Sīhasutta — Reader

The Lion

Sīhasutta

“Mendicants, toward evening the lion, king of beasts, emerges from his den, yawns, surveys the four quarters, and roars his lion’s roar three times.

“Sīho, bhikkhave, migarājā sāyanhasamayaṁ āsayā nikkhamati; āsayā nikkhamitvā vijambhati; vijambhitvā samantā catuddisaṁ anuviloketi; samantā catuddisaṁ anuviloketvā tikkhattuṁ sīhanādaṁ nadati;

Then he sets out on the hunt. If he strikes an elephant, he does it carefully, not carelessly. If he strikes a buffalo … a cow …

tikkhattuṁ sīhanādaṁ naditvā gocarāya pakkamati. So hatthissa cepi pahāraṁ deti, sakkaccaññeva pahāraṁ deti, no asakkaccaṁ; mahiṁsassa cepi pahāraṁ deti, sakkaccaññeva pahāraṁ deti, no asakkaccaṁ; gavassa cepi pahāraṁ deti, sakkaccaññeva pahāraṁ deti, no asakkaccaṁ;

a leopard … or any smaller creatures—even a hare or a cat—he does it carefully, not carelessly. Why is that? Thinking: ‘May I not lose my way.’

dīpissa cepi pahāraṁ deti, sakkaccaññeva pahāraṁ deti, no asakkaccaṁ; khuddakānañcepi pāṇānaṁ pahāraṁ deti antamaso sasabiḷārānampi, sakkaccaññeva pahāraṁ deti, no asakkaccaṁ. Taṁ kissa hetu? ‘Mā me yoggapatho nassā’ti.

‘Lion’ is a term for the Realized One, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha. When the Realized One teaches Dhamma to an assembly, this is his lion’s roar. When the Realized One teaches the monks … nuns …

Sīhoti kho, bhikkhave, tathāgatassetaṁ adhivacanaṁ arahato sammāsambuddhassa. Yaṁ kho, bhikkhave, tathāgato parisāya dhammaṁ deseti, idamassa hoti sīhanādasmiṁ. Bhikkhūnañcepi, bhikkhave, tathāgato dhammaṁ deseti, sakkaccaññeva tathāgato dhammaṁ deseti, no asakkaccaṁ; bhikkhunīnañcepi, bhikkhave, tathāgato dhammaṁ deseti, sakkaccaññeva tathāgato dhammaṁ deseti, no asakkaccaṁ;

laymen … laywomen … or ordinary people—even food-carriers and hunters—he teaches them carefully, not carelessly.

upāsakānañcepi, bhikkhave, tathāgato dhammaṁ deseti, sakkaccaññeva tathāgato dhammaṁ deseti, no asakkaccaṁ; upāsikānañcepi, bhikkhave, tathāgato dhammaṁ deseti, sakkaccaññeva tathāgato dhammaṁ deseti, no asakkaccaṁ; puthujjanānañcepi, bhikkhave, tathāgato dhammaṁ deseti antamaso annabhāranesādānampi, sakkaccaññeva tathāgato dhammaṁ deseti, no asakkaccaṁ.

Why is that? Because the Realized One has respect and reverence for the teaching.”

Taṁ kissa hetu? Dhammagaru, bhikkhave, tathāgato dhammagāravo”ti. Navamaṁ.