In short: in AN 4.36 the brahmin Doṇa asks the Buddha if he is a god, a spirit or a human. No, says the Buddha: like a lotus that grows in water but stays unwet, he is not stained by the world, so remember him as a Buddha, an awakened one.
The brahmin Doṇa saw the Buddha's footprints and then the Buddha himself, calm under a tree. "Are you a god? A spirit? A human?" No, the Buddha answered, to each. Then he gave the image Buddhists have loved ever since:
Suppose there was a blue water lily, or a pink or white lotus. Though it sprouted and grew in the water, it would rise up above the water and stand with no water clinging to it.
"Remember me, brahmin, as a Buddha."
What it means
"Buddha" means "awakened". The Buddha grew up in the world but was no longer stained by it, like the lotus, which is why the lotus is everywhere in Buddhist art. See Buddha poses and their meaning.
Read the full guide
The full text in Pāli and English
Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato, from SuttaCentral (AN4.36). Ellipses (…) are abbreviations in the original. Notes are ANEW's.
| Pāli | English |
|---|---|
| Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā antarā ca ukkaṭṭhaṁ antarā ca setabyaṁ addhānamaggappaṭipanno hoti. | At one time the Buddha was traveling along the road between Ukkaṭṭhā and Setavyā, |
| Doṇopi sudaṁ brāhmaṇo antarā ca ukkaṭṭhaṁ antarā ca setabyaṁ addhānamaggappaṭipanno hoti. | as was the brahmin Doṇa. |
| Addasā kho doṇo brāhmaṇo bhagavato pādesu cakkāni sahassārāni sanemikāni sanābhikāni sabbākāraparipūrāni; | Doṇa saw that the Buddha’s footprints had thousand-spoked wheels, with rims and hubs, complete in every detail. |
| disvānassa etadahosi: | It occurred to him, |
| “acchariyaṁ vata bho, abbhutaṁ vata bho. | “Oh lord, how incredible, how amazing! |
| Na vatimāni manussabhūtassa padāni bhavissantī”ti. | Surely these couldn’t be the footprints of a human being?” |
| Atha kho bhagavā maggā okkamma aññatarasmiṁ rukkhamūle nisīdi pallaṅkaṁ ābhujitvā ujuṁ kāyaṁ paṇidhāya parimukhaṁ satiṁ upaṭṭhapetvā. | The Buddha had left the road and sat at the root of a tree cross-legged, setting his body straight, and bringing mindfulness to the present. |
| Atha kho doṇo brāhmaṇo bhagavato padāni anugacchanto addasa bhagavantaṁ aññatarasmiṁ rukkhamūle nisinnaṁ pāsādikaṁ pasādanīyaṁ santindriyaṁ santamānasaṁ uttamadamathasamathamanuppattaṁ dantaṁ guttaṁ saṁyatindriyaṁ nāgaṁ. | Then Doṇa, following the Buddha’s footprints, saw him sitting at the tree root—impressive and inspiring, with peaceful faculties and heart, attained to the highest self-control and serenity, like an elephant with tamed, guarded, and controlled faculties. |
| Disvāna yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: | He went up to the Buddha and said to him: |
| “Devo no bhavaṁ bhavissatī”ti? | “Sir, might you be a god?” |
| “Na kho ahaṁ, brāhmaṇa, devo bhavissāmī”ti. | “I will not be a god, brahmin.” |
| “Gandhabbo no bhavaṁ bhavissatī”ti? | “Might you be a centaur?” |
| “Na kho ahaṁ, brāhmaṇa, gandhabbo bhavissāmī”ti. | “I will not be a centaur.” |
| “Yakkho no bhavaṁ bhavissatī”ti? | “Might you be a spirit?” |
| “Na kho ahaṁ, brāhmaṇa, yakkho bhavissāmī”ti. | “I will not be a spirit.” |
| “Manusso no bhavaṁ bhavissatī”ti? | “Might you be a human?” |
| “Na kho ahaṁ, brāhmaṇa, manusso bhavissāmī”ti. | “I will not be a human.” |
| “‘Devo no bhavaṁ bhavissatī’ti, iti puṭṭho samāno: | “When asked whether you might be a god, centaur, spirit, or human, |
| ‘na kho ahaṁ, brāhmaṇa, devo bhavissāmī’ti vadesi. | you answer that you will not be any of these. |
| ‘Gandhabbo no bhavaṁ bhavissatī’ti, iti puṭṭho samāno: | |
| ‘na kho ahaṁ, brāhmaṇa, gandhabbo bhavissāmī’ti vadesi. | |
| ‘Yakkho no bhavaṁ bhavissatī’ti, iti puṭṭho samāno: | |
| ‘na kho ahaṁ, brāhmaṇa, yakkho bhavissāmī’ti vadesi. | |
| ‘Manusso no bhavaṁ bhavissatī’ti, iti puṭṭho samāno: | |
| ‘na kho ahaṁ, brāhmaṇa, manusso bhavissāmī’ti vadesi. | |
| Atha ko carahi bhavaṁ bhavissatī”ti? | So what then might you be?” |
| “Yesaṁ kho ahaṁ, brāhmaṇa, āsavānaṁ appahīnattā devo bhaveyyaṁ, te me āsavā pahīnā ucchinnamūlā tālāvatthukatā anabhāvaṅkatā āyatiṁ anuppādadhammā. | “Brahmin, if I had not given up defilements I might have become a god … a centaur … a spirit … or a human. But I have given up those defilements, cut them off at the root, made them like a palm stump, obliterated them so they are unable to arise in the future. |
| Yesaṁ kho ahaṁ, brāhmaṇa, āsavānaṁ appahīnattā gandhabbo bhaveyyaṁ … yakkho bhaveyyaṁ … manusso bhaveyyaṁ, te me āsavā pahīnā ucchinnamūlā tālāvatthukatā anabhāvaṅkatā āyatiṁ anuppādadhammā. | |
| Seyyathāpi, brāhmaṇa, uppalaṁ vā padumaṁ vā puṇḍarīkaṁ vā udake jātaṁ udake saṁvaḍḍhaṁ udakā accuggamma tiṭṭhati anupalittaṁ udakena; | Suppose there was a blue water lily, or a pink or white lotus. Though it sprouted and grew in the water, it would rise up above the water and stand with no water clinging to it. |
| evamevaṁ kho ahaṁ, brāhmaṇa, loke jāto loke saṁvaḍḍho lokaṁ abhibhuyya viharāmi anupalitto lokena. | In the same way, though I was born and grew up in the world, I live having mastered the world, unsullied by the world. |
| Buddhoti maṁ, brāhmaṇa, dhārehīti. | Remember me, brahmin, as a Buddha. |
| Yena devūpapatyassa, | I could have been reborn as a god, |
| gandhabbo vā vihaṅgamo; | or as a centaur flying through the sky. |
| Yakkhattaṁ yena gaccheyyaṁ, | I could have become a spirit, |
| manussattañca abbaje; | or returned as a human. |
| Te mayhaṁ āsavā khīṇā, | But I’ve ended those defilements, |
| viddhastā vinaḷīkatā. | they’re blown away and mown down. |
| Puṇḍarīkaṁ yathā vaggu, | Like a graceful lotus, |
| Toyena nupalippati; | to which water does not cling, |
| Nupalippāmi lokena, | the world doesn’t cling to me, |
| Tasmā buddhosmi brāhmaṇā”ti. | and so, brahmin, I am a Buddha.” |
| Chaṭṭhaṁ. |
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Questions people ask
What did the Buddha say when asked if he was a god?
In AN 4.36 he said he was not a god, spirit or human, but, like a lotus that rises above the water unstained, 'Remember me, brahmin, as a Buddha.'
Why is the lotus a Buddhist symbol?
Because, as in AN 4.36, it grows from muddy water yet rises above it unstained, like a mind awakened while living in the world.