AN 4.23 Loka Sutta: The World

[mikenz66]

AN 4.23 (AN ii 23) Loka Sutta: The World
Translated by Bhikku Bodhi

http://suttacentral.net/en/an4.23

[654]

Bhikkhus, the Tathāgata has fully awakened to the world; [655] the Tathāgata is detached from the world. The Tathāgata has fully awakened to the origin of the world; the Tathāgata has abandoned the origin of the world. The Tathāgata has fully awakened to the cessation of the world; the Tathāgata has realized the cessation of the world. The Tathāgata has fully awakened to the way leading to the cessation of the world; the Tathāgata has developed the way leading to the cessation of the world.

(1) “Bhikkhus, in this world with its devas, Māra, and Brahmā, among this population with its ascetics and brahmins, its devas and humans, whatever is seen, heard, sensed, cognized, reached, sought after, examined by the mind—all that the Tathāgata has fully awakened to; therefore he is called the Tathāgata. [656]

(2) “Bhikkhus, whatever the Tathāgata speaks, utters, or expounds in the interval between the night when he awakens to the unsurpassed perfect enlightenment and the night when he attains final nibbāna, [657] all that is just so and not otherwise; therefore he is called the Tathāgata.

(3) “Bhikkhus, as the Tathāgata speaks, so he does; as he does, so he speaks. Since he does as he speaks and speaks as he does, therefore he is called the Tathāgata.

(4) “Bhikkhus, in this world with its devas, Māra, and Brahmā, among this population with its ascetics and brahmins, its devas and humans, the Tathāgata is the vanquisher, the unvanquished, the universal seer, the wielder of mastery; therefore he is called the Tathāgata.”

• Having directly known all the world—
  all in the world just as it is—
  he is detached from all the world,
  disengaged from all the world.
  
  He is the vanquisher of all,
  the wise one who has untied all knots.
  He has reached the supreme peace,
  nibbāna, inaccessible to fear.
  
  He is the Buddha, his taints destroyed,
  untroubled, all doubts cut off;
  having reached the destruction of all kamma,
  he is liberated in the extinction of acquisitions.
  
  He is the Blessed One, the Buddha,
  he is the lion unsurpassed;
  in this world with its devas,
  he set in motion the wheel of Brahmā.
  
  Thus those devas and human beings
  who have gone for refuge to the Buddha
  assemble and pay homage to him,
  the great one free from diffidence:
  
  “Tamed, he is the best of tamers;
  peaceful, he is the seer among peace-bringers;
  freed, he is the chief of liberators;
  crossed over, he is the best of guides across.”
  
  Thus indeed they pay him homage,
  the great one free from diffidence.
  In this world together with its devas,
  there is no one who can rival you.

Notes

[654] Also at It §112, 121–23.

[655] Mp identifies the world (loka) with the truth of suffering. The four tasks that the Tathāgata has accomplished here correspond to the four tasks regarding the four noble truths—fully understanding the truth of suffering, abandoning the truth of its origin, realizing its cessation, and developing the path—but with “fully awakened” (abhisambuddha) replacing “fully understood” (pariññāta) in regard to the first truth. See SN 56:11, V 422.

[656] Mp, like other commentaries, explains the seen (diṭṭha) as the visible-form base; the heard (suta) as the sound base; the sensed (muta) as the bases of odor, taste, and tactile sensations; and the cognized (viññātaṃ) as the mental-phenomena base. The three terms “reached, sought after, examined by the mind” (pattaṃ pariyesitaṃ anuvicaritaṃ manasā) are simply elaborations of the cognized. Mp also explains that the suffix –gata, lit. “gone,” in the derivation of the word “Tathāgata,” means the same as abhisambuddha, “fully awakened to.”

[657] Ce and Ee have merely parinibbāyati, as against Be anupādisesāya nibbānadhātuyā parinibbāyati, “attains final nibbāna by way of the nibbāna element without residue remaining.” The latter reading may have entered Be from It §112, 121,21–22.

[mikenz66]

Iti 4.13 The World
Translated by John Ireland

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... ml#iti-112

This was said by the Lord, said by the Arahant, so I heard:

"Bhikkhus, the world has been fully understood by the Tathagata; the Tathagata is released from the world. The origin of the world has been fully understood by the Tathagata; the origin of the world has been abandoned by the Tathagata. The cessation of the world has been fully understood by the Tathagata; the cessation of the world has been realized by the Tathagata. The course leading to the cessation of the world has been fully understood by the Tathagata; the course leading to the cessation of the world has been developed by the Tathagata.

"Bhikkhus, in the world with its devas, maras, and brahmas, with its recluses and brahmans, among humankind with its princes and people, whatever is seen, heard, sensed, cognized, attained, sought, and reflected upon by the mind — that is fully understood by the Tathagata: therefore he is called the Tathagata.

"Bhikkhus, from the night when the Tathagata awakened to unsurpassed full enlightenment until the night when he passes away into the Nibbana-element with no residue left, whatever he speaks, utters, and explains — all that is just so and not otherwise: therefore he is called the Tathagata.

"As the Tathagata says, so he does; as the Tathagata does, so he says: therefore he is called the Tathagata.

"In the world with its devas, maras, and brahmas, with its recluses and brahmans, among humankind with its princes and people, the Tathagata is the conqueror, unvanquished, all-seer, wielding power: therefore he is called the Tathagata."

• By knowledge of the whole world,
  The whole world as it truly is,
  He is released from all the world,
  In all the world he is unattached.
  
  The all-conquering heroic sage,
  Freed from every bond is he;
  He has reached that perfect peace,
  Nibbana which is free from fear.
  
  Rid of taints, he is enlightened,
  Trouble-free, with doubts destroyed,
  Reached the final end of deeds,
  Released by clinging's full destruction.
  
  The Enlightened One, the Lord,
  A lion is he, unsurpassed;
  For in the world together with its devas
  He set the Brahma-wheel in motion.
  
  Thus those devas and human beings,
  Gone for refuge to the Buddha,
  On meeting him pay homage to him,
  The great one free from diffidence.
  
  Tamed, of the tamed he is the best;
  Calmed, of the calmed he is the seer;
  Freed, of the freed he is the foremost;
  Crossed, of the crossed he is the chief.
  
  Thus do they pay him due homage,
  The great one free from diffidence:
  "In the world together with its devas
  There is no person equalling you."

This too is the meaning of what was said by the Lord, so I heard.

[mikenz66]

Iti 4.13 The World
Translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... ml#iti-112

This was said by the Blessed One, said by the Arahant, so I have heard: "The world[1] has been fully awakened to by the Tathagata. From the world, the Tathagata is disjoined. The origination of the world has been fully awakened to by the Tathagata. The origination of the world has, by the Tathagata, been abandoned. The cessation of the world has been fully awakened to by the Tathagata. The cessation of the world has, by the Tathagata, been realized. The path leading to the cessation of the world has been fully awakened to by the Tathagata. The path leading to the cessation of the world has, by the Tathagata, been developed.

"Whatever in this world — with its devas, Maras, & Brahmas, its generations complete with contemplatives & brahmans, princes & men — is seen, heard, sensed, cognized, attained, sought after, pondered by the intellect, that has been fully awakened to by the Tathagata. Thus he is called the Tathagata.

"From the night the Tathagata fully awakens to the unsurpassed Right Self-awakening to the night he is totally unbound in the Unbinding property with no fuel remaining, whatever the Tathagata has said, spoken, explained is just so (tatha) and not otherwise. Thus he is called the Tathagata.

"The Tathagata is one who does in line with (tatha) what he teaches, one who teaches in line with what he does. Thus he is called the Tathagata.

"In this world with its devas, Maras, & Brahmas, its generations complete with contemplatives & brahmans, princes & men, the Tathagata is the unconquered conqueror, all-seeing, the wielder of power.[2] Thus he is called the Tathagata." This is the meaning of what the Blessed One said. So with regard to this it was said:

• Directly knowing all the world,
  all the world as is really is,
  from all the world disjoined,
  in all the world unmatched:
  Conquering all
  in all ways,
  enlightened,
  released from all bonds,
  he touches the foremost peace —
  Unbinding, free
  from fear.
  
  He is free of fermentation,
  of trouble,
  awakened,
  his doubts cut through;
  has attained the ending of action,
  is released in the destruction of acquisitions.
  He is blessed, awakened,
  a lion, unsurpassed.
  In the world with its devas
  he set the Brahma-wheel going.[3]
  
  Thus divine & human beings
  who have gone to the Buddha for refuge,
  gathering, pay homage
  to the great one, thoroughly mature:
  
  'Tamed, he's the best
  of those who can be tamed;
  calm, the seer
  of those who can be calmed;
  released, supreme
  among those who can be released;
  crossed, the foremost
  of those who can cross.'
  
  Thus they pay homage
  to the great one, thoroughly mature:
  'In this world with its devas,
  there's no one
  to compare
  with you.'

This, too, was the meaning of what was said by the Blessed One, so I have heard.

Notes

1. SN 35.82 defines the "world" as the six sense spheres, their objects, consciousness at those spheres, contact at those spheres, and whatever arises in dependence on that contact, experienced as pleasure, pain, or neither-pleasure-nor-pain.

2. These are epithets usually associated with the Great Brahma. See§ 22.

3. The Brahma-wheel = the Dhamma-wheel, the name of the Buddha's first sermon, so called because it contains a "wheel" that lists all twelve permutations of two sets of variables: the four noble truths — stress, its origination, its cessation, and the way leading to its cessation — and the three levels of knowledge appropriate to each truth: knowledge of the truth, knowledge of the task appropriate to the truth, and knowledge that the task has been completed. This wheel constitutes the Buddha's most central teaching.

[mikenz66]

We can contrast this use of the term "world" with that in Ud 3.10, which seems to use it in a more conventional sense. See the discussion on that thread.


Mike

[Spiny Norman]

We can contrast this use of the term "world" with that in Ud 3.10, which seems to use it in a more conventional sense. See the discussion on that thread.

Mike

So does "loka" sometimes have the meaning of "my world", and sometimes the meaning of "the world"?

[mikenz66]

That's my impression, though there always seems to be a bit of a mixture. So in the link I gave:

At the end of seven days, after emerging from that concentration, he surveyed the world with the eye of an Awakened One. As he did so, he saw living beings burning with the many fevers and aflame with the many fires born of passion, aversion, and delusion.

Is talking about the external world, whereas further down it seems to be talking more about the world we create for ourselves:

This world is burning.
Afflicted by contact,
it calls disease a "self,"
for by whatever means it construes [anything],
that becomes otherwise from that.

And I think you can see the same sort of thing in the current sutta.


Mike

[chownah]

We can contrast this use of the term "world" with that in Ud 3.10, which seems to use it in a more conventional sense. See the discussion on that thread.

Mike

So does "loka" sometimes have the meaning of "my world", and sometimes the meaning of "the world"?

The world is pretty clearly described in:

SN 35.82 PTS: S iv 52 CDB ii 1162
Loka Sutta: The World
translated from the Pali by
Thanissaro Bhikkhu
© 1997


"Then a certain monk went to the Blessed One and, on arrival, having bowed down to him, sat to one side. As he was sitting there, he said to the Blessed One: "'The world, the world'[1] it is said. In what respect does the word 'world' apply?

"Insofar as it disintegrates,[2] monk, it is called the 'world.' Now what disintegrates? The eye disintegrates. Forms disintegrate. Consciousness at the eye disintegrates. Contact at the eye disintegrates. And whatever there is that arises in dependence on contact at the eye — experienced as pleasure, pain or neither-pleasure-nor-pain — that too disintegrates.

"The ear disintegrates. Sounds disintegrate...

"The nose disintegrates. Aromas disintegrate...

"The tongue disintegrates. Tastes disintegrate...

"The body disintegrates. Tactile sensations disintegrate...

"The intellect disintegrates. Ideas disintegrate. Consciousness at the intellect consciousness disintegrates. Contact at the intellect disintegrates. And whatever there is that arises in dependence on contact at the intellect — experienced as pleasure, pain or neither-pleasure-nor-pain — that too disintegrates.

"Insofar as it disintegrates, it is called the 'world.'""

Seems pretty straightforward how the Buddha used the word 'world'......especially when this is considered in light of The All Sutta. It is not surprising that the Buddha never refers to "my world" since this is clearly referring to a doctrine of self.
chownah