The Quality of Sammasambuddha
| A Sammasambuddha is endowed with certain special
knowledges. Of these knowledges, we will recall six at this moment. These are exclusive
knowledges to him. No one else has these. (a) When he directs his mind to someone else, he is able to fully realise and understand the degree and development of the five Spiritual faculties. He is also able to assess which faculties are stronger and which are weaker, whether they are balanced or not ("Indriya Paropariyatte Gnanya"). (b) Whenever he directs his attention to another he is able to assess the degree of greed aversion and ignorance in such persons. As a result of these two knowledges, he is easily able to understand the position of the other being, and accordingly he gives the necessary right advice ("Sattanam Asayanusaye Gnanaya"). (c) He is endowed with the ability to know which person or which group of people he can assist and advise and show the way at a given point of time. When he emerges from that state of abiding, he knows today I can help such and such people. It may be human beings, it may be divine beings, it may be Brahmas and accordingly he goes forward and gives them the right advice, the right guidance, the right objects of meditation and paves the way for their liberation ("Mahakarunasamapathi Gnanaya"). (d) He is able to create various forms by bringing together both the watery element and the heat element. Whilst maintaining water and fire together he is able to create various forms. It is the one psychic power performance that only a Sammasambuddha can perform. However, he used it only on very special occasions when it was absolutely necessary in order to pave the way for him to teach the dhamma, to break some barriers in certain people ("Yamaka Maha Prathiharaya Gnanaya"). (e) Whatever dhamma, whatever situation that he directed his mind to, he came to understand that completely. He knew all those proximate causes, all the root causes that go to bring up such dhammas ("Sabbanhuta Gnanaya"). (f) Whenever he directs his mind to something, there arises no obstacles to his understanding, to his comprehension, Nothing covers his ability to comprehend the true nature of the thing that he has directed his mind to. Of course the mind has got to be directed, or there has to be mindfulness directed to that object ("Anavarana Gnanaya"). These are six exclusive knowledges exclusive to a Sammasambuddha. And these six exclusive knowledges are a great asset to him when he comes out to teach the true dhamma to the entire world. That is why he is able to expound this teaching in such brilliance, with such perfect examples and in a manner that no one else has ever done, or will ever do. We can consider all these knowledges and powers as a part of this Sammasambuddha quality, of the Tathagata. |