A supreme man

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asahi
Posts: 2732
Joined: Wed Oct 07, 2020 4:23 pm

A supreme man

Post by asahi »

What is a supreme man ?
Is there a "thing" or "something" or "someone" called Tathagata ? Is it a reality ?
Pls explain what is it !
Is an arhat also a supreme man ?

"And so, Anuradha — when you can't pin down the Tathagata as a truth or reality even in the present life — is it proper for you to declare, 'Friends, the Tathagata — the supreme man, the superlative man, attainer of the superlative attainment — being described, is described otherwise than with these four positions: The Tathagata exists after death, does not exist after death, both does & does not exist after death, neither exists nor does not exist after death'?"

https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitak ... .than.html
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Kusala
Posts: 1148
Joined: Sun Jan 23, 2011 11:02 am

Re: A supreme man

Post by Kusala »

asahi wrote: Sat May 08, 2021 2:48 am What is a supreme man ?
Is there a "thing" or "something" or "someone" called Tathagata ? Is it a reality ?
Pls explain what is it !
Is an arhat also a supreme man ?

"And so, Anuradha — when you can't pin down the Tathagata as a truth or reality even in the present life — is it proper for you to declare, 'Friends, the Tathagata — the supreme man, the superlative man, attainer of the superlative attainment — being described, is described otherwise than with these four positions: The Tathagata exists after death, does not exist after death, both does & does not exist after death, neither exists nor does not exist after death'?"

https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitak ... .than.html
This...

"By not envying the superior,
despising the inferior,
or competing with equals,
you attained pre-eminence in the world.

You were devoted to virtues for their own sake,
not for the rewards that come from them,
and thus due to your right progress
they have all come to completion within you.

So much good have you gathered by your deeds
that even the dust on your feet
has become a source of merit.

You dissolved and uprooted your faults,
you purified and brought to completion your virtues,
and by this wise procedure
you reached the highest attainment.

You struck at faults with your might
so that not even their shadow
lingers in the depths of your mind.

Step by step you nurtured the virtues
and established them in yourself, so that now
not even their likeness is found elsewhere.

All worldly objects of comparison
can be damaged or obstructed,
limited by time and space, easily acquired.

How can they be compared with your virtues —
virtues unrivaled, unapproachable,
stable, unceasing, unsurpassed?

When measured against the unfathomable
and boundless depth of your understanding,
the ocean becomes as if a mere puddle.

When matched with your calm equanimity,
the firmness of the earth
seems like the quivering of a flower petal.

Beside the radiance of your wisdom,
which destroys the darkness of ignorance,
the sun does not attain even the brightness of a firefly.

The purity of the moon, the sky or a pool in autumn
appears clouded when compared
with the purity of your words, thoughts and deeds.

I have compared you with all that is admired in the world,
but still how far are those miserable things
from the qualities of a Buddha.

For there is only one thing that resembles you,
O Kindly One, and that is the jewel of the Dharma
through which you attained the highest.

But if something were to be found comparable to you,
to make such comparison
would be the act of a foolish and disrespectful man."


https://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/aut ... 0.html#ch6
"He, the Blessed One, is indeed the Noble Lord, the Perfectly Enlightened One;
He is impeccable in conduct and understanding, the Serene One, the Knower of the Worlds;
He trains perfectly those who wish to be trained; he is Teacher of gods and men; he is Awake and Holy. "

--------------------------------------------
"The Dhamma is well-expounded by the Blessed One,
Apparent here and now, timeless, encouraging investigation,
Leading to liberation, to be experienced individually by the wise. "
Inedible
Posts: 953
Joined: Mon Sep 14, 2020 12:55 am
Location: Iowa City

Re: A supreme man

Post by Inedible »

Supreme is for gasoline and pizza.
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