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Majjhima Nikāya 136 Middle Discourses 136
Mahākammavibhaṅgasutta The Longer Analysis of Deeds
Evaṁ me sutaṁ—Thus I heard:So I have heard.
ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā rājagahe viharati veḷuvane kalandakanivāpe. On one occasion the Blessed One was living at Rājagaha, in the Bamboo Grove, the Squirrels’ Feeding Place.At one time the Buddha was staying near Rājagaha in the Bamboo Grove, the squirrels’ feeding ground.
Tena kho pana samayena āyasmā samiddhi araññakuṭikāyaṁ viharati. Now on that occasion the venerable Samiddhi was living in a forest hut.Now at that time Venerable Samiddhi was staying in a wilderness hut.
Atha kho potaliputto paribbājako jaṅghāvihāraṁ anucaṅkamamāno anuvicaramāno yenāyasmā samiddhi tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmatā samiddhinā saddhiṁ sammodi. Then the wanderer Potaliputta, while walking and wandering for exercise, went to the venerable Samiddhi and exchanged greetings with him.Then as the wanderer Potaliputta was going for a walk he came up to Venerable Samiddhi and exchanged greetings with him. This is the only time we meet Potaliputta. His name suggests he hails from the capital of Assaka, variously spelled Potali or Potana (DN 19:36.4). | As for Samiddhi, see note on MN 133:1.3.
Sammodanīyaṁ kathaṁ sāraṇīyaṁ vītisāretvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho potaliputto paribbājako āyasmantaṁ samiddhiṁ etadavoca: When the courteous and amiable talk was finished, he sat down at one side. When he had done so, the wanderer Potaliputta said to the venerable Samiddhi:When the greetings and polite conversation were over, he sat down to one side and said to him:
“sammukhā metaṁ, āvuso samiddhi, samaṇassa gotamassa sutaṁ, sammukhā paṭiggahitaṁ: ‘I heard and learned this, friend Samiddhi, in the ascetic Gotama’s own presence:“Reverend Samiddhi, I have heard and learned this in the presence of the ascetic Gotama:
‘moghaṁ kāyakammaṁ moghaṁ vacīkammaṁ, manokammameva saccan’ti. “Bodily kamma is vain, verbal kamma is vain, only mental kamma is real.”‘Deeds by way of body and speech are done in vain. Only mental deeds are real.’
Atthi ca sā samāpatti yaṁ samāpattiṁ samāpanno na kiñci vediyatī”ti? And is there that attainment, having entered upon which one feels nothing at all?’And: ‘There is such an attainment where the one who enters it does not feel anything at all.’”
“Mā hevaṁ, āvuso potaliputta, avaca; mā hevaṁ, āvuso potaliputta, avaca; mā bhagavantaṁ abbhācikkhi. Na hi sādhu bhagavato abbhakkhānaṁ. Na hi bhagavā evaṁ vadeyya: ‘Not so, friend Potaliputta, do not say that; not so, friend Potaliputta, do not say that; do not misrepresent the Blessed One. It is not good to misrepresent the Blessed One. The Blessed One would not say thus:“Don’t say that, Reverend Potaliputta, don’t say that! Don’t misrepresent the Buddha, for misrepresentation of the Buddha is not good. And the Buddha would not say this:
‘moghaṁ kāyakammaṁ moghaṁ vacīkammaṁ, manokammameva saccan’ti. “Bodily kamma is vain, verbal kamma is vain, only mental kamma is real.”‘Deeds by way of body and speech are done in vain. Only mental deeds are real.’ There is indeed no such statement in the suttas.
‘Atthi ca kho sā, āvuso, samāpatti yaṁ samāpattiṁ samāpanno na kiñci vediyatī’”ti. But, friend, there is that attainment, having entered upon which one feels nothing at all.’But, reverend, there is such an attainment where the one who enters it does not feel anything at all.” This is the cessation of perception and feelings.
“Kīvaciraṁ pabbajitosi, āvuso samiddhī”ti? ‘How long is it since you went forth, friend Samiddhi?’“Reverend Samiddhi, how long has it been since you went forth?”
“Na ciraṁ, āvuso, tīṇi vassānī”ti. ‘Not long, friend—three years.’“Not long, reverend: three years.”
“Ettha dāni mayaṁ there bhikkhū kiṁ vakkhāma, yatra hi nāma evaṁnavo bhikkhu satthāraṁ parirakkhitabbaṁ maññissati. ‘What then shall we say to the elder bhikkhus, when a bhikkhu so new fancies the Teacher must be defended thus?“Well now, what are we to say to the senior mendicants, when even such a junior mendicant imagines their Teacher needs defending?
Sañcetanikaṁ, āvuso samiddhi, kammaṁ katvā kāyena vācāya manasā kiṁ so vediyatī”ti? After doing intentional kamma, friend Samiddhi, by body, by speech, or by mind, what does one feel?’After doing an intentional deed by way of body, speech, or mind, reverend, what does one feel?”
“Sañcetanikaṁ, āvuso potaliputta, kammaṁ katvā kāyena vācāya manasā dukkhaṁ so vediyatī”ti. ‘After doing intentional kamma, friend Potaliputta, by body, by speech, or by mind, one feels suffering.’“After doing an intentional deed by way of body, speech, or mind, reverend, one feels suffering.” It is this answer of Samiddhi’s that is criticized below.
Atha kho potaliputto paribbājako āyasmato samiddhissa bhāsitaṁ neva abhinandi nappaṭikkosi; Then the wanderer Potaliputta neither approved nor disapproved of the venerable Samiddhi’s words;Then, neither approving nor rejecting Samiddhi’s statement, Potaliputta
anabhinanditvā appaṭikkositvā uṭṭhāyāsanā pakkāmi. neither approving nor disapproving, he got up from his seat and departed.rose from his seat and left.
Atha kho āyasmā samiddhi acirapakkante potaliputte paribbājake yenāyasmā ānando tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmatā ānandena saddhiṁ sammodi. Then, soon after the wanderer Potaliputta had gone, the venerable Samiddhi went to the venerable Ānanda and exchanged greetings with him.Soon after he had left, Venerable Samiddhi went to Venerable Ānanda, and exchanged greetings with him.
Sammodanīyaṁ kathaṁ sāraṇīyaṁ vītisāretvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. When the courteous and amiable talk was finished, he sat down at one side.When the greetings and polite conversation were over, he sat down to one side,
Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā samiddhi yāvatako ahosi potaliputtena paribbājakena saddhiṁ kathāsallāpo taṁ sabbaṁ āyasmato ānandassa ārocesi. When he had done so, the venerable Samiddhi told the venerable Ānanda all his conversation with the wanderer Potaliputta.and informed Ānanda of all they had discussed.
Evaṁ vutte, āyasmā ānando āyasmantaṁ samiddhiṁ etadavoca: When this was said, the venerable Ānanda said to the venerable Samiddhi:When he had spoken, Ānanda said to him,
“atthi kho idaṁ, āvuso samiddhi, kathāpābhataṁ bhagavantaṁ dassanāya. ‘This conversation, friend Samiddhi, is a matter to be brought to the Blessed One’s attention.“Reverend Samiddhi, we should see the Buddha about this matter.
Āyāmāvuso samiddhi, yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkamissāma; upasaṅkamitvā etamatthaṁ bhagavato ārocessāma. Come, friend Samiddhi, let us go to the Blessed One, and, having approached, let us report this matter to him.Come, let’s go to the Buddha and inform him about this.
Yathā no bhagavā byākarissati tathā naṁ dhāressāmā”ti. As the Blessed One explains it to us, so we shall bear it in mind.’As he answers, so we’ll remember it.”
“Evamāvuso”ti kho āyasmā samiddhi āyasmato ānandassa paccassosi. ‘Yes, friend,’ the venerable Samiddhi replied to the venerable Ānanda.“Yes, reverend,” Samiddhi replied.
Atha kho āyasmā ca ānando āyasmā ca samiddhi yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdiṁsu. Then the venerable Ānanda and the venerable Samiddhi went to the Blessed One, and after paying homage to him, they sat down at one side.Then Ānanda and Samiddhi went up to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side,
Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā ānando yāvatako ahosi āyasmato samiddhissa potaliputtena paribbājakena saddhiṁ kathāsallāpo taṁ sabbaṁ bhagavato ārocesi. When they had done so, the venerable Ānanda told the Blessed One all the venerable Samiddhi’s conversation with the wanderer Potaliputta.and told him what had happened.
Evaṁ vutte, bhagavā āyasmantaṁ ānandaṁ etadavoca: When this was said, the Blessed One said to the venerable Ānanda:When they had spoken, the Buddha said to Ānanda,
“dassanampi kho ahaṁ, ānanda, potaliputtassa paribbājakassa nābhijānāmi, kuto panevarūpaṁ kathāsallāpaṁ? ‘I do not even recall having seen the wanderer Potaliputta, Ānanda—how, then, could there have been such a conversation?“I don’t recall even seeing the wanderer Potaliputta, Ānanda, so how could we have had such a discussion?
Iminā ca, ānanda, samiddhinā moghapurisena potaliputtassa paribbājakassa vibhajjabyākaraṇīyo pañho ekaṁsena byākato”ti. The wanderer Potaliputta’s question, which ought to have been answered after analysing it, was answered without qualification by this misguided man Samiddhi.’The four ways of answering a question are: directly, after analysing it, with a counter-question, or by setting it aside (replying with silence). Here the question required an answer after analysis.The wanderer Potaliputta’s question should have been answered after analyzing it, but this futile man answered categorically.”
Evaṁ vutte, āyasmā udāyī bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: When this was said, the venerable Udāyī said to the Blessed One:When he said this, Venerable Udāyī said to him,
“sace pana, bhante, āyasmatā samiddhinā idaṁ sandhāya bhāsitaṁ—‘But, venerable sir, perhaps the venerable Samiddhi was referring to this when he spoke—“But perhaps, sir, Venerable Samiddhi spoke in reference to the statement:
yaṁ kiñci vedayitaṁ taṁ dukkhasmin”ti. “Whatever is felt is included in suffering.”’This is a quotation of the Buddha’s own words elsewhere (cf. Sutta 38 and the Saḷāyatanavagga of the Saṁyutta Nikāya).‘Suffering includes whatever is felt.’”
Atha kho bhagavā āyasmantaṁ ānandaṁ āmantesi: Then the Blessed One addressed the venerable Ānanda:But the Buddha said to Venerable Ānanda,
“passasi no tvaṁ, ānanda, imassa udāyissa moghapurisassa ummaṅgaṁ? ‘See, Ānanda, how this misguided man Udāyī interferes.“See what this futile man Udāyī comes up with? There are several monks named Udāyī and it is not easy to distinguish them. One of them was known for his stupidity (AN 6.29:3.3). | Ummagga is from ummujjati, just below, “uprising, emergence”.
Aññāsiṁ kho ahaṁ, ānanda: I knew, Ānanda,I knew that
‘idānevāyaṁ udāyī moghapuriso ummujjamāno ayoniso ummujjissatī’ti. that this misguided man Udāyī would unreasonably interfere just now.he was coming up with something irrational.
Ādiṁyeva, ānanda, potaliputtena paribbājakena tisso vedanā pucchitā. From the start, Ānanda, it was the three kinds of feeling that were asked about by the wanderer Potaliputta.Right from the start Potaliputta asked about the three feelings.
Sacāyaṁ, ānanda, samiddhi moghapuriso potaliputtassa paribbājakassa evaṁ puṭṭho evaṁ byākareyya: If, Ānanda, when asked thus by the wanderer Potaliputta, this misguided man Samiddhi had answered thus:Suppose the futile man Samiddhi had answered the wanderer Potaliputta’s question like this:
‘sañcetanikaṁ, āvuso potaliputta, kammaṁ katvā kāyena vācāya manasā sukhavedanīyaṁ sukhaṁ so vedayati; “After doing intentional kamma, friend Potaliputta, by body, by speech, or by mind, whose result is to be felt as pleasant, one feels pleasure;‘After doing an intentional deed to be experienced as pleasant by way of body, speech, or mind, one feels pleasure.
sañcetanikaṁ, āvuso potaliputta, kammaṁ katvā kāyena vācāya manasā dukkhavedanīyaṁ dukkhaṁ so vedayati; after doing intentional kamma, friend Potaliputta, by body, by speech, or by mind, whose result is to be felt as painful, one feels pain;After doing an intentional deed to be experienced as painful by way of body, speech, or mind, one feels pain.
sañcetanikaṁ, āvuso potaliputta, kammaṁ katvā kāyena vācāya manasā adukkhamasukhavedanīyaṁ adukkhamasukhaṁ so vedayatī’ti. after doing intentional kamma, friend Potaliputta, by body, by speech, or by mind, whose result is to be felt as neither-painful-nor-pleasant, one feels neither pain nor pleasure”—After doing an intentional deed to be experienced as neutral by way of body, speech, or mind, one feels neutral.’
Evaṁ byākaramāno kho, ānanda, samiddhi moghapuriso potaliputtassa paribbājakassa sammā byākaramāno byākareyya. answering thus, Ānanda, this misguided man Samiddhi would have answered the wanderer Potaliputta rightly.Answering in this way, Samiddhi would have rightly answered Potaliputta.
Api ca, ānanda, ke ca aññatitthiyā paribbājakā bālā abyattā ke ca tathāgatassa mahākammavibhaṅgaṁ jānissanti? Besides, Ānanda, what do those foolish, incompetent wanderers of other sects know of the Tathāgata’s Great Exposition of Kamma?Still, who are those foolish and incompetent wanderers of other religions to understand the Realized One’s great analysis of deeds?
Sace tumhe, ānanda, suṇeyyātha tathāgatassa mahākammavibhaṅgaṁ vibhajantassā”ti. If you, Ānanda, were to listen to the Tathāgata expounding the Great Exposition of Kamma …’If you would all listen, Ānanda, I will explain the Realized One’s great analysis of deeds.” Text here reads vibhajantassa, which appears ungrammatical. This phrase is shared with AN 6.62:5.8, which is also a case where a junior monk has made a silly statement. There the Pali has vibhajissāmi (“I will explain”). The commentary does not explicitly comment on this phrase, but it does say that the Buddha thought, “I will make it clear for the mendicant Saṅgha” (bhikkhusaṅghassa pākaṭaṁ karissāmīti), which implies that it was reading the future tense. Compare the use of future tense in the stock phrase, “Listen and apply your mind well, I will speak” (MN 138:2.2).
“Etassa, bhagavā, kālo, etassa, sugata, kālo ‘This is the time, Blessed One, this is the time, Fortunate One,“Now is the time, Blessed One! Now is the time, Holy One!
yaṁ bhagavā mahākammavibhaṅgaṁ vibhajeyya. Bhagavato sutvā bhikkhū dhāressantī”ti. for the Blessed One to expound the Great Exposition of Kamma. Having heard it from the Blessed One, the bhikkhus will bear it in mind.’Let the Buddha explain the great analysis of deeds. The mendicants will listen and remember it.”
“Tena hānanda, suṇāhi, sādhukaṁ manasi karohi; bhāsissāmī”ti. ‘Then, Ānanda, listen and heed well what I shall say.’“Well then, Ānanda, listen and apply your mind well, I will speak.”
“Evaṁ, bhante”ti kho āyasmā ānando bhagavato paccassosi. ‘Yes, venerable sir,’ the venerable Ānanda replied to the Blessed One.“Yes, sir,” Ānanda replied.
Bhagavā etadavoca: The Blessed One said this:The Buddha said this:
“Cattārome, ānanda, puggalā santo saṁvijjamānā lokasmiṁ. ‘There are, Ānanda, these four kinds of persons found existing in the world.“Ānanda, these four individuals are found in the world.
Katame cattāro? What four?What four?
Idhānanda, ekacco puggalo idha pāṇātipātī hoti, adinnādāyī hoti, kāmesumicchācārī hoti, musāvādī hoti, pisuṇavāco hoti, pharusavāco hoti, samphappalāpī hoti, abhijjhālu hoti, byāpannacitto hoti, micchādiṭṭhi hoti. Here, Ānanda, some person kills living beings, takes what is not given, misconducts himself in sensual desires, speaks falsehood, speaks maliciously, speaks harshly, gossips, is covetous, has a mind of ill will, and has wrong view.This is the list of the ten unprofitable courses of kamma; see Sutta 41.It’s when an individual here kills living creatures, steals, and commits sexual misconduct. They use speech that’s false, backbiting, harsh, or nonsensical. And they’re covetous, malicious, and have wrong view.
So kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā apāyaṁ duggatiṁ vinipātaṁ nirayaṁ upapajjati. On the dissolution of the body, after death, he reappears in a state of deprivation, in an unhappy destination, in perdition, in hell.When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell.
Idha panānanda, ekacco puggalo idha pāṇātipātī hoti, adinnādāyī hoti, kāmesumicchācārī hoti, musāvādī hoti, pisuṇavāco hoti, pharusavāco hoti, samphappalāpī hoti, abhijjhālu hoti, byāpannacitto hoti, micchādiṭṭhi hoti. But here, Ānanda, some person kills living beings, takes what is not given, misconducts himself in sensual desires, speaks falsehood, speaks maliciously, speaks harshly, gossips, is covetous, has a mind of ill will, and has wrong view.But some other individual here kills living creatures, steals, and commits sexual misconduct. They use speech that’s false, backbiting, harsh, or nonsensical. And they’re covetous, malicious, and have wrong view.
So kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā sugatiṁ saggaṁ lokaṁ upapajjati. On the dissolution of the body, after death, he reappears in a happy destination, in the heavenly world.When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in a good place, a heavenly realm.
Idhānanda, ekacco puggalo idha pāṇātipātā paṭivirato hoti, adinnādānā paṭivirato hoti, kāmesumicchācārā paṭivirato hoti, musāvādā paṭivirato hoti, pisuṇāya vācāya paṭivirato hoti, pharusāya vācāya paṭivirato hoti, samphappalāpā paṭivirato hoti, anabhijjhālu hoti, abyāpannacitto hoti, sammādiṭṭhi hoti. Here, Ānanda, some person abstains from killing living beings, abstains from taking what is not given, abstains from misconduct in sensual desires, abstains from false speech, abstains from malicious speech, abstains from harsh speech, abstains from gossip, is not covetous, has a mind free of ill will, and has right view.This is the list of the ten profitable courses of kamma; see Sutta 41.But some other individual here refrains from killing living creatures, stealing, sexual misconduct, or using speech that’s false, divisive, harsh, or nonsensical. And they’re contented, kind-hearted, with right view.
So kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā sugatiṁ saggaṁ lokaṁ upapajjati. On the dissolution of the body, after death, he reappears in a happy destination, in the heavenly world.When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in a good place, a heavenly realm.
Idha panānanda, ekacco puggalo idha pāṇātipātā paṭivirato hoti, adinnādānā paṭivirato hoti, kāmesumicchācārā paṭivirato hoti, musāvādā paṭivirato hoti, pisuṇāya vācāya paṭivirato hoti, pharusāya vācāya paṭivirato hoti, samphappalāpā paṭivirato hoti, anabhijjhālu hoti, abyāpannacitto hoti, sammādiṭṭhi hoti. But here, Ānanda, some person abstains from killing living beings, abstains from taking what is not given, abstains from misconduct in sensual desires, abstains from false speech, abstains from malicious speech, abstains from harsh speech, abstains from gossip, is not covetous, has a mind free of ill will, and has right view.But some other individual here refrains from killing living creatures, stealing, sexual misconduct, or using speech that’s false, divisive, harsh, or nonsensical. And they’re contented, kind-hearted, with right view.
So kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā apāyaṁ duggatiṁ vinipātaṁ nirayaṁ upapajjati. On the dissolution of the body, after death, he reappears in a state of deprivation, in an unhappy destination, in perdition, in hell.When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell.
Idhānanda, ekacco samaṇo vā brāhmaṇo vā ātappamanvāya padhānamanvāya anuyogamanvāya appamādamanvāya sammāmanasikāramanvāya tathārūpaṁ cetosamādhiṁ phusati yathāsamāhite citte dibbena cakkhunā visuddhena atikkantamānusakena amuṁ puggalaṁ passati—‘Here, Ānanda, in consequence of ardour, endeavour, devotion, diligence, and right attention, some ascetic or brahmin attains such concentration of mind that, when his mind is concentrated, with the heavenly eye, which is purified and surpasses the human, he sees that person—Devadatta is a well-known example of this first case: he persuaded Prince Ajātasattu to murder his father (a Stream-winner), thrice attempted to murder the Buddha, wounding him once, and caused a schism in the Saṅgha—the last two acts alone being certain to lead to rebirth in hell.Now, some ascetic or brahmin—by dint of keen, resolute, committed, and diligent effort, and right application of mind—experiences an immersion of the heart of such a kind that it gives rise to clairvoyance that is purified and superhuman. With that clairvoyance they see that individual Meditation is described in the same way at DN 1:1.31.1, which is also concerned with those who draw inaccurate inferences from deep meditation.
idha pāṇātipātiṁ adinnādāyiṁ kāmesumicchācāriṁ musāvādiṁ pisuṇavācaṁ pharusavācaṁ samphappalāpiṁ abhijjhāluṁ byāpannacittaṁ micchādiṭṭhiṁ kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā passati apāyaṁ duggatiṁ vinipātaṁ nirayaṁ upapannaṁ. who here kills living beings, takes what is not given, misconducts himself in sensual desires, speaks falsehood, speaks maliciously, speaks harshly, gossips, is covetous, has a mind of ill will, and has wrong view—on the dissolution of the body, after death, having reappeared in a state of deprivation, in an unhappy destination, in perdition, in hell.here who killed living creatures, stole, and committed sexual misconduct; who used speech that’s false, backbiting, harsh, or nonsensical; and who was covetous, malicious, and had wrong view. And they see that, when their body breaks up, after death, they are reborn in a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell.
So evamāha: He says thus:They say:
‘atthi kira, bho, pāpakāni kammāni, atthi duccaritassa vipāko. “It seems, sirs, that there are evil kammas, that there is the result of misconduct.‘It seems, worthy sir, that there is such a thing as bad deeds, and the result of bad conduct. The use of kira (“seems”) conveys an appropriate degree of caution when framing a hypothesis. But as we shall see, the theorist does not maintain this.
Amāhaṁ puggalaṁ addasaṁ idha pāṇātipātiṁ adinnādāyiṁ …pe… micchādiṭṭhiṁ kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā passāmi apāyaṁ duggatiṁ vinipātaṁ nirayaṁ upapannan’ti. I saw that person who here kills living beings, takes what is not given … has wrong view; I see him, on the dissolution of the body, after death, having reappeared in a state of deprivation, in an unhappy destination, in perdition, in hell.”For I have seen a individual here who killed living creatures … and had wrong view. And when their body broke up, after death, they were reborn in a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell.’ Having framed their hypothesis, the theorist presents their supporting observations.
So evamāha: He says thus:They say:
‘yo kira, bho, pāṇātipātī adinnādāyī …pe… micchādiṭṭhi, sabbo so kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā apāyaṁ duggatiṁ vinipātaṁ nirayaṁ upapajjati. “It seems, sirs, that whoever kills living beings, takes what is not given … has wrong view, all of them, on the dissolution of the body, after death, reappear in a state of deprivation, in an unhappy destination, in perdition, in hell.‘It seems that everyone who kills living creatures … and has wrong view is reborn in hell. Now the theorist draws their inference, committing two logical fallacies. One is the fallacy of hasty generalization: the fact that some people who do bad deeds go to hell does not imply that all people who do bad deeds go to hell. The second is the post hoc fallacy: the fact that the bad deed preceded rebirth in hell does not imply that the bad deed caused rebirth in hell. The Buddha avoids the fallacy of hasty generalization by surveying a much larger, statistically significant scope, said to be ninety-one eons (MN 71:14.2). And he avoids the post hoc fallacy by flipping the causal arrow: if the presence of kamma leads to rebirth, then the absence of kamma should lead to the ending of rebirth. By practicing to realize the ending of kamma he confirmed this for himself.
Ye evaṁ jānanti, te sammā jānanti; ye aññathā jānanti, micchā tesaṁ ñāṇan’ti. Those who know thus know rightly; those who know otherwise have wrong knowledge.”Those whose notion is this have the right notion. Those whose notion is otherwise have a wrong notion.’ Leaving behind caution and going beyond observation, the theorist now asserts that the results of their reasoning are the truth. | Here words from the root √ñā are used for both right and wrong ideas. Normally I translate √ñā as “knowledge”, but in English one cannot “know” something false. One might believe that it is nighttime when it is in fact the day, but one cannot know this. Usually √ñā does have the positive sense of “true knowledge”, but when dealing with errant theorizers we also find it used for “false knowledge”, in which case I use “notion” (eg. Snp 4.13:17.2).
Iti so yadeva tassa sāmaṁ ñātaṁ sāmaṁ diṭṭhaṁ sāmaṁ viditaṁ tadeva tattha thāmasā parāmāsā abhinivissa voharati: ‘idameva saccaṁ, moghamaññan’ti. So he obstinately clings to and insists on what he has himself known, himself seen, himself found, declaring: “Only this is true, anything else is wrong.”And so they obstinately stick to what they have known, seen, and understood for themselves, insisting that: ‘This is the only truth, anything else is futile.’ Contemplatives sometimes deprecate logic as inferior to meditative insight. By not exercising the critical skills to evaluate and improve their reasoning, they become especially prone to using poor logic. The brilliance of meditative experiences can be overwhelming and it is easy to be convinced of the truth of one’s inferences, without even recognizing them as inferences. Sutta passages such as this show that the interpretation of meditative experiences must be tempered with clear logic.
Idha panānanda, ekacco samaṇo vā brāhmaṇo vā ātappamanvāya padhānamanvāya anuyogamanvāya appamādamanvāya sammāmanasikāramanvāya tathārūpaṁ cetosamādhiṁ phusati yathāsamāhite citte dibbena cakkhunā visuddhena atikkantamānusakena amuṁ puggalaṁ passati—‘But here, Ānanda, in consequence of ardour, endeavour, devotion, diligence, and right attention, some ascetic or brahmin attains such concentration of mind that, when his mind is concentrated, with the heavenly eye, which is purified and surpasses the human, he sees that person—But some other ascetic or brahmin—by dint of keen, resolute, committed, and diligent effort, and right application of mind—experiences an immersion of the heart of such a kind that it gives rise to clairvoyance that is purified and superhuman. With that clairvoyance they see that individual
idha pāṇātipātiṁ adinnādāyiṁ …pe… micchādiṭṭhiṁ, kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā passati sugatiṁ saggaṁ lokaṁ upapannaṁ. who here kills living beings, takes what is not given … has wrong view—on the dissolution of the body, after death, having reappeared in a happy destination, in the heavenly world.here who killed living creatures … and had wrong view. And they see that they are reborn in a heavenly realm.
So evamāha: He says thus:They say:
‘natthi kira, bho, pāpakāni kammāni, natthi duccaritassa vipāko. “It seems, sirs, that there are no evil kammas, that there is no result of misconduct.‘It seems that there is no such thing as bad deeds, and the result of bad conduct.
Amāhaṁ puggalaṁ addasaṁ—idha pāṇātipātiṁ adinnādāyiṁ …pe… micchādiṭṭhiṁ, kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā passāmi sugatiṁ saggaṁ lokaṁ upapannan’ti. I saw that person who here kills living beings, takes what is not given … has wrong view; I see him, on the dissolution of the body, after death, having reappeared in a happy destination, in the heavenly world.”For I have seen an individual here who killed living creatures … and had wrong view. And I saw that they were reborn in a heavenly realm.’
So evamāha: He says thus:They say:
‘yo kira, bho, pāṇātipātī adinnādāyī …pe… micchādiṭṭhi, sabbo so kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā sugatiṁ saggaṁ lokaṁ upapajjati. “It seems, sirs, that whoever kills living beings, takes what is not given … has wrong view, all of them, on the dissolution of the body, after death, reappear in a happy destination, in the heavenly world.‘It seems that everyone who kills living creatures … and has wrong view is reborn in a heavenly realm.
Ye evaṁ jānanti te sammā jānanti; ye aññathā jānanti, micchā tesaṁ ñāṇan’ti. Those who know thus know rightly; those who know otherwise have wrong knowledge.”Those whose notion is this have the right notion. Those whose notion is otherwise have a wrong notion.’
Iti so yadeva tassa sāmaṁ ñātaṁ sāmaṁ diṭṭhaṁ sāmaṁ viditaṁ tadeva tattha thāmasā parāmāsā abhinivissa voharati: ‘idameva saccaṁ, moghamaññan’ti. So he obstinately clings to and insists on what he has himself known, himself seen, himself found, declaring: “Only this is true, anything else is wrong.”And so they obstinately stick to what they have known, seen, and understood for themselves, insisting that: ‘This is the only truth, anything else is futile.’
Idhānanda, ekacco samaṇo vā brāhmaṇo vā ātappamanvāya padhānamanvāya anuyogamanvāya appamādamanvāya sammāmanasikāramanvāya tathārūpaṁ cetosamādhiṁ phusati yathāsamāhite citte dibbena cakkhunā visuddhena atikkantamānusakena amuṁ puggalaṁ passati—‘Here, Ānanda, in consequence of ardour, endeavour, devotion, diligence, and right attention, some ascetic or brahmin attains such concentration of mind that, when his mind is concentrated, with the heavenly eye, which is purified and surpasses the human, he sees that person—Take some ascetic or brahmin who with clairvoyance sees an individual
idha pāṇātipātā paṭivirataṁ adinnādānā paṭivirataṁ kāmesumicchācārā paṭivirataṁ musāvādā paṭivirataṁ pisuṇāya vācāya paṭivirataṁ pharusāya vācāya paṭivirataṁ samphappalāpā paṭivirataṁ anabhijjhāluṁ abyāpannacittaṁ sammādiṭṭhiṁ, kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā passati sugatiṁ saggaṁ lokaṁ upapannaṁ. who here abstains from killing living beings, abstains from taking what is not given, abstains from misconduct in sensual desires, abstains from false speech, abstains from malicious speech, abstains from harsh speech, abstains from gossip, is not covetous, has a mind free of ill will, and has right view—on the dissolution of the body, after death, having reappeared in a happy destination, in the heavenly world.here who refrained from killing living creatures … and had right view. And they see that they are reborn in a heavenly realm.
So evamāha: He says thus:They say:
‘atthi kira, bho, kalyāṇāni kammāni, atthi sucaritassa vipāko. “It seems, sirs, that there are good kammas, that there is the result of good conduct.‘It seems that there is such a thing as good deeds, and the result of good conduct.
Amāhaṁ puggalaṁ addasaṁ—idha pāṇātipātā paṭivirataṁ adinnādānā paṭivirataṁ …pe… sammādiṭṭhiṁ, kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā passāmi sugatiṁ saggaṁ lokaṁ upapannan’ti. I saw that person who here abstains from killing living beings, abstains from taking what is not given … has right view; I see him, on the dissolution of the body, after death, having reappeared in a happy destination, in the heavenly world.”For I have seen an individual here who refrained from killing living creatures … and had right view. And I saw that they were reborn in a heavenly realm.’
So evamāha: He says thus:They say:
‘yo kira, bho, pāṇātipātā paṭivirato adinnādānā paṭivirato …pe… sammādiṭṭhi sabbo so kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā sugatiṁ saggaṁ lokaṁ upapajjati. “It seems, sirs, that whoever abstains from killing living beings, abstains from taking what is not given … has right view, all of them, on the dissolution of the body, after death, reappear in a happy destination, in the heavenly world.‘It seems that everyone who refrains from killing living creatures … and has right view is reborn in a heavenly realm.
Ye evaṁ jānanti te sammā jānanti; ye aññathā jānanti, micchā tesaṁ ñāṇan’ti. Those who know thus know rightly; those who know otherwise have wrong knowledge.”Those whose notion is this have the right notion. Those whose notion is otherwise have a wrong notion.’
Iti so yadeva tassa sāmaṁ ñātaṁ sāmaṁ diṭṭhaṁ sāmaṁ viditaṁ tadeva tattha thāmasā parāmāsā abhinivissa voharati: ‘idameva saccaṁ, moghamaññan’ti. So he obstinately clings to and insists on what he has himself known, himself seen, himself found, declaring: “Only this is true, anything else is wrong.”And so they obstinately stick to what they have known, seen, and understood for themselves, insisting that: ‘This is the only truth, anything else is futile.’
Idha panānanda, ekacco samaṇo vā brāhmaṇo vā ātappamanvāya padhānamanvāya anuyogamanvāya appamādamanvāya sammāmanasikāramanvāya tathārūpaṁ cetosamādhiṁ phusati yathāsamāhite citte dibbena cakkhunā visuddhena atikkantamānusakena amuṁ puggalaṁ passati—idha pāṇātipātā paṭivirataṁ …pe… sammādiṭṭhiṁ, kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā passati apāyaṁ duggatiṁ vinipātaṁ nirayaṁ upapannaṁ. ‘But here, Ānanda, in consequence of ardour, endeavour, devotion, diligence, and right attention, some ascetic or brahmin attains such concentration of mind that, when his mind is concentrated, with the heavenly eye, which is purified and surpasses the human, he sees that person who here abstains from killing living beings … has right view—on the dissolution of the body, after death, having reappeared in a state of deprivation, in an unhappy destination, in perdition, in hell.Take some ascetic or brahmin who with clairvoyance sees an individual here who refrained from killing living creatures … and had right view. And they see that they are reborn in hell.
So evamāha: He says thus:They say:
‘natthi kira, bho, kalyāṇāni kammāni, natthi sucaritassa vipāko. Amāhaṁ puggalaṁ addasaṁ—“It seems, sirs, that there are no good kammas, that there is no result of good conduct. I saw that person‘It seems that there is no such thing as good deeds, and the result of good conduct. For I have seen an individual
idha pāṇātipātā paṭivirataṁ adinnādānā paṭivirataṁ …pe… sammādiṭṭhiṁ, kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā passāmi apāyaṁ duggatiṁ vinipātaṁ nirayaṁ upapannan’ti. who here abstains from killing living beings, abstains from taking what is not given … has right view; I see him, on the dissolution of the body, after death, having reappeared in a state of deprivation, in an unhappy destination, in perdition, in hell.”here who refrained from killing living creatures … and had right view. And I saw that they were reborn in hell.’
So evamāha: ‘yo kira, bho, pāṇātipātā paṭivirato adinnādānā paṭivirato …pe… sammādiṭṭhi, sabbo so kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā apāyaṁ duggatiṁ vinipātaṁ nirayaṁ upapajjati. He says thus: “It seems, sirs, that whoever abstains from killing living beings, abstains from taking what is not given … has right view, all of them, on the dissolution of the body, after death, reappear in a state of deprivation, in an unhappy destination, in perdition, in hell.They say: ‘It seems that everyone who refrains from killing living creatures … and has right view is reborn in hell.
Ye evaṁ jānanti te sammā jānanti; ye aññathā jānanti, micchā tesaṁ ñāṇan’ti. Those who know thus know rightly; those who know otherwise have wrong knowledge.”Those whose notion is this have the right notion. Those whose notion is otherwise have a wrong notion.’
Iti so yadeva tassa sāmaṁ ñātaṁ sāmaṁ diṭṭhaṁ sāmaṁ viditaṁ tadeva tattha thāmasā parāmāsā abhinivissa voharati: ‘idameva saccaṁ, moghamaññan’ti. So he obstinately clings to and insists on what he has himself known, himself seen, himself found, declaring: “Only this is true, anything else is wrong.”And so they obstinately stick to what they have known, seen, and understood for themselves, insisting that: ‘This is the only truth, anything else is futile.’
Tatrānanda, yvāyaṁ samaṇo vā brāhmaṇo vā evamāha: ‘Now, Ānanda, as to that ascetic or brahmin who says thus:In this case, when an ascetic or brahmin says this:
‘atthi kira, bho, pāpakāni kammāni, atthi duccaritassa vipāko’ti idamassa anujānāmi; “It seems, sirs, that there are evil kammas, that there is the result of misconduct”—I concede that to him.‘It seems that there is such a thing as bad deeds, and the result of bad conduct,’ I grant them that.
yampi so evamāha: As to his saying thus:And when they say:
‘amāhaṁ puggalaṁ addasaṁ—idha pāṇātipātiṁ adinnādāyiṁ …pe… micchādiṭṭhiṁ, kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā passāmi apāyaṁ duggatiṁ vinipātaṁ nirayaṁ upapannan’ti idampissa anujānāmi; “I saw that person who here kills living beings, takes what is not given … has wrong view; I see him, on the dissolution of the body, after death, having reappeared in a state of deprivation, in an unhappy destination, in perdition, in hell”—I also concede that to him.‘I have seen an individual here who killed living creatures … and had wrong view. And after death, they were reborn in hell,’ I also grant them that.
yañca kho so evamāha: But as to his saying thus:But when they say:
‘yo kira, bho, pāṇātipātī adinnādāyī …pe… micchādiṭṭhi, sabbo so kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā apāyaṁ duggatiṁ vinipātaṁ nirayaṁ upapajjatī’ti idamassa nānujānāmi; “It seems, sirs, that whoever kills living beings, takes what is not given … has wrong view, all of them, on the dissolution of the body, after death, reappear in a state of deprivation, in an unhappy destination, in perdition, in hell”—that I do not concede to him.‘It seems that everyone who kills living creatures … and has wrong view is reborn in hell,’ I don’t grant them that.
yampi so evamāha: As to his saying thus:And when they say:
‘ye evaṁ jānanti te sammā jānanti; ye aññathā jānanti, micchā tesaṁ ñāṇan’ti idampissa nānujānāmi; “Those who know thus know rightly; those who know otherwise have wrong knowledge”—that I do not concede to him.‘Those whose notion is this have the right notion. Those whose notion is otherwise have a wrong notion.’ I also don’t grant them that.
yampi so yadeva tassa sāmaṁ ñātaṁ sāmaṁ diṭṭhaṁ sāmaṁ viditaṁ tadeva tattha thāmasā parāmāsā abhinivissa voharati: ‘idameva saccaṁ, moghamaññan’ti idampissa nānujānāmi. As to his obstinately clinging to and insisting on what he has himself known, himself seen, himself found, declaring: “Only this is true, anything else is wrong”—that I do not concede to him.And when they obstinately stick to what they have known, seen, and understood for themselves, insisting that: ‘This is the only truth, anything else is futile,’ I also don’t grant them that.
Taṁ kissa hetu? Why is that?Why is that?
Aññathā hi, ānanda, tathāgatassa mahākammavibhaṅge ñāṇaṁ hoti. Because, Ānanda, the Tathāgata’s knowledge of the Great Exposition of Kamma is otherwise.Because the Realized One’s knowledge of the great analysis of deeds is otherwise.
Tatrānanda, yvāyaṁ samaṇo vā brāhmaṇo vā evamāha: ‘Now, Ānanda, as to that ascetic or brahmin who says thus:In this case, when an ascetic or brahmin says this:
‘natthi kira, bho, pāpakāni kammāni, natthi duccaritassa vipāko’ti idamassa nānujānāmi; “It seems, sirs, that there are no evil kammas, that there is no result of misconduct”—that I do not concede to him.‘It seems that there is no such thing as bad deeds, and the result of bad conduct,’ I don’t grant them that.
yañca kho so evamāha: But as to his saying thus:But when they say:
‘amāhaṁ puggalaṁ addasaṁ—idha pāṇātipātiṁ adinnādāyiṁ …pe… micchādiṭṭhiṁ kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā passāmi sugatiṁ saggaṁ lokaṁ upapannan’ti idamassa anujānāmi; “I saw that person who here kills living beings, takes what is not given … has wrong view; I see him, on the dissolution of the body, after death, having reappeared in a happy destination, in the heavenly world”—I concede that to him.‘I have seen an individual here who killed living creatures … and had wrong view. And I saw that they were reborn in a heavenly realm,’ I grant them that.
yañca kho so evamāha: As to his saying thus:But when they say:
‘yo kira, bho, pāṇātipātī adinnādāyī …pe… micchādiṭṭhi, sabbo so kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā sugatiṁ saggaṁ lokaṁ upapajjatī’ti idamassa nānujānāmi; “It seems, sirs, that whoever kills living beings, takes what is not given … has wrong view, all of them, on the dissolution of the body, after death, reappear in a happy destination, in the heavenly world”—that I do not concede to him.‘It seems that everyone who kills living creatures … and has wrong view is reborn in a heavenly realm,’ I don’t grant them that. …
yampi so evamāha: As to his saying thus:
‘ye evaṁ jānanti te sammā jānanti; ye aññathā jānanti, micchā tesaṁ ñāṇan’ti idampissa nānujānāmi; “Those who know thus know rightly; those who know otherwise have wrong knowledge”—that I do not concede to him.
yampi so yadeva tassa sāmaṁ ñātaṁ sāmaṁ diṭṭhaṁ sāmaṁ viditaṁ tadeva tattha thāmasā parāmāsā abhinivissa voharati: ‘idameva saccaṁ, moghamaññan’ti idampissa nānujānāmi. As to his obstinately clinging to and insisting on what he has himself known, himself seen, himself found, declaring: “Only this is true, anything else is wrong”—that I do not concede to him.
Taṁ kissa hetu? Why is that?
Aññathā hi, ānanda, tathāgatassa mahākammavibhaṅge ñāṇaṁ hoti. Because, Ānanda, the Tathāgata’s knowledge of the Great Exposition of Kamma is otherwise.Because the Realized One’s knowledge of the great analysis of deeds is otherwise.
Tatrānanda, yvāyaṁ samaṇo vā brāhmaṇo vā evamāha: ‘Now, Ānanda, as to that ascetic or brahmin who says thus:In this case, when an ascetic or brahmin says this:
‘atthi kira, bho, kalyāṇāni kammāni, atthi sucaritassa vipāko’ti idamassa anujānāmi; “It seems, sirs, that there are good kammas, that there is the result of good conduct”—I concede that to him.‘It seems that there is such a thing as good deeds, and the result of good conduct,’ I grant them that.
yampi so evamāha: As to his saying thus:And when they say:
‘amāhaṁ puggalaṁ addasaṁ—idha pāṇātipātā paṭivirataṁ adinnādānā paṭivirataṁ …pe… sammādiṭṭhiṁ, kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā passāmi sugatiṁ saggaṁ lokaṁ upapannan’ti idampissa anujānāmi; “I saw that person who here abstains from killing living beings, abstains from taking what is not given … has right view; I see him, on the dissolution of the body, after death, having reappeared in a happy destination, in the heavenly world”—I also concede that to him.‘I have seen an individual here who refrained from killing living creatures … and had right view. And I saw that they were reborn in a heavenly realm,’ I also grant them that.
yañca kho so evamāha: But as to his saying thus:But when they say:
‘yo kira, bho, pāṇātipātā paṭivirato adinnādānā paṭivirato …pe… sammādiṭṭhi, sabbo so kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā sugatiṁ saggaṁ lokaṁ upapajjatī’ti idamassa nānujānāmi; “It seems, sirs, that whoever abstains from killing living beings, abstains from taking what is not given … has right view, all of them, on the dissolution of the body, after death, reappear in a happy destination, in the heavenly world”—that I do not concede to him.‘It seems that everyone who refrains from killing living creatures … and has right view is reborn in a heavenly realm,’ I don’t grant them that. …
yampi so evamāha: As to his saying thus:
‘ye evaṁ jānanti te sammā jānanti; ye aññathā jānanti, micchā tesaṁ ñāṇan’ti idampissa nānujānāmi; “Those who know thus know rightly; those who know otherwise have wrong knowledge”—that I do not concede to him.
yampi so yadeva tassa sāmaṁ ñātaṁ sāmaṁ diṭṭhaṁ sāmaṁ viditaṁ tadeva tattha thāmasā parāmāsā abhinivissa voharati: ‘idameva saccaṁ, moghamaññan’ti idampissa nānujānāmi. As to his obstinately clinging to and insisting on what he has himself known, himself seen, himself found, declaring: “Only this is true, anything else is wrong”—that I do not concede to him.
Taṁ kissa hetu? Why is that?
Aññathā hi, ānanda, tathāgatassa mahākammavibhaṅge ñāṇaṁ hoti. Because, Ānanda, the Tathāgata’s knowledge of the Great Exposition of Kamma is otherwise.Because the Realized One’s knowledge of the great analysis of deeds is otherwise.
Tatrānanda, yvāyaṁ samaṇo vā brāhmaṇo vā evamāha: ‘Now, Ānanda, as to that ascetic or brahmin who says thus:In this case, when an ascetic or brahmin says this:
‘natthi kira, bho, kalyāṇāni kammāni, natthi sucaritassa vipāko’ti idamassa nānujānāmi; “It seems, sirs, that there are no good kammas, that there is no result of good conduct”—that I do not concede to him.‘It seems that there is no such thing as good deeds, and the result of good conduct,’ I don’t grant them that.
yañca kho so evamāha: But as to his saying thus:But when they say:
‘amāhaṁ puggalaṁ addasaṁ—idha pāṇātipātā paṭivirataṁ adinnādānā paṭivirataṁ …pe… sammādiṭṭhiṁ, kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā passāmi apāyaṁ duggatiṁ vinipātaṁ nirayaṁ upapannan’ti idamassa anujānāmi; “I saw that person who here abstains from killing living beings, abstains from taking what is not given … has right view; I see him, on the dissolution of the body, after death, having reappeared in a state of deprivation, in an unhappy destination, in perdition, in hell”—I concede that to him.‘I have seen an individual here who refrained from killing living creatures … and had right view. And after death, they were reborn in hell,’ I grant them that.
yañca kho so evamāha: As to his saying thus:But when they say:
‘yo kira, bho, pāṇātipātā paṭivirato adinnādānā paṭivirato …pe… sammādiṭṭhi, sabbo so kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā apāyaṁ duggatiṁ vinipātaṁ nirayaṁ upapajjatī’ti idamassa nānujānāmi; “It seems, sirs, that whoever abstains from killing living beings, abstains from taking what is not given … has right view, all of them, on the dissolution of the body, after death, reappear in a state of deprivation, in an unhappy destination, in perdition, in hell”—that I do not concede to him.‘It seems that everyone who refrains from killing living creatures … and has right view is reborn in hell,’ I don’t grant them that.
yañca kho so evamāha: ‘ye evaṁ jānanti te sammā jānanti; As to his saying thus: “Those who know thus know rightly;But when they say: ‘Those whose notion is this have the right notion.
ye aññathā jānanti, micchā tesaṁ ñāṇan’ti idampissa nānujānāmi; those who know otherwise have wrong knowledge”—that I do not concede to him.Those whose notion is otherwise have a wrong notion,’ I also don’t grant them that.
yampi so yadeva tassa sāmaṁ ñātaṁ sāmaṁ diṭṭhaṁ sāmaṁ viditaṁ tadeva tattha thāmasā parāmāsā abhinivissa voharati: ‘idameva saccaṁ, moghamaññan’ti idampissa nānujānāmi. As to his obstinately clinging to and insisting on what he has himself known, himself seen, himself found, declaring: “Only this is true, anything else is wrong”—that I do not concede to him.And when they obstinately stick to what they have known, seen, and understood for themselves, insisting that: ‘This is the only truth, anything else is futile,’ I also don’t grant them that.
Taṁ kissa hetu? Why is that?Why is that?
Aññathā hi, ānanda, tathāgatassa mahākammavibhaṅge ñāṇaṁ hoti. Because, Ānanda, the Tathāgata’s knowledge of the Great Exposition of Kamma is otherwise.Because the Realized One’s knowledge of the great analysis of deeds is otherwise.
Tatrānanda, yvāyaṁ puggalo idha pāṇātipātī adinnādāyī …pe… micchādiṭṭhi, kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā apāyaṁ duggatiṁ vinipātaṁ nirayaṁ upapajjati, ‘Now, Ānanda, as to that person who here kills living beings, takes what is not given … has wrong view, and who, on the dissolution of the body, after death, reappears in a state of deprivation, in an unhappy destination, in perdition, in hell—Now, Ānanda, take the case of the individual here who killed living creatures … and had wrong view, and who, when their body breaks up, after death, is reborn in a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell.
pubbe vāssa taṁ kataṁ hoti pāpakammaṁ dukkhavedanīyaṁ, pacchā vāssa taṁ kataṁ hoti pāpakammaṁ dukkhavedanīyaṁ, maraṇakāle vāssa hoti micchādiṭṭhi samattā samādinnā. either an evil kamma to be felt as painful was done by him earlier, or an evil kamma to be felt as painful was done by him later, or at the time of death he undertook and held to wrong view.This threefold list appears to mean: ‘earlier’—either earlier in that life, before the good or evil courses of kamma described were undertaken, or in some previous life; ‘later’—later in that same life, since even one who does much evil kamma will usually also do some good occasionally; and ‘at the time of death’—referring to a deathbed wrong view of the type ‘there is no kamma, no result of kamma, no evil, no result of evil’, since the next birth depends on the object occupying a dying person’s mind in the last moments.That bad deed of theirs that is to be experienced as painful was either done previously, or later, or else at the time of death they undertook wrong view. The logic of this passage seems to be: “When a good result follows a bad deed, or bad follows good, then they must have done some other fitting deed at another time; and even if a bad result follows a bad deed, or good follows good, it is still possible that the result was caused by some other fitting deed.” But the phrasing of the Pali does not quite say this. I suspect that some nuance has been lost, perhaps due to over-zealous standardization. | For deathbed kamma see MN 97:38.7 and note.
Tena so kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā apāyaṁ duggatiṁ vinipātaṁ nirayaṁ upapajjati. It is because of that, that on the dissolution of the body, after death, he reappears in a state of deprivation, in an unhappy destination, in perdition, in hell.And that’s why, when their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell.
Yañca kho so idha pāṇātipātī hoti adinnādāyī hoti …pe… micchādiṭṭhi hoti tassa diṭṭheva dhamme vipākaṁ paṭisaṁvedeti upapajja vā apare vā pariyāye. But as to his having here killed living beings, having taken what is not given … having had wrong view—he will experience the result of that either here and now, or in his next rebirth, or in some subsequent existence.But anyone here who kills living creatures … and has wrong view experiences the result of that in this very life, or in the next life, or in some subsequent period.
Tatrānanda, yvāyaṁ puggalo idha pāṇātipātī adinnādāyī …pe… micchādiṭṭhi kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā sugatiṁ saggaṁ lokaṁ upapajjati, ‘Now, Ānanda, as to that person who here kills living beings, takes what is not given … has wrong view, and who, on the dissolution of the body, after death, reappears in a happy destination, in the heavenly world—A well-known example is the story of ‘Copper-tooth’, the public executioner who, after a career of murder as a bandit and then fifty years as an executioner, was taught by the venerable Sāriputta and, his mind eased of the weight of evil kamma, attained a heavenly rebirth. See the Dhammapada Commentary, ii, 203–209.Now, Ānanda, take the case of the individual here who killed living creatures … and had wrong view, and who is reborn in a heavenly realm.
pubbe vāssa taṁ kataṁ hoti kalyāṇakammaṁ sukhavedanīyaṁ, pacchā vāssa taṁ kataṁ hoti kalyāṇakammaṁ sukhavedanīyaṁ, maraṇakāle vāssa hoti sammādiṭṭhi samattā samādinnā. either a good kamma to be felt as pleasant was done by him earlier, or a good kamma to be felt as pleasant was done by him later, or at the time of death he undertook and held to right view.That good deed of theirs that is to be experienced as pleasurable was either done previously, or later, or else at the time of death they undertook right view.
Tena so kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā sugatiṁ saggaṁ lokaṁ upapajjati. It is because of that, that on the dissolution of the body, after death, he reappears in a happy destination, in the heavenly world.And that’s why, when their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in a good place, a heavenly realm.
Yañca kho so idha pāṇātipātī hoti adinnādāyī hoti …pe… micchādiṭṭhi hoti tassa diṭṭheva dhamme vipākaṁ paṭisaṁvedeti upapajja vā apare vā pariyāye. But as to his having here killed living beings, having taken what is not given … having had wrong view—he will experience the result of that either here and now, or in his next rebirth, or in some subsequent existence.But anyone here who kills living creatures … and has wrong view experiences the result of that in this very life, or in the next life, or in some subsequent period.
Tatrānanda, yvāyaṁ puggalo idha pāṇātipātā paṭivirato adinnādānā paṭivirato …pe… sammādiṭṭhi, kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā sugatiṁ saggaṁ lokaṁ upapajjati, ‘Now, Ānanda, as to that person who here abstains from killing living beings, abstains from taking what is not given … has right view, and who, on the dissolution of the body, after death, reappears in a happy destination, in the heavenly world—King Pasenadi of Kosala is a well-known example of this case.Now, Ānanda, take the case of the individual here who refrained from killing living creatures … and had right view, and who is reborn in a heavenly realm.
pubbe vāssa taṁ kataṁ hoti kalyāṇakammaṁ sukhavedanīyaṁ, pacchā vāssa taṁ kataṁ hoti kalyāṇakammaṁ sukhavedanīyaṁ, maraṇakāle vāssa hoti sammādiṭṭhi samattā samādinnā. either a good kamma to be felt as pleasant was done by him earlier, or a good kamma to be felt as pleasant was done by him later, or at the time of death he undertook and held to right view.That good deed of theirs that is to be experienced as pleasurable was either done previously, or later, or else at the time of death they undertook right view.
Tena so kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā sugatiṁ saggaṁ lokaṁ upapajjati. It is because of that, that on the dissolution of the body, after death, he reappears in a happy destination, in the heavenly world.And that’s why, when their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in a good place, a heavenly realm.
Yañca kho so idha pāṇātipātā paṭivirato hoti adinnādānā paṭivirato hoti …pe… sammādiṭṭhi hoti, tassa diṭṭheva dhamme vipākaṁ paṭisaṁvedeti upapajja vā apare vā pariyāye. But as to his having here abstained from killing living beings, having abstained from taking what is not given … having had right view—he will experience the result of that either here and now, or in his next rebirth, or in some subsequent existence.But anyone here who refrains from killing living creatures … and has right view experiences the result of that in this very life, or in the next life, or in some subsequent period.
Tatrānanda, yvāyaṁ puggalo idha pāṇātipātā paṭivirato adinnādānā paṭivirato …pe… sammādiṭṭhi, kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā apāyaṁ duggatiṁ vinipātaṁ nirayaṁ upapajjati, ‘Now, Ānanda, as to that person who here abstains from killing living beings, abstains from taking what is not given … has right view, and who, on the dissolution of the body, after death, reappears in a state of deprivation, in an unhappy destination, in perdition, in hell—This was what happened to Queen Mallikā, wife of King Pasenadi: though she led a good life, generous and virtuous, she once had sexual relations with a dog; this unconfessed evil weighed on her mind and came to her at the time of death, causing seven days in hell, after which the power of her many good kammas gave her a heavenly rebirth. See the Dhammapada Commentary, iii, 119–123.Now, Ānanda, take the case of the individual here who refrained from killing living creatures … and had right view, and who is reborn in hell.
pubbe vāssa taṁ kataṁ hoti pāpakammaṁ dukkhavedanīyaṁ, pacchā vāssa taṁ kataṁ hoti pāpakammaṁ dukkhavedanīyaṁ, maraṇakāle vāssa hoti micchādiṭṭhi samattā samādinnā. either an evil kamma to be felt as painful was done by him earlier, or an evil kamma to be felt as painful was done by him later, or at the time of death he undertook and held to wrong view.That bad deed of theirs that is to be experienced as painful was either done previously, or later, or else at the time of death they undertook wrong view.
Tena so kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā apāyaṁ duggatiṁ vinipātaṁ nirayaṁ upapajjati. It is because of that, that on the dissolution of the body, after death, he reappears in a state of deprivation, in an unhappy destination, in perdition, in hell.And that’s why, when their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell.
Yañca kho so idha pāṇātipātā paṭivirato hoti, adinnādānā paṭivirato hoti …pe… sammādiṭṭhi hoti, tassa diṭṭheva dhamme vipākaṁ paṭisaṁvedeti upapajja vā apare vā pariyāye. But as to his having here abstained from killing living beings, having abstained from taking what is not given … having had right view—he will experience the result of that either here and now, or in his next rebirth, or in some subsequent existence.But anyone here who refrains from killing living creatures … and has right view experiences the result of that in this very life, or in the next life, or in some subsequent period.
Iti kho, ānanda, atthi kammaṁ abhabbaṁ abhabbābhāsaṁ, atthi kammaṁ abhabbaṁ bhabbābhāsaṁ, atthi kammaṁ bhabbañceva bhabbābhāsañca, atthi kammaṁ bhabbaṁ abhabbābhāsan”ti. ‘So, Ānanda, there is kamma that is incapable of good result and appears incapable of good result; there is kamma that is incapable of good result but appears capable of good result; there is kamma that is capable of good result and appears capable of good result; there is kamma that is capable of good result but appears incapable of good result.’The Commentary explains these four terse cases: (1) a strong unprofitable kamma whose result comes before that of weaker unprofitable kammas; (2) a profitable kamma followed by an unprofitable death-proximate kamma which makes the former incapable of yielding its result immediately; (3) a strong profitable kamma that fruits even before much accumulated unprofitable kamma; (4) an unprofitable kamma followed by a profitable death-proximate kamma which fruits first and yields a good result.So, Ānanda, there are deeds that are ineffective and appear ineffective. There are deeds that are ineffective but appear effective. There are deeds that are effective and appear effective. And there are deeds that are effective but appear ineffective.”
Idamavoca bhagavā. This is what the Blessed One said.That is what the Buddha said.
Attamano āyasmā ānando bhagavato bhāsitaṁ abhinandīti. The venerable Ānanda was satisfied and delighted in the Blessed One’s words.Satisfied, Venerable Ānanda approved what the Buddha said.
Mahākammavibhaṅgasuttaṁ niṭṭhitaṁ chaṭṭhaṁ.