Verified
Grammatical Analysis
Sugata: [m.] Well-gone; Fortunate; He who has gone to a good destination. Formed by prefix su (well, good, beautiful) + gata (gone, reached).
Orthodox Definition
Sugata is one of the nine standard epithets of the Buddha found in the Buddhānussati (Recollection of the Buddha) formula: “…vijjācaraṇasampanno, Sugato, lokavidū…”
The Theravāda commentaries parse this title in three specific ways:
- Gone to an excellent destination: He has reached the deathless state, Nibbāna, which is the ultimate, secure destination.
- Gone excellently: He walked the pristine, middle path without falling into the extremes of sensual indulgence or painful self-mortification. He walked forward into liberation without ever turning back to defilements.
- Speaking appropriately: Gata can also imply speech. He speaks words that are “well-gone”—meaning his speech is always true, beneficial, and spoken at the exact right time, completely free from falsehood or malice.
Quote
134. sobhanagamanattā, sundaraṃ ṭhānaṃ gatattā, sammā gatattā, sammā ca gadattā sugato.
- Due to his excellent going, having gone to a beautiful state, having gone correctly, and having spoken correctly, he is Sugato (Well-gone).
gamanampi hi gatanti vuccati.
Indeed, the act of going is also called ‘gata’.tañca bhagavato sobhanaṃ parisuddhamanavajjaṃ.
And that going of the Blessed One is excellent, perfectly pure, and blameless.kiṃ pana tanti?
What is that?ariyamaggo.
It is the Noble Path.tena hesa gamanena khemaṃ disaṃ asajjamāno gatoti sobhanagamanattā sugato.
Therefore, because he went without hindrance by this going to the secure destination, he is Sugato on account of his excellent going.sundarañcesa ṭhānaṃ gato amataṃ nibbānanti sundaraṃ ṭhānaṃ gatattāpi sugato.
And because he went to a beautiful state, the Deathless Nibbāna, he is Sugato also on account of having gone to a beautiful state.sammā ca gato tena tena maggena pahīne kilese puna apaccāgacchanto.
And he went correctly, not returning again to the defilements abandoned by that path.vuttañhetaṃ – ‘‘sotāpattimaggena ye kilesā pahīnā, te kilese na puneti na pacceti na paccāgacchatīti sugato…pe… arahattamaggena ye kilesā pahīnā, te kilese na puneti na pacceti na paccāgacchatīti sugato’’ti, sammā vā gato dīpaṅkarapādamūlato pabhuti yāva bodhimaṇḍā tāva samatiṃsapāramīpūrikāya sammāpaṭipattiyā sabbalokassa hitasukhameva karonto sassataṃ, ucchedaṃ, kāmasukhaṃ, attakilamathanti ime ca ante anupagacchanto gatoti sammā gatattāpi sugato.
It is said: “The defilements that have been abandoned by the path of stream-entry, he does not return to them, does not come back to them, does not re-enter them – therefore he is Sugato… and so on… The defilements that have been abandoned by the path of arahantship, he does not return to them, does not come back to them, does not re-enter them – therefore he is Sugato.” Or, he went correctly from the foot of Dīpaṅkara Buddha onwards until the Bodhi-maṇḍa, performing acts of welfare and happiness for all the world through his correct practice of fulfilling the thirty perfections, without falling into these extremes of eternalism, annihilationism, sensual pleasure, and self-mortification. Thus, he is Sugato also on account of having gone correctly.sammā cesa gadati yuttaṭṭhāne yuttameva vācaṃ bhāsatīti sammā gadattāpi sugato.
And because he speaks correctly, uttering only what is appropriate in an appropriate place, he is Sugato also on account of having spoken correctly.tatridaṃ sādhakasuttaṃ ‘‘yaṃ tathāgato vācaṃ jānāti abhūtaṃ atacchaṃ anatthasañhitaṃ, sā ca paresaṃ appiyā amanāpā, na taṃ tathāgato vācaṃ bhāsati.
Herein, the sutta that supports this is: “Whatever speech the Tathāgata knows to be untrue, incorrect, unbeneficial, and is unliked and disagreeable to others, that speech the Tathāgata does not utter.yampi tathāgato vācaṃ jānāti bhūtaṃ tacchaṃ anatthasañhitaṃ, sā ca paresaṃ appiyā amanāpā, tampi tathāgato vācaṃ na bhāsati.
Whatever speech the Tathāgata knows to be true, correct, but unbeneficial, and is unliked and disagreeable to others, that speech too the Tathāgata does not utter.yañca kho tathāgato vācaṃ jānāti bhūtaṃ tacchaṃ atthasañhitaṃ, sā ca paresaṃ appiyā amanāpā, tatra kālaññū tathāgato hoti tassā vācāya veyyākaraṇāya.
But whatever speech the Tathāgata knows to be true, correct, and beneficial, and is unliked and disagreeable to others, in that case the Tathāgata is one who knows the proper time for speaking that speech.yaṃ tathāgato vācaṃ jānāti abhūtaṃ atacchaṃ anatthasañhitaṃ, sā ca paresaṃ piyā manāpā, na taṃ tathāgato vācaṃ bhāsati.
Whatever speech the Tathāgata knows to be untrue, incorrect, unbeneficial, and is liked and agreeable to others, that speech the Tathāgata does not utter.yampi tathāgato vācaṃ jānāti bhūtaṃ tacchaṃ anatthasañhitaṃ, sā ca paresaṃ piyā manāpā, tampi tathāgato vācaṃ na bhāsati.
Whatever speech the Tathāgata knows to be true, correct, but unbeneficial, and is liked and agreeable to others, that speech too the Tathāgata does not utter.yañca kho tathāgato vācaṃ jānāti bhūtaṃ tacchaṃ atthasañhitaṃ, sā ca paresaṃ piyā manāpā, tatra kālaññū tathāgato hoti tassā vācāya veyyākaraṇāya’’ti (ma. ni. 2.86).
But whatever speech the Tathāgata knows to be true, correct, and beneficial, and is liked and agreeable to others, in that case the Tathāgata is one who knows the proper time for speaking that speech.”evaṃ sammā gadattāpi sugatoti veditabbo.
Thus, he should be understood as Sugato also on account of having spoken correctly.— Visuddhimagga (Page 197)
Textual References
- Sutta: Dhajagga Sutta (SN 11.3) – Listing Sugata among the unshakeable qualities of the Buddha.
- Sutta: Abhaya Sutta (MN 58) – Demonstrating the Buddha’s “well-gone” speech, explaining exactly what types of true and beneficial words the Tathāgata chooses to utter.
- Commentary: Visuddhimagga (Page 197) – Detailed commentarial breakdown of the etymological and doctrinal parsing of Sugata as a recollection object.