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- Samyutta Nikaya XLII.6
- Paccha-bhumika Sutta
- [Brahmins] of the Western Land
- For free distribution only, as a gift of Dhamma
On one occasion the Blessed One was staying near Nalanda in the Pavarika Mango Grove. Then Asibandhakaputta the
headman went to the Blessed One and on arrival, having bowed down to him, sat to one side.
As he was sitting there he said to the Blessed One: "The brahmins of the Western
lands, lord -- those who carry water pots, wear garlands of water plants, purify with
water, & worship fire -- can take [the spirit of] a dead person, lift it out, instruct
it, & send it to heaven. But the Blessed One, worthy & rightly self-awakened, can
arrange it so that all the world, at the break-up of the body, after death, reappears in a
good destination, the heavenly world."
"Very well, then, headman, I will question you on this matter. Answer as you see
fit. What do you think: There is the case where a man is one who takes life, steals,
indulges in illicit sex; is a liar, one who speaks divisive speech, harsh speech, &
idle chatter; is greedy, bears thoughts of ill-will, & holds to wrong views. Then a
great crowd of people, gathering & congregating, would pray, praise, &
circumambulate with their hands palm-to-palm over the heart [saying,] 'May this man, at
the break-up of the body, after death, reappear in a good destination, the heavenly
world!' What do you think: would that man -- because of the prayers, praise, &
circumambulation of that great crowd of people -- at the break-up of the body, after
death, reappear in a good destination, the heavenly world?"
"No, lord."
"Suppose a man were to throw a large boulder into a deep
lake of water, and a great crowd of people, gathering & congregating, would pray,
praise, & circumambulate with their hands palm-to-palm over the heart [saying,] 'Rise
up, O boulder! Come floating up, O boulder! Come float to the shore, O boulder!' What do
you think: would that boulder -- because of the prayers, praise, & circumambulation of
that great crowd of people -- rise up, come floating up, or come float to the shore?"
"No, lord."
"So it is with any man who takes life, steals, indulges in illicit sex; is a liar,
one who speaks divisive speech, harsh speech, & idle chatter; is greedy, bears
thoughts of ill-will, & holds to wrong views. Even though a great crowd of people,
gathering & congregating, would pray, praise, & circumambulate with their hands
palm-to-palm over the heart -- [saying,] 'May this man, at the break-up of the body, after
death, reappear in a good destination, the heavenly world!' -- still, at the break-up of
the body, after death, he would reappear in destitution, a bad destination, the lower
realms, hell.
"Now what do you think: There is the case where a man is one who refrains from
taking life, from stealing, & from indulging in illicit sex; he refrains from lying,
from speaking divisive speech, from harsh speech, & from idle chatter; he is not
greedy, bears no thoughts of ill-will, & holds to right view. Then a great crowd of
people, gathering & congregating, would pray, praise, & circumambulate with their
hands palm-to-palm over the heart [saying,] 'May this man, at the break-up of the body,
after death, reappear in destitution, a bad destination, the lower realms, hell!' What do
you think: would that man -- because of the prayers, praise, & circumambulation of
that great crowd of people -- at the break-up of the body, after death, reappear in
destitution, a bad destination, the lower realms, hell?"
"No, lord."
"Suppose a man were to throw a jar of ghee or a jar of oil into
a deep lake of water, where it would break. There the shards & jar-fragments would go
down, while the ghee or oil would come up. Then a great crowd of people, gathering &
congregating, would pray, praise, & circumambulate with their hands palm-to-palm over
the heart [saying,] 'Sink, O ghee/oil! Submerge, O ghee/oil! Go down, O ghee/oil!' What do
you think: would that ghee/oil, because of the prayers, praise, & circumambulation of
that great crowd of people sink, submerge, or go down?"
"No, lord."
"So it is with any man who refrains from taking life, from stealing, & from
indulging in illicit sex; refrains from lying, from speaking divisive speech, from harsh
speech, & from idle chatter; is not greedy, bears no thoughts of ill-will, & holds
to right view. Even though a great crowd of people, gathering & congregating, would
pray, praise, & circumambulate with their hands palm-to-palm over the heart --
[saying,] 'May this man, at the break-up of the body, after death, reappear in a
destitution, a bad destination, the lower realms, hell!' -- still, at the break-up of the
body, after death, he would reappear in a good destination, the heavenly world."
When this was said, Asibandhakaputta the headman said to the Blessed One: "Magnificent, lord! Magnificent! Just as if he were to place upright what
had been overturned, were to reveal what was hidden, were to show the way to one who was
lost, or were to hold up a lamp in the dark so that those with eyes could see forms, in
the same way Master Gotama has -- through many lines of reasoning -- made the Dhamma
clear. I go to the Blessed One for refuge, to the Dhamma, & to the community of monks.
May the Blessed One remember me as a lay follower who has gone for refuge from this day
forward, for life."
See also: AN X.176.