Aṅguttara Nikāya - The Numerical Discourses

1: The Book of the Ones

1. Obsession of the Mind - 171–174

(171) "Bhikkhus, the manifestation of one person is rare in the world … (172) … there is one person arising in the world who is extraordinary … (173) … the death of one person is lamented by many people … (174) [n.68] Ce counts here nine separate suttas, one for each epithet. I follow Be and Ee, which group them together as one sutta. … there is one person arising in the world who is unique, without a peer, without counterpart, incomparable, matchless, unrivaled, unequaled, without equal, [n.69] Asamasamo. Mp explains this to mean "equal to those without equal," that is, equal to the unequaled Buddhas of the past and the future. But elsewhere samasama means "exactly equal," and thus asamasama should probably be understood to mean simply "without equal." the foremost of bipeds. [n.70] Dvipadānaṁ aggo. Mp: "The best among human beings and devas." Who is that one person? The Tathāgata, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One. This is that one person arising in the world who is … the foremost of bipeds."

Back to Top