Exploring the Path - Pāli Course

Atthi, bhikkhave, loke lokadhammo, taṃ tathāgato
abhisambujjhati¹ abhisameti;² abhisambujjhitvā abhisametvā taṃ
ācikkhati deseti paññapeti paṭṭhapeti vivarati vibhajati uttānīkaroti.^3,4

There is, Bhikkhus, a phenomenon in the world that the
Tathāgata fully understands and completely realizes. Having fully
understood and completely realized, he points it out, teaches it, makes it
known, establishes it, reveals it, discriminates it and makes it clear.

Whatever the Buddha instructs others to do, he has realised by himself!

When he instructed the Venerable Rahula to reflect on the wholesomeness and unwholesomeness of bodily, verbal and mental actions he encouraged only what he had achieved himself. That is why he is truly called a ‘Tathāgata’!

In this Dvedhāvitakkasutta the Buddha relates the incident when he had not yet become fully enlightened and noticed that his thoughts could be divided into the two groups of unwholesome and wholesome character.

yaṃnūnāhaṃ dvidhā katvā dvidhā katvā vitakke vihareyya’nti. So kho ahaṃ, bhikkhave, yo cāyaṃ kāmavitakko yo ca byāpādavitakko yo ca vihiṃsāvitakko – imaṃ ekaṃ bhāgamakāsiṃ;⁵ yo cāyaṃ nekkhammavitakko yo ca abyāpādavitakko yo ca avihiṃsāvitakko – imaṃ dutiyaṃ bhāgamakāsiṃ.⁶

What if I divide my thoughts in two groups? So I arranged two groups, placed thoughts of sensuality, thoughts of ill will and thoughts of cruelty in the first group and thoughts of renunciation, thoughts of non-ill will and thoughts of nonviolence in the second group.

There are various derivations of the word ‘Tathāgata’, an epithet of the Buddha. Here it is explained as someone, who teaches what he practises and who practises what he teaches. There is only absolute uniformity between his own approach and the approach he teaches. A Tathāgata acts in the same way, performs the same very conduct and exhibits the same demeanour that he invites others to perform:

Thus he is tathā gada — someone who utters truthful speech because he practises what he teaches:

Kathaṃ tathavāditāya tathāgato? … ‘Yañca rattiṃ tathāgato anuttaraṃ sammāsambodhiṃ abhisambujjhati, yañca rattiṃ anupādisesāya⁷ nibbānadhātuyā parinibbāyati, yaṃ etasmiṃ antare bhāsati lapati⁸ niddisati,⁹ sabbaṃ taṃ tatheva hoti, no aññathā. Tasmā ‘tathāgato’ti vuccatī’’. Gadattho hettha¹⁰ gatasaddo. Evaṃ tathavāditāya tathāgato.¹¹

Why is he called Tathāgata – proclaimer of the real? ... During the interval starting from the night of his attainment of unsurpassable perfect enlightenment till the night of his attainment of parinibbāna, the state of nibbāna without any residue, whatever he speaks, utters and declares, everything is real, not different. Therefore, he is called Tathāgata. Here the word gata has the meaning of gada (enunciation).

In a further explanation he is also called Tathāgata because he practises what he teaches:

Kathaṃ tathākāritāya tathāgato?

Bhagavato hi vācāya kāyo anulometi,¹² kāyassapi vācā, tasmā yathāvādī tathākārī, yathākārī tathāvādī ca hoti. Evaṃbhūtassa cassa yathāvācā, kāyopi tathā gato pavattoti¹³ attho. Yathā ca kāyo, vācāpi tathā gatā pavattāti tathāgato. Tenevāha¹⁴ — ‘yathāvādī, bhikkhave, tathāgato tathākārī, yathākārī tathāvādī. Iti yathāvādī tathākārī yathākārī tathāvādī. Tasmā ‘tathāgato’ti vuccatī’ti.  Evaṃ tathākāritāya tathāgato.¹⁵

Why is he called Tathāgata — practising what he teaches?

The bodily actions of the Bhagavā are in accordance with his verbal actions, his verbal actions are in correspondence with his physical actions. Therefore whatever he announces, thus he acts, as he acts, this is what he teaches. Based on this very nature, his physical action is thus gone (tathā gato) because it is accordance with his speech and he is thus gone (tathā gato) because his speech is in accordance with his physical actions, thus he is Tathāgata. Therefore he said: ‘What the Tathāgata practises, Bhikkhus, that he teaches, whatever he says, thus he acts. Therefore he is called Tathāgata!’ Therefore is he called Tathāgata — practising what he teaches.