Part 2 - The Nine Supreme Attributes of the Buddha

The Buddha is endowed with infinite noble qualities. However, for ready remembrance for the devotees among devas, humans and Brahmās, only nine special attributes beginning with Arahaṃ, were specially taught by the Buddha in the various discourses. (The same applies to the teaching about the six supreme attributes of the Dhamma and the nine supreme attributes of the Sangha).

The Nine Supreme Attributes of The Buddha in Pāli

Itipi so Bhagavā Arahaṃ Sammāsambuddho vijjācaraṇa sampanno sugato lokavidhū amuttaro purisa damma sārathi satthā deva manussānam Buddho bhagavā.

Translation:

(The Myanmar Translation by Ashin Vepullābhidhaja Aggamahāpaṇḍita, Abbot of Vejayantā Brick Monastery, Kozaung Taik Myingyan, is rather elaborate and ornate. Only its salient features are rendered into English here.)

The Buddha who has attained Perfect Enlightenment after fulfilling thirty kinds of perfections (pāramī), and has destroyed all defilements is endowed with the attribute of:

(1) Arahaṃ

(a) being perfectly pure of defilements, so that no trace of them, not even a vague impression, is left to suggest their presence,
(b) being incapable of doing evil, even where nobody could know of it,
(c) having broken up the spokes of the wheel of existence,
(d) being worthy of homage by all the three worlds of devas, humans and Brahmās.

(2) Sammā sambuddho, being perfectly Self-Enlightened, in that He truly comprehends the Dhamma by His intellect and insight and is able to expound it to others.

(3) Vijjācaraṇa sampanno, being endowed with the three knowledges, namely, knowledge about past existences of all beings, the Deva Eye and the extinction of all moral taints, which knowledges are expandable into eight knowledges together with perfect practice of morality definable in fifteen ways.

(4) Sugato, because the Buddha proceeds to Nibbāna through the four magga-ñāṇas; because the Buddha speaks only what is beneficial and true.

(5) Lokavidū, because He knows the conditioned arising of all beings, the bases of their arising in the various planes of existence, and the conditionality of physical and mental phenomena.

(6) Anuttaro purisa dammasārathi, because He is incomparable in taming those who deserve to be tamed.

(7) Sattādeva manussānaṃ, because He is the Teacher of devas and humans, showing them the Path leading to Nibbāna.

(8) Buddha, because He is the Enlightened One, knowing and teaching the Four Ariya Truths.

(9) Bhagavā, because He is endowed with the six exalted qualities, namely, supremacy (issariya), knowledge of the nine supramundane factors, i.e. magga-phala-nibbāna (Dhamma), fame and following (yasa), splendour of physical perfection (sirī), power of accomplishment (kamma) and diligence (payatta).

Explanation of The Above Attributes

Although the Buddha is endowed with infinite attributes only the above nine are declared, in His discourses, as the attributes of the Buddha to the various hearers of the deva and human worlds simply to meet the spiritual or intellectual capacity of the hearer. Each of the nine attributes should be taken as representative of a category of qualities which may be attributed to the Buddha. How the meaning of the nine attributes may be properly understood is given below, not too briefly and yet not too comprehensively.