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# AN 4:128 · Astounding (Abbhūta Sutta)
- URL: https://www.journal.ninthheaven.co/civilisation/trad-buddhism/an-4-128/
- Published: 2026-06-01T02:32:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-07-13T16:35:23.000Z
- Description: Aṅguttara Nikāya · AN 4:128. Translated by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.
- Author: Ninth Heaven Literature & Arts Association (NHLAA)
- Tags: Buddhism, Sutta Piṭaka, Text, Indian, The Buddha, Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu, Discourse, Pali, Early Buddhist, Library, #Import 2026-07-06 03:33

“Monks, with the appearance of the Tathāgata—the Worthy One, the Rightly Self-awakened One—four amazing & astounding things appear. Which four?

“People find pleasure in longing, delight in longing, rejoice in longing. But when the Tathāgata teaches the Dhamma of non-longing, they want to listen; they lend ear and set their minds on understanding it. This is the first amazing & astounding thing that appears with the appearance of the Tathāgata—the Worthy One, the Rightly Self-awakened One.

“People find pleasure in conceit, delight in conceit, rejoice in conceit. But when the Tathāgata teaches the Dhamma for the subduing of conceit, they want to listen; they lend ear and set their minds on understanding it. This is the second amazing & astounding thing that appears with the appearance of the Tathāgata—the Worthy One, the Rightly Self-awakened One.

“People find pleasure in commotion, delight in commotion, rejoice in commotion. But when the Tathāgata teaches the Dhamma for stilling, they want to listen; they lend ear and set their minds on understanding it. This is the third amazing & astounding thing that appears with the appearance of the Tathāgata—the Worthy One, the Rightly Self-awakened One.

“People are immersed in ignorance, blinded,[1](https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/AN/AN4%5F128.html?ref=journal.ninthheaven.co) entirely enveloped. But when the Tathāgata teaches the Dhamma for the subduing of ignorance, they want to listen; they lend ear and set their minds on understanding it. This is the fourth amazing & astounding thing that appears with the appearance of the Tathāgata—the Worthy One, the Rightly Self-awakened One.

“Monks, with the appearance of the Tathāgata—the Worthy One, the Rightly Self-awakened One—these four amazing & astounding things appear.”

Note

1\. Reading *andhabhūtā* with the Thai and PTS editions. The Burmese and Sri Lankan editions read *aṇḍabhūtā,* “become like an egg.”

See also: [MN 123](https://www.journal.ninthheaven.co/civilisation/trad-buddhism/mn-123/); [SN 6:1](https://www.journal.ninthheaven.co/civilisation/trad-buddhism/sn-6-1/)

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*Translated by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu. © 2014 / rev. 2017 Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu — released under the [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/?ref=journal.ninthheaven.co) licence, for free distribution only. Source: [dhammatalks.org](https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/AN/AN4%5F128.html?ref=journal.ninthheaven.co) (Metta Forest Monastery).*