[33] Bhikkhus, in the evening the lion, king of beasts, comes forth from his lair. Having come forth from his lair, he stretches himself. Having stretched himself, he surveys the four quarters all around. Having surveyed the four quarters all around, he roars the lion's roar three times. Having roared the lion's roar three times, he sets out for his feeding ground. Bhikkhus, when the animals hear the sound of the lion, king of beasts, roaring, for the most part they fall into fear, a sense of urgency (saṃvega), and terror. Those that dwell in holes enter their holes; those that dwell in the water enter the water; those that dwell in the forest enter the forest; the birds take to the sky. Bhikkhus, even those royal bull elephants, bound with strong leather thongs in the villages, towns, and royal capitals — even they burst and break those bonds asunder and, frightened, voiding urine and excrement, flee this way and that. So mighty, bhikkhus, is the lion, king of beasts, among the animals; so majestic, so powerful.
Even so, bhikkhus, when a Tathāgata arises in the world — an Arahant, a Perfectly Enlightened One, perfect in true knowledge and conduct, a Well-Gone One, a knower of the world, an unsurpassed trainer of persons to be tamed, a teacher of devas and humans, an Enlightened One, a Blessed One — he teaches the Dhamma thus: 'Such is personal identity (sakkāya), such is the origin of personal identity, such is the cessation of personal identity, such is the way of practice leading to the cessation of personal identity.' Bhikkhus, even those devas who are long-lived, beautiful, abounding in happiness, dwelling long-established in lofty mansions — even they, having heard the Tathāgata's teaching of the Dhamma, for the most part fall into fear, a sense of urgency, and terror: 'It seems, sirs, that we are impermanent, though we conceived ourselves to be permanent; it seems that we are unstable, though we conceived ourselves to be stable; it seems that we are non-eternal, though we conceived ourselves to be eternal. It seems, sirs, that we are impermanent, unstable, non-eternal, included within personal identity.' So mighty, bhikkhus, is the Tathāgata over the world with its devas; so majestic, so powerful.
When the Buddha, through direct knowledge (abhiññā),
set rolling the Wheel of Dhamma —
the teacher without a counterpart
of the world with its devas —
[teaching] personal identity and its cessation,
and the origination of personal identity,
and the noble eightfold path
leading to the stilling of suffering (dukkha),
then even the long-lived devas,
beautiful and glorious,
became frightened and fell into terror,
like the other beasts before the lion:
'We have not transcended personal identity;
it seems, sirs, that we are impermanent' —
having heard the word of the Arahant,
the released one, the one of such quality.
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.