Four Modes of Generation of Supaṇṇas

Monks, there are these four modes of generation of supaṇṇas.

What four?

(1) Supaṇṇas born from eggs,

(2) supaṇṇas born from the womb,

(3) supaṇṇas born from moisture,

(4) supaṇṇas of spontaneous birth.

Therein, Monks, egg‑born supaṇṇas carry off only nāgas that are egg‑born, not those that are womb‑born, moisture‑born, or spontaneously born.

Womb‑born supaṇṇas carry off nāgas that are egg‑born and womb‑born, but not those that are moisture‑born or spontaneously born.

Moisture‑born supaṇṇas carry of nāgas that are egg‑born, womb‑born, and moisture‑born, but not those that are spontaneously born.

Spontaneously born supaṇṇas carry off nāgas that are egg‑born, womb‑born, moisture‑born, and spontaneously born.

These, Monks, are the four modes of generation of supaṇṇas.

(Reference: SN 30.2)

In this Teaching from Gotama Buddha, he shares the methods of birth for a supaṇṇa.

A supaṇṇa is a mythical bird-like creature also known as a garuḍa, whose traditional enemies are the snakes (nāga).

I share that these are mythical creatures because, as of today, we do not know of these animals existing in the world. We view them as mythical. However, 99% of all animals that once existed on the planet are now extinct. That means, these creatures and others, could have lived during the lifetime of The Buddha but no longer exist today, therefore, we consider them to be mythical. But in reality, if they are being shared in The Pāli Canon as part of these Teachings, that means there is a good chance they existed during the lifetime of The Buddha otherwise, these Teachings would not have been spoken by The Buddha and then written down as part of this important text.

The Buddha’s Teachings are not based on belief, therefore, there would not have been people who were attempting to get others to believe these beings existed but instead, they would be focused on sharing The Words of The Buddha through writing down The Teachings that he spoke during his lifetime.

While these animals are being referred to as a supaṇṇa, this could potentially be a large bird-like animal that we might think of as a bald eagle, hawk, etc. perhaps even larger than those birds. Just because we feel this animal does not exist today does not mean it did not exist in the past. Due to The Universal Truth of Impermanence, there are many aspects of the animal realm that have changed as a result of evolution and the continuous change.

There are even beings that are similar to the human beings that exist today that pre-date modern humans that no longer exist today, but they did exist in the past. Just because they do not exist today does not mean they did not exist in the past.

During the lifetime of The Buddha, there were not well established educational systems where individuals could pursue various aspects of learning and personal growth. The vast majority of learning was done orally within a family structure by handing knowledge down from one generation to the next.

As individuals chose to leave the household life by leaving their family to pursue The Path to Enlightenment with The Buddha, they were placing their confidence in him to provide education that would guide them to Enlightenment which included Teachings to better understand the world around them.

Today, we learn various aspects of science through well established educational systems. But during the lifetime of The Buddha, this did not exist so in some of his Teachings he included a basic understanding of aspects of life that his Students would not have understood but would be needed for their understanding of the world around them and to understand The Cycle of Rebirth.

Without understanding birth, sickness, aging, and death, a Practitioner would have a challenging time to understand The Cycle of Rebirth. So The Buddha needed to share a basic understanding of birth of various beings with his Students so that they could also understand rebirth.

Today, we gain the understanding of birth through various methods of learning as the birthing process is well understood and documented. But, during the lifetime of The Buddha, over 2,500 years ago, this information was not readily accessible or understood to the degree of knowledge that we have today.

While this content does not have any direct application to the attainment of Enlightenment, it is helpful to understand the birthing process of various beings to be able to understand The Cycle of Rebirth.

The Buddha taught all human beings of various classes and ages. He taught very young children and the elderly. He would have ensured that his Students had the opportunity to gain a well rounded education that helped them in life to grow their wisdom to include understanding various aspects of life and the world around them. He saw it as his responsibility to provide education that would support his Students in all aspects of their life. A Student who ordains is giving up their household life to join him in the pursuit of Enlightenment and based on their commitment, he ensured he provided meaningful and deep wisdom that contributed to his Students long term success in life.

He fostered a relationship with his Students much like a parent and child relationship where the parent provides care and attention to the child while also providing wisdom to contribute to their growth in life. He considered Students to be like his children and encouraged his Students to think of him much like a parent or father.

In this way, the proper intentions and proper relationship could be fostered to help a Student develop a mind that is polite, kind, friendly, and respectful towards him as their Teacher but also so that the Student understood The Buddha’s unconditional love towards his Students. He sought nothing and wanted nothing from his Students. Instead, he was making himself available for all those who choose to learn, reflect, and practice The Teachings.

A healthy relationship that fosters politeness, kindness, friendliness, and respect within the relationship between the Student and the Teacher and between the Teacher and the Student is highly important for the benefit of the Student’s growth and development on The Path to Enlightenment.