Dear devotees, we are going to learn about ten powers (pertaining to the mind) of the Supreme Buddha. Our teacher, the Buddha, taught us about those ten powers as follows:
“Dear Sāriputta, the Tathāgata Buddha has ten Tathāgata powers. The Tathāgata Buddha declares His greatness fearlessly with those powers. Like a roar of a lion, the Tathāgata Buddha also preaches the Dhamma valiantly in front of any number of groups of people with those powers. The transcendent Dhammachakka is turned by the Tathāgata Buddha with those powers. What are those ten powers?
The first power of the Tathāgata
Dear Sāriputta, the Tathāgata Buddha knows about the things that could happen and that could not happen in the world in the exact way. This is a power of the Tathāgata. It is with that power the Tathāgata Buddha is assuring His greatness fearlessly. It is with that power He is preaching the Dhamma in a fearless voice like a roar of a lion. It is with that power He is turning forward the transcendent Dhammachakka (the wheel of Dhamma), which cannot be reversed or stopped by anyone else.
The second power of the Tathāgata
Dear Sāriputta, the Tathāgata Buddha is capable of realizing the results of any action (Karma) that has been performed over the past, in the present, or in the future in detail, with reasons, and in the exact way. This is also a power of the Tathāgata. It is with that power the Tathāgata Buddha is assuring His greatness fearlessly. It is with that power He is preaching the Dhamma in a fearless voice like a roar of a lion. It is with that power He is turning forward the transcendent Dhammachakka, which cannot be reversed or stopped by anyone else.
The third power of the Tathāgata
Dear Sāriputta, if there is a journey of a being towards a birth, the Tathāgata Buddha is capable of realizing all these journeys in the exact way. This is also a power of the Tathāgata. It is with that power the Tathāgata Buddha is assuring His greatness fearlessly. It is with that power He is preaching the Dhamma in a fearless voice like a roar of a lion. It is with that power He is turning forward the transcendent Dhammachakka, which cannot be reversed or stopped by anyone else.
The fourth power of the Tathāgata
Dear Sāriputta, the Tathāgata Buddha is capable of knowing the world of many and various natures in its exact way. This is also a power of the Tathāgata. It is with that power the Tathāgata Buddha is assuring His greatness fearlessly. It is with that power He is preaching the Dhamma in a fearless voice like a roar of a lion. It is with that power He is turning forward the transcendent Dhammachakka, which cannot be reversed or stopped by anyone else.
The fifth power of the Tathāgata
Dear Sāriputta, the Tathāgata Buddha has the capability to know all divergent types of natures pertaining to the minds of beings and the differences corresponding to the deficiencies of their minds in the exact way. This is also a power of the Tathāgata. It is with that power the Tathāgata Buddha is assuring His greatness fearlessly. It is with that power He is preaching the Dhamma in a fearless voice like a roar of a lion. It is with that power He is turning forward the transcendent Dhammachakka, which cannot be reversed or stopped by anyone else.
The sixth power of the Tathāgata
Dear Sāriputta, the Tathāgata Buddha has the capability to know the extent of other beings’ and other humans’ development of skills such as Saddhā in the exact way. This is also a power of the Tathāgata. It is with that power the Tathāgata Buddha is assuring His greatness fearlessly. It is with that power He is preaching the Dhamma in a fearless voice like a roar of a lion. It is with that power He is turning forward the transcendent Dhammachakka, which cannot be reversed or stopped by anyone else.
The seventh power of the Tathāgata
Dear Sāriputta, the Tathāgata Buddha knows about the Dhyāna in the exact way. He also knows about Vimōksha, Samādhi, and about various types of Samāpatti in their exact way. He also has the capability to know about how these states of Dhyāna and Samāpatti could get tainted and how one gets up from a Samādhi. This is also a power of the Tathāgata. It is with that power the Tathāgata Buddha is assuring His greatness fearlessly. It is with that power He is preaching the Dhamma in a fearless voice like a roar of a lion. It is with that power He is turning forward the transcendent Dhammachakka, which cannot be reversed or stopped by anyone else.
The eighth power of the Tathāgata
Dear Sāriputta, the Tathāgata Buddha is capable of seeing how He spent His past lives in many ways. He has the capability to remember His past lives in terms of one life, two lives, three lives, four lives, five lives, ten lives, twenty lives, thirty lives, forty lives, fifty lives, hundred lives, thousand lives, or even hundred thousand lives. In fact, He can remember the past up to infinite time such as many Sanvatta Kalpa, Vivatta Kalpa, and Sanvatta Vivatta Kalpa.
He is capable of remembering all the past lives with all related information in a manner as follows: “I lived in that particular place, in that name, and in that family name. My skin color was this. I ate these kinds of foods and felt these and these happiness and sorrow. I died in these ways and got born in that other place. I got that particular name in that life. I had this family name. My skin color was this. I ate these kinds of foods and felt these and these happiness and sorrow. I died in these ways and got born in that other place.”
This is also a power of the Tathāgata. It is with that power the Tathāgata Buddha is assuring His greatness fearlessly. It is with that power He is preaching the Dhamma in a fearless voice like a roar of a lion. It is with that power He is turning forward the transcendent Dhammachakka, which cannot be reversed or stopped by anyone else.
The ninth power of the Tathāgata
Dear Sāriputta, the Tathāgata Buddha is capable of seeing how beings leave their present life when they die, how they are born, how they get high or low status births, how they get beautiful or ugly births, or how they are born in high-level (Sugati) or low-level (Dugati) worlds. He gets to know how the beings get their births according to their actions (Karma).
“Oh! These beings are unrighteous in their bodily actions, words, and thoughts. They have treated noble humans evilly and harmed them. They are of profane (Miccā Ditthi) behavior and act in profane believes. As a result of their evil actions, they have been born in the low-level world known as the Niraya (hell) after their deaths.
Oh! These meritorious beings are righteous in their bodily actions, words, and thoughts. They haven’t treated the noble humans evilly nor harmed them. They are of views according to excellent moral qualities (Sammā Ditthi) and act accordingly. As a result of their good actions, they have been born in the high-level world known as the Sagga (heaven) after their death.”
In this way, using the divine eye of the Tathāgata that excels the normal human eye, beings that are passing away and getting born are seen by the Tathāgata Buddha. This is also a power of the Tathāgata. It is with that power the Tathāgata Buddha is assuring His greatness fearlessly. It is with that power He is preaching the Dhamma in a fearless voice like a roar of a lion. It is with that power He is turning forward the transcendent Dhammachakka, which cannot be reversed or stopped by anyone else.
The tenth power of the Tathāgata.
Dear Sāriputta, the Citta Vimutti and Pagnna Vimukti are obtained by eradicating all the defilements. The Tathāgata Buddha lives exactly knowing these defilements-free Citta Vimutti and Pagnna Vimukti with the wisdom He attained by His own realization (enlightenment). This is also a power of the Tathāgata. It is with that power the Tathāgata Buddha is assuring His greatness fearlessly. It is with that power He is preaching the Dhamma in a fearless voice like a roar of a lion. It is with that power He is turning forward the transcendent Dhammachakka, which cannot be reversed or stopped by anyone else.
Therefore, dear devotees, our great teacher having these Tathāgata powers became the incomparable, astonishing, valiant, and the most superior spiritual leader of the world of gods and humans. Unless the Buddha himself revealed these qualities, who else would be able to find the skills He had within Him?
By
Ven. Kiribathgoda Gnanananda Thero
