While the true nature of the Buddha defied ordinary understanding because it was not dependent on the phenomena by which we usually judge and categorize, the Buddha did have certain characteristics and abilities which set him apart. The thirty-two marks of a great man have already been mentioned, now we should turn to the actual powers and qualities of the Buddha which made him such a great teacher. The best place to begin is with the Buddha’s response to the criticisms of a former disciple named Sunakkhatta. Because the Buddha would not answer his metaphysical inquiries or perform any miracles for him, Sunakkhatta left the Sangha and denounced the Buddha as a mere rationalistic philosopher.

Now on that occasion Sunakkhatta, son of the Licchavis, had recently left this Dhamma and discipline. He was making this statement before the Vesali assembly: “The recluse Gotama does not have any superhuman states, any distinction in knowledge and vision worthy of the noble ones. The recluse Gotama teaches a Dhamma [merely] hammered out by reasoning, following his own line of inquiry as it occurs to him, and when he teaches the Dhamma to anyone, it leads him when he practices it to the complete destruction of suffering.” (The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha, p. 164)

Upon hearing of this criticism from his chief disciple Sariputra, the Buddha stated that Sunakkhatta’s denunciation was actually a form of praise, because it is true that the Buddha Dharma leads to the complete destruction of suffering. Sunakkhatta, unfortunately, was looking for magical displays and occult secrets and was unable to realize that these things are of no real consequence compared to the resolution of the problem of suffering. Many others did realize the supreme value of the Buddha’s teachings and had spread the following “good report” about the Buddha and his teachings.

“The Blessed One is accomplished, fully enlightened, perfect in true knowledge and conduct, sublime, knower of worlds, incomparable leader of persons to be tamed, teacher of gods and humans, enlightened, blessed. He declares this world with its gods, its Maras, and its Brahmas, this generation with its recluses and brahmins, with its princes and its people, which he has himself realize with direct knowledge. He teaches the Dhamma that is good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end, with the right meaning and phrasing, and he reveals a holy life that is utterly perfect and pure.” (Ibid, p. 743)

 The Buddha insists that Sunakkhatta is unable to appreciate the Buddha in this way because he did not realize the value of the Buddha Dharma. Essentially, this “good report” is asserting that the Buddha fully understands and fully expresses the true nature of life. Furthermore, this knowledge is “direct knowledge” in that the Buddha has seen for himself the true nature of the world and does not need to rely upon mere inference or any kind of divine revelation. It is even asserted that the Buddha’s insight surpasses the insight of all other beings, even divine beings. For this reason, the Buddha is qualified to be the teacher of both gods and men.

This claim that the Buddha’s insight surpasses even that of divine beings might seem very strange. One must remember, however, that according to the Buddha, even the gods are caught up in the cycle of birth and death. They may currently be enjoying a blissful and transcendent state as a reward for their virtuous actions in the past, but ultimately they will exhaust their store of merit and will have to relinquish their divine status and take birth again as a human being or even some lesser creature. Divine status, therefore, does not necessarily entail any greater insight into the workings of the process of birth and death than any other state. In fact, life as a divine being is said to be so comfortable, long lasting, and rewarding that very few of those who attain such a state even bother to worry about the problem of suffering and the cycle of birth and death. Also, as the Buddha, the Awakened One, the Buddha is no longer merely a human being. As we have seen above, the Buddha has transcended all categories and can no longer be assigned a place on the scale that stretches from human to divine. Finally, though one might imagine that the transcendent or cosmic vision that would be available to the gods would open up far profounder revelations than the mere “complete destruction of suffering,” the Buddha taught that on the contrary the problem of suffering is truly the most fundamental issue that needs to be resolved. The problem of suffering is the key issue which deserves the highest priority, and its resolution is attainable by any human being who is able to appreciate and then apply the Buddha’s teachings.