The Related Discourses
11. Powers
| （七〇一）十種如來力 | 58 (701). The Tathāgata’s Ten Powers |
|---|---|
| 如是我聞： 一時，佛住舍衛國、祇樹、給孤獨園。 | 1. Thus I have heard:1 One time, the Buddha was staying at Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park in Jeta’s Grove of Śrāvastī. |
| 爾時，世尊告諸比丘： 「有十種如來力。 若此力成就，如來、應、等正覺。 得先佛最勝處，能轉梵輪，於大眾中師子吼而吼。 何等為十？ 謂如來處非處如實知。 是名初力⋯」 | 2. It was then that the Bhagavān addressed the monks, “There are ten kinds of the Tathāgata’s power. If these powers are accomplished, it would be by the Tathāgata, Arhat, and Completely Awakened One. He attained knowledge of the highest abode of prior buddhas, turned the Brahma wheel, and roared the lion’s roar amid his great assembly. What are the ten? The Tathāgata truly knows what’s possible and impossible. This is called his first power. [If someone accomplished this power, it would be the Tathāgata, Arhat, and Completely Awakened One. He attained knowledge of the highest abode of prior buddhas, turned the Brahma wheel, and roared the lion’s roar amid his great assembly.]2 |
| 乃至⋯漏盡，如上說。 | 3. [“Furthermore, the Tathāgata truly knows that past, future, and present deeds incur their resulting events. This is called the Tathāgata’s second power. The Tathāgata, Arhat, and Completely Awakened One achieved this power. He attained knowledge of the highest abode of prior buddhas, turned the Brahma wheel, and roared the lion’s roar amid his great assembly.] |
| 4. [Furthermore, the Tathāgata, Arhat, and Completely Awakened One truly knows the liberation of meditation, proper attainment of samādhi, purification of defilements and bad [qualities], and dwelling in purity. This is called the Tathāgata’s third power. If someone accomplished this power, it would be the Tathāgata, Arhat, and Completely Awakened One. He attained knowledge of the highest abode of prior buddhas, turned the Brahma wheel, and roared the lion’s roar amid his great assembly.] | |
| 5. [“Furthermore, the Tathāgata truly knows the various distinctions of sentient beings’ faculties. This is called the Tathāgata’s fourth power. If someone accomplished this power, it would be the Tathāgata, Arhat, and Completely Awakened One. He attained knowledge of the highest abode of prior buddhas, turned the Brahma wheel, and roared the lion’s roar amid his great assembly.] | |
| 6. [“Furthermore, the Tathāgata truly knows the various mental understandings of sentient beings. This is called the Tathāgata’s fifth power. If someone accomplished this power, it would be the Tathāgata, Arhat, and Completely Awakened One. He attained knowledge of the highest abode of prior buddhas, turned the Brahma wheel, and roared the lion’s roar amid his great assembly.] | |
| 7. [“Furthermore, the Tathāgata truly knows the various interests of worldly sentient beings. This is called the Tathāgata’s sixth power. If someone accomplished this power, it would be the Tathāgata, Arhat, and Completely Awakened One. He attained knowledge of the highest abode of prior buddhas, turned the Brahma wheel, and roared the lion’s roar amid his great assembly.] | |
| 8. [“Furthermore, the Tathāgata truly knows all the places where the path goes. This is called the Tathāgata’s seventh power. If someone accomplished this power, it would be the Tathāgata, Arhat, and Completely Awakened One. He attained knowledge of the highest abode of prior buddhas, turned the Brahma wheel, and roared the lion’s roar amid his great assembly.] | |
| 9. [“Furthermore, the Tathāgata remembers the events of his past lives: ‘From one birth to a hundred thousand births or from one eon to a hundred thousand eons, I was born there at that point to such a tribe, such a clan, with such a name, and such food. Such were the pains and pleasures I felt, such was the length of my life, such was my duration, and such was the extent of my life. I died there in that place and was born here in this place. Dying there in that place and born here in this place, such were my deeds, such were the causes, and such were the ways.’ He then truly knows all his past lives. This is called the Tathāgata’s eighth power. If someone accomplished this power, it would be the Tathāgata, Arhat, and Completely Awakened One. He attained knowledge of the highest abode of prior buddhas, turned the Brahma wheel, and roared the lion’s roar amid his great assembly.] | |
| 10. [“Furthermore, the Tathāgata sees sentient beings as they are born and die with the clarity of his heavenly eye that transcends the human eye. With wonderful forms, ugly forms, lower forms, and higher forms, they head for bad destinations or head for good destinations, experiencing them according to their deeds. He truly knows about them all: ‘This sentient being has committed bad physical deeds … verbal … has committed bad mental deeds, criticized the noble ones, and takes on the deeds of wrong view. Because of these causes and conditions, they fall to the bad destination of being born in hell when their life ends and their body breaks up.’ [Or:] ‘This sentient being’s good physical deeds … verbal … good mental deeds, they don’t criticize the noble ones, and they take on the deeds of right view. Because of these causes and conditions, they’ll be born in a good destination up in heaven when their life ends and their body breaks up.’ He truly knowing all of this. This called the Tathāgata’s ninth power. If someone accomplished this power, it would be the Tathāgata, Arhat, and Completely Awakened One. He attained knowledge of the highest abode of prior buddhas, turned the Brahma wheel, and roared the lion’s roar amid his great assembly.] | |
| 11. [“Furthermore, the Tathāgata has ended the contaminants. Without contaminants, his mind is liberated, and his wisdom is liberated. In the present life, he knows and has personally realized, ‘My births have been ended, the religious practice has been established, and the task has been accomplished.’ He himself knew he wouldn’t be subject to a later existence. This is called the Tathāgata’s tenth power. If someone accomplished this power, it would be the Tathāgata, Arhat, and Completely Awakened One. He attained knowledge of the highest abode of prior buddhas, turned the Brahma wheel, and roared the lion’s roar amid his great assembly.] | |
| 佛說此經已，諸比丘聞佛所說歡喜，奉行。 | 12. After the Buddha spoke this sūtra, the monks who heard what the Buddha taught rejoiced and approved. |
Notes
This is sūtra no. 701 in the Taisho edition and nos. 898 in Yinshun (T99.2.189a7-13, Y30.325a5-8).
This sūtra is parallel with numerous Buddhist sources that contain some or all of the ten powers of the Tathāgata. Some early Buddhist parallels include AN 6.64, AN 10.21, MN 12, EĀ 46.4, SĀ 11.43-44, SA 11.41, T757, T780, T781, and T802. The ten powers material has been abbreviated in this sūtra, which was presumably identical to the ten powers found in SĀ 11.41. [back]
The Chinese translator abbreviated the recitation of the ten powers, referring the reader back to the full text previously taught, presumably that found in SĀ 11.41. I’ve expanded the abbreviation using the text from that sūtra and placed the additions in brackets. [back]
Translator: Charles Patton
Last Revised: 24 March 2026
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