AN 10.177 · Pali Canon (Tipiṭaka) – English & Pāli · Verses Across
Buddhism · Sutta Pitaka · Numbered Discourses (Aṅguttara)
AN 10.177With Jānussoṇi · Jāṇussoṇisutta
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Buddhism · Sutta Pitaka · Numbered Discourses (Aṅguttara)
AN 10.177
With Jānussoṇi · Jāṇussoṇisutta
EnglishEnglish
PāliPali
Then the brahmin Jānussoṇi went up to the Buddha, and exchanged greetings with him. When the greetings and polite conversation were over, he sat down to one side and said to the Buddha,
“We who are known as brahmins give gifts and perform memorial rites for the dead: ‘May this gift aid my departed relatives and kin. May they partake of this gift.’ But does this gift really aid departed relatives and kin? Do they actually partake of it?” “It aids them if the conditions are right, brahmin, but not if the conditions are wrong.”
“Then, worthy Gotama, what are the right and wrong conditions?” “Brahmin, take someone who kills living creatures, steals, and commits sexual misconduct. They use speech that’s false, backbiting, harsh, or nonsensical. And they’re covetous, malicious, with wrong view. When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in hell. There they survive feeding on the food of the hell beings. The conditions there are wrong, so the gift does not aid the one who lives there.
“Katamaṁ pana, bho gotama, ṭhānaṁ, katamaṁ aṭṭhānan”ti? “Idha, brāhmaṇa, ekacco pāṇātipātī hoti, adinnādāyī hoti, kāmesumicchācārī hoti, musāvādī hoti, pisuṇavāco hoti, pharusavāco hoti, samphappalāpī hoti, abhijjhālu hoti, byāpannacitto hoti, micchādiṭṭhiko hoti. So kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā nirayaṁ upapajjati. Yo nerayikānaṁ sattānaṁ āhāro, tena so tattha yāpeti, tena so tattha tiṭṭhati. Idampi kho, brāhmaṇa, aṭṭhānaṁ yattha ṭhitassa taṁ dānaṁ na upakappati.
Take someone else who kills living creatures … and has wrong view. When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in the animal realm. There they survive feeding on the food of the beings in the animal realm. The conditions there too are wrong, so the gift does not aid the one who lives there.
Idha pana, brāhmaṇa, ekacco pāṇātipātī …pe… micchādiṭṭhiko hoti. So kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā tiracchānayoniṁ upapajjati. Yo tiracchānayonikānaṁ sattānaṁ āhāro, tena so tattha yāpeti, tena so tattha tiṭṭhati. Idampi kho, brāhmaṇa, aṭṭhānaṁ yattha ṭhitassa taṁ dānaṁ na upakappati.
Take someone else who doesn’t kill living creatures, steal, or commit sexual misconduct. They don’t use speech that’s false, backbiting, harsh, or nonsensical. And they’re contented, kind-hearted, with right view. When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in the human realm. There they survive feeding on human food. The conditions there too are wrong, so the gift does not aid the one who lives there.
Idha pana, brāhmaṇa, ekacco 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, sammādiṭṭhiko hoti. So kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā manussānaṁ sahabyataṁ upapajjati. Yo manussānaṁ āhāro, tena so tattha yāpeti, tena so tattha tiṭṭhati. Idampi kho, brāhmaṇa, aṭṭhānaṁ yattha ṭhitassa taṁ dānaṁ na upakappati.
Take someone else who doesn’t kill living creatures … and has right view. When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in the company of the gods. There they survive feeding on the food of the gods. The conditions there too are wrong, so the gift does not aid the one who lives there.
Idha pana, brāhmaṇa, ekacco pāṇātipātā paṭivirato hoti …pe… sammādiṭṭhiko hoti. So kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā devānaṁ sahabyataṁ upapajjati. Yo devānaṁ āhāro, tena so tattha yāpeti, tena so tattha tiṭṭhati. Idampi, brāhmaṇa, aṭṭhānaṁ yattha ṭhitassa taṁ dānaṁ upakappati.
Take someone else who kills living creatures … and has wrong view. When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in the ghost realm. There they survive feeding on the food of the beings in the ghost realm. Or else they survive feeding on what friends and colleagues, relatives and kin provide them with from here. The conditions there are right, so the gift aids the one who lives there.”
Idha pana, brāhmaṇa, ekacco pāṇātipātī hoti …pe… micchādiṭṭhiko hoti. So kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā pettivisayaṁ upapajjati. Yo pettivesayikānaṁ sattānaṁ āhāro, tena so tattha yāpeti, tena so tattha tiṭṭhati, yaṁ vā panassa ito anuppavecchanti mittāmaccā vā ñātisālohitā vā, tena so tattha yāpeti, tena so tattha tiṭṭhati. Idaṁ kho, brāhmaṇa, ṭhānaṁ yattha ṭhitassa taṁ dānaṁ upakappatī”ti.
“But worthy Gotama, who partakes of that gift if the departed relative is not reborn in that place?” “Other departed relatives reborn there will partake of that gift.”
“Sace pana, bho gotama, so peto ñātisālohito taṁ ṭhānaṁ anupapanno hoti, ko taṁ dānaṁ paribhuñjatī”ti? “Aññepissa, brāhmaṇa, petā ñātisālohitā taṁ ṭhānaṁ upapannā honti, te taṁ dānaṁ paribhuñjantī”ti.
“But who partakes of the gift when neither that relative nor other relatives have been reborn in that place?” “It’s impossible, brahmin, it cannot happen that that place is vacant of departed relatives in all this long time. It’s never fruitless for the donor.”
“Sace pana, bho gotama, so ceva peto ñātisālohito taṁ ṭhānaṁ anupapanno hoti aññepissa ñātisālohitā petā taṁ ṭhānaṁ anupapannā honti, ko taṁ dānaṁ paribhuñjatī”ti? “Aṭṭhānaṁ kho etaṁ, brāhmaṇa, anavakāso yaṁ taṁ ṭhānaṁ vivittaṁ assa iminā dīghena addhunā yadidaṁ petehi ñātisālohitehi. Api ca, brāhmaṇa, dāyakopi anipphalo”ti.
“Does the worthy Gotama propose this even when the conditions are wrong?” “I propose this even when the conditions are wrong. Take someone who kills living creatures, steals, and commits sexual misconduct. They use speech that’s false, backbiting, harsh, or nonsensical. And they’re covetous, malicious, with wrong view. They give to ascetics or brahmins such things as food, drink, clothing, vehicles; garlands, fragrance, and makeup; and bed, house, and lighting. When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in the company of elephants. There they get to have food and drink, garlands and various adornments.
Since in this life they killed living creatures … and had wrong view, they were reborn in the company of elephants. Since they gave to ascetics or brahmins … they get to have food and drink, garlands and various adornments.
Yaṁ kho, brāhmaṇa, idha pāṇātipātī adinnādāyī kāmesumicchācārī musāvādī pisuṇavāco pharusavāco samphappalāpī abhijjhālu byāpannacitto micchādiṭṭhiko, tena so kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā hatthīnaṁ sahabyataṁ upapajjati. Yañca kho so dātā hoti samaṇassa vā brāhmaṇassa vā annaṁ pānaṁ vatthaṁ yānaṁ mālāgandhavilepanaṁ seyyāvasathapadīpeyyaṁ, tena so tattha lābhī hoti annassa pānassa mālānānālaṅkārassa.
Take someone else who kills living creatures … and has wrong view. They give to ascetics or brahmins … When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in the company of horses. … cattle … dogs. There they get to have food and drink, garlands and various adornments.
Since in this life they killed living creatures … and had wrong view, they were reborn in the company of dogs. Since they gave to ascetics or brahmins … they get to have food and drink, garlands and various adornments.
Yaṁ kho, brāhmaṇa, idha pāṇātipātī …pe… micchādiṭṭhiko, tena so kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā kukkurānaṁ sahabyataṁ upapajjati. Yañca kho so dātā hoti samaṇassa vā brāhmaṇassa vā annaṁ pānaṁ vatthaṁ yānaṁ mālāgandhavilepanaṁ seyyāvasathapadīpeyyaṁ, tena so tattha lābhī hoti annassa pānassa mālānānālaṅkārassa.
Take someone else who doesn’t kill living creatures, steal, or commit sexual misconduct. They don’t use speech that’s false, backbiting, harsh, or nonsensical. And they’re contented, kind-hearted, with right view. They give to ascetics or brahmins … When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in the human realm. There they get to have the five kinds of human sensual stimulation.
Since in this life they didn’t kill living creatures … and had right view, they were reborn in the company of humans. Since they gave to ascetics or brahmins … they get to have the five kinds of human sensual stimulation.
Yaṁ kho, brāhmaṇa, idha pāṇātipātā paṭivirato hoti …pe… sammādiṭṭhiko, tena so kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā manussānaṁ sahabyataṁ upapajjati. Yañca kho so dātā hoti samaṇassa vā brāhmaṇassa vā annaṁ pānaṁ vatthaṁ yānaṁ mālāgandhavilepanaṁ seyyāvasathapadīpeyyaṁ, tena so tattha lābhī hoti mānusakānaṁ pañcannaṁ kāmaguṇānaṁ.
Take someone else who doesn’t kill living creatures … and has right view. They give to ascetics or brahmins … When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in the company of the gods. There they get to have the five kinds of heavenly sensual stimulation.
Since in this life they didn’t kill living creatures … and had right view, they were reborn in the company of the gods. Since they gave to ascetics or brahmins … they get to have the five kinds of heavenly sensual stimulation. It’s never fruitless for the donor.”
Yaṁ kho, brāhmaṇa, idha pāṇātipātā paṭivirato hoti …pe… sammādiṭṭhiko, tena so kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā devānaṁ sahabyataṁ upapajjati. Yañca kho so dātā hoti samaṇassa vā brāhmaṇassa vā annaṁ pānaṁ vatthaṁ yānaṁ mālāgandhavilepanaṁ seyyāvasathapadīpeyyaṁ, tena so tattha lābhī hoti dibbānaṁ pañcannaṁ kāmaguṇānaṁ. Api ca, brāhmaṇa, dāyakopi anipphalo”ti.
“It’s incredible, worthy Gotama, it’s amazing, This is quite enough to justify giving gifts and performing memorial rites for the dead, since it’s never fruitless for the donor.” “That’s so true, brahmin. It’s never fruitless for the donor.”
