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Majjhima Nikāya 120

Saṅkhārupapattisutta

Rebirth by Choice · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral

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Evaṁ me sutaṁ—
ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme.
Tatra kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi:
“bhikkhavo”ti.
“Bhadante”ti te bhikkhū bhagavato paccassosuṁ.
Bhagavā etadavoca:

So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery. There the Buddha addressed the mendicants, “Mendicants!” “Venerable sir,” they replied. The Buddha said this:

“saṅkhārupapattiṁ vo, bhikkhave, desessāmi,
taṁ suṇātha, sādhukaṁ manasi karotha, bhāsissāmī”ti.
“Evaṁ, bhante”ti kho te bhikkhū bhagavato paccassosuṁ.
Bhagavā etadavoca:

“I shall teach you rebirth by choice. Listen and apply your mind well, I will speak.” “Yes, sir,” they replied. The Buddha said this:

“Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu saddhāya samannāgato hoti, sīlena samannāgato hoti, sutena samannāgato hoti, cāgena samannāgato hoti, paññāya samannāgato hoti.
Tassa evaṁ hoti:
‘aho vatāhaṁ kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā khattiyamahāsālānaṁ sahabyataṁ upapajjeyyan’ti.
So taṁ cittaṁ dahati, taṁ cittaṁ adhiṭṭhāti, taṁ cittaṁ bhāveti.
Tassa te saṅkhārā ca vihārā ca evaṁ bhāvitā evaṁ bahulīkatā tatrupapattiyā saṁvattanti.
Ayaṁ, bhikkhave, maggo ayaṁ paṭipadā tatrupapattiyā saṁvattati.

“Take a mendicant who has faith, ethics, learning, generosity, and wisdom. They think: ‘If only, when my body breaks up, after death, I would be reborn in the company of well-to-do aristocrats!’ They settle on that thought, stabilize it, and develop it. Those choices and meditations of theirs, developed and cultivated like this, lead to rebirth there. This is the path and the practice that leads to rebirth there.

Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, bhikkhu saddhāya samannāgato hoti, sīlena samannāgato hoti, sutena samannāgato hoti, cāgena samannāgato hoti, paññāya samannāgato hoti.
Tassa evaṁ hoti:
‘aho vatāhaṁ kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā brāhmaṇamahāsālānaṁ …pe…
gahapatimahāsālānaṁ sahabyataṁ upapajjeyyan’ti.
So taṁ cittaṁ dahati, taṁ cittaṁ adhiṭṭhāti, taṁ cittaṁ bhāveti.
Tassa te saṅkhārā ca vihārā ca evaṁ bhāvitā evaṁ bahulīkatā tatrupapattiyā saṁvattanti.
Ayaṁ, bhikkhave, maggo ayaṁ paṭipadā tatrupapattiyā saṁvattati.

Furthermore, take a mendicant who has faith, ethics, learning, generosity, and wisdom. They think: ‘If only, when my body breaks up, after death, I would be reborn in the company of well-to-do brahmins … well-to-do householders!’ They settle on that thought, stabilize it, and develop it. Those choices and meditations of theirs, developed and cultivated like this, lead to rebirth there. This is the path and the practice that leads to rebirth there.

Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, bhikkhu saddhāya samannāgato hoti, sīlena samannāgato hoti, sutena samannāgato hoti, cāgena samannāgato hoti, paññāya samannāgato hoti.
Tassa sutaṁ hoti:
‘cātumahārājikā devā dīghāyukā vaṇṇavanto sukhabahulā’ti.
Tassa evaṁ hoti:
‘aho vatāhaṁ kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā cātumahārājikānaṁ devānaṁ sahabyataṁ upapajjeyyan’ti.
So taṁ cittaṁ dahati, taṁ cittaṁ adhiṭṭhāti, taṁ cittaṁ bhāveti.
Tassa te saṅkhārā ca vihārā ca evaṁ bhāvitā evaṁ bahulīkatā tatrupapattiyā saṁvattanti.
Ayaṁ, bhikkhave, maggo ayaṁ paṭipadā tatrupapattiyā saṁvattati.

Furthermore, take a mendicant who has faith, ethics, learning, generosity, and wisdom. And they’ve heard: ‘The gods of the four great kings are long-lived, beautiful, and very happy.’ They think: ‘If only, when my body breaks up, after death, I would be reborn in the company of the gods of the four great kings!’ They settle on that thought, stabilize it, and develop it. Those choices and meditations of theirs, developed and cultivated like this, lead to rebirth there. This is the path and the practice that leads to rebirth there.

Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, bhikkhu saddhāya samannāgato hoti, sīlena samannāgato hoti, sutena samannāgato hoti, cāgena samannāgato hoti, paññāya samannāgato hoti.
Tassa sutaṁ hoti—
tāvatiṁsā devā …pe…
yāmā devā …
tusitā devā …
nimmānaratī devā …
paranimmitavasavattī devā dīghāyukā vaṇṇavanto sukhabahulāti.
Tassa evaṁ hoti:
‘aho vatāhaṁ kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā paranimmitavasavattīnaṁ devānaṁ sahabyataṁ upapajjeyyan’ti.
So taṁ cittaṁ dahati, taṁ cittaṁ adhiṭṭhāti, taṁ cittaṁ bhāveti.
Tassa te saṅkhārā ca vihārā ca evaṁ bhāvitā evaṁ bahulīkatā tatrupapattiyā saṁvattanti.
Ayaṁ, bhikkhave, maggo ayaṁ paṭipadā tatrupapattiyā saṁvattati.

Furthermore, take a mendicant who has faith, ethics, learning, generosity, and wisdom. And they’ve heard: ‘The gods of the thirty-three … the gods of Yama … the joyful gods … the gods who love to create … the gods who control what is created by others are long-lived, beautiful, and very happy.’ They think: ‘If only, when my body breaks up, after death, I would be reborn in the company of the gods who control what is created by others!’ They settle on that thought, stabilize it, and develop it. Those choices and meditations of theirs, developed and cultivated like this, lead to rebirth there. This is the path and the practice that leads to rebirth there.

Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, bhikkhu saddhāya samannāgato hoti, sīlena samannāgato hoti, sutena samannāgato hoti, cāgena samannāgato hoti, paññāya samannāgato hoti.
Tassa sutaṁ hoti:
‘sahasso brahmā dīghāyuko vaṇṇavā sukhabahulo’ti.
Sahasso, bhikkhave, brahmā sahassilokadhātuṁ pharitvā adhimuccitvā viharati.
Yepi tattha sattā upapannā tepi pharitvā adhimuccitvā viharati.
Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, cakkhumā puriso ekaṁ āmaṇḍaṁ hatthe karitvā paccavekkheyya;
evameva kho, bhikkhave, sahasso brahmā sahassilokadhātuṁ pharitvā adhimuccitvā viharati.
Yepi tattha sattā upapannā tepi pharitvā adhimuccitvā viharati.
Tassa evaṁ hoti:
‘aho vatāhaṁ kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā sahassassa brahmuno sahabyataṁ upapajjeyyan’ti.
So taṁ cittaṁ dahati, taṁ cittaṁ adhiṭṭhāti, taṁ cittaṁ bhāveti.

Furthermore, take a mendicant who has faith, ethics, learning, generosity, and wisdom. And they’ve heard: ‘The Divinity of a thousand is long-lived, beautiful, and very happy.’ Now the Divinity of a thousand meditates focused on pervading a thousandfold galaxy, as well as the sentient beings reborn there. As a person with clear eyes might pick up a gallnut in their hand and examine it, so too the Divinity of a thousand meditates focused on pervading a thousandfold galaxy, as well as the sentient beings reborn there. They think: ‘If only, when my body breaks up, after death, I would be reborn in the company of the Divinity of a thousand!’ They settle on that thought, stabilize it, and develop it.

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