will be unable to reply and will only increase their confusion. Because I have never seen any śramaṇa or brāhmaṇa who claims to have attained the four kinds of fearlessness except for the Tathāgata. Therefore, bhikṣus, you should seek the means to accomplish the ten powers and four kinds of fearlessness. Thus, bhikṣus, you should train in this way."

At that time, the bhikṣus, having heard the Buddha's teaching, joyfully received and upheld it.