Aṅguttara Nikāya 10.219

Numbered Discourses 10.219

21. Karajakāyavagga

21. The Body Born of Deeds

Karajakāyasutta

The Body Born of Deeds

“Nāhaṁ, bhikkhave, sañcetanikānaṁ kammānaṁ katānaṁ upacitānaṁ appaṭisaṁveditvā byantībhāvaṁ vadāmi, tañca kho diṭṭheva dhamme upapajje vā apare vā pariyāye. Na tvevāhaṁ, bhikkhave, sañcetanikānaṁ kammānaṁ katānaṁ upacitānaṁ appaṭisaṁveditvā dukkhassantakiriyaṁ vadāmi.

“Bhikkhus, I don’t say that intentional deeds that have been performed and accumulated are eliminated without being experienced. And that may be in the present life, or in the next life, or in some subsequent period. And I don’t say that suffering is ended without experiencing intentional deeds that have been performed and accumulated.

Sa kho so, bhikkhave, ariyasāvako evaṁ vigatābhijjho vigatabyāpādo asammūḷho sampajāno paṭissato mettāsahagatena cetasā ekaṁ disaṁ pharitvā viharati tathā dutiyaṁ tathā tatiyaṁ tathā catutthaṁ. Iti uddhamadho tiriyaṁ sabbadhi sabbattatāya sabbāvantaṁ lokaṁ mettāsahagatena cetasā vipulena mahaggatena appamāṇena averena abyāpajjena pharitvā viharati.

That noble disciple is rid of desire, rid of ill will, unconfused, aware, and mindful. They meditate spreading a heart full of love to one direction, and to the second, and to the third, and to the fourth. In the same way above, below, across, everywhere, all around, they spread a heart full of love to the whole world—abundant, expansive, limitless, free of enmity and ill will.

So evaṁ pajānāti: ‘pubbe kho me idaṁ cittaṁ parittaṁ ahosi abhāvitaṁ, etarahi pana me idaṁ cittaṁ appamāṇaṁ subhāvitaṁ. Yaṁ kho pana kiñci pamāṇakataṁ kammaṁ, na taṁ tatrāvasissati na taṁ tatrāvatiṭṭhatī’ti.

They understand: ‘Formerly my mind was limited and undeveloped. Now it’s limitless and well developed. Whatever limited deeds I’ve done don’t remain or persist there.’

Taṁ kiṁ maññatha, bhikkhave, daharatagge ce so ayaṁ¹ kumāro mettaṁ cetovimuttiṁ bhāveyya, api nu kho pāpakammaṁ kareyyā”ti?

What do you think, bhikkhus? Suppose a child had developed the heart’s release by love from their childhood on. Would they still do any bad deed?”

“No hetaṁ, bhante”.

“No, sir.”

“Akarontaṁ kho pana pāpakammaṁ api nu kho dukkhaṁ phuseyyā”ti?

“Not doing any bad deed, would they still experience any suffering?”

“No hetaṁ, bhante. Akarontañhi, bhante, pāpakammaṁ kuto dukkhaṁ phusissatī”ti.

“No, sir. For if they don’t do any bad deed, from where would suffering afflict them?”

“Bhāvetabbā kho panāyaṁ, bhikkhave, mettācetovimutti itthiyā vā purisena vā. Itthiyā vā, bhikkhave, purisassa vā nāyaṁ kāyo ādāya gamanīyo. Cittantaro ayaṁ, bhikkhave, macco. So evaṁ pajānāti: ‘yaṁ kho me idaṁ kiñci pubbe iminā karajakāyena pāpakammaṁ kataṁ, sabbaṁ taṁ idha vedanīyaṁ; na taṁ anugaṁ bhavissatī’ti. Evaṁ bhāvitā kho, bhikkhave, mettā cetovimutti anāgāmitāya saṁvattati, idha paññassa bhikkhuno uttari² vimuttiṁ appaṭivijjhato.

“This heart’s release by love should be developed by women or men. For neither women nor men take this body with them when they go. The mind is what’s inside mortal beings. They understand: ‘Whatever bad deeds I have done in the past with this deed-born body I will experience here. It will not follow me to my next life.’ The heart’s release by love developed in this way leads to non-return for a wise bhikkhu here who has not penetrated to a higher freedom.

Karuṇāsahagatena cetasā … muditāsahagatena cetasā … upekkhāsahagatena cetasā ekaṁ disaṁ pharitvā viharati tathā dutiyaṁ tathā tatiyaṁ tathā catutthaṁ. Iti uddhamadho tiriyaṁ sabbadhi sabbattatāya sabbāvantaṁ lokaṁ upekkhāsahagatena cetasā vipulena mahaggatena appamāṇena averena abyāpajjena pharitvā viharati.

They meditate spreading a heart full of compassion … They meditate spreading a heart full of rejoicing … They meditate spreading a heart full of equanimity to one direction, and to the second, and to the third, and to the fourth. In the same way above, below, across, everywhere, all around, they spread a heart full of equanimity to the whole world—abundant, expansive, limitless, free of enmity and ill will.

So evaṁ pajānāti: ‘pubbe kho me idaṁ cittaṁ parittaṁ ahosi abhāvitaṁ, etarahi pana me idaṁ cittaṁ appamāṇaṁ subhāvitaṁ. Yaṁ kho pana kiñci pamāṇakataṁ kammaṁ, na taṁ tatrāvasissati na taṁ tatrāvatiṭṭhatī’ti.

They understand: ‘Formerly my mind was limited and undeveloped. Now it’s limitless and well developed. Whatever limited deeds I’ve done don’t remain or persist there.’

Taṁ kiṁ maññatha, bhikkhave, daharatagge ce so ayaṁ kumāro upekkhaṁ cetovimuttiṁ bhāveyya, api nu kho pāpakammaṁ kareyyā”ti?

What do you think, bhikkhus? Suppose a child had developed the heart’s release by equanimity from their childhood on. Would they still do any bad deed?”

“No hetaṁ, bhante”.

“No, sir.”

“Akarontaṁ kho pana pāpakammaṁ api nu kho dukkhaṁ phuseyyā”ti?

“Not doing any bad deed, would they still experience any suffering?”

“No hetaṁ, bhante. Akarontañhi, bhante, pāpakammaṁ kuto dukkhaṁ phusissatī”ti.

“No, sir. For if they don’t do any bad deed, from where would suffering afflict them?”

“Bhāvetabbā kho panāyaṁ, bhikkhave, upekkhā cetovimutti itthiyā vā purisena vā. Itthiyā vā, bhikkhave, purisassa vā nāyaṁ kāyo ādāya gamanīyo. Cittantaro ayaṁ, bhikkhave, macco. So evaṁ pajānāti: ‘yaṁ kho me idaṁ kiñci pubbe iminā karajakāyena pāpakammaṁ kataṁ, sabbaṁ taṁ idha vedanīyaṁ; na taṁ anugaṁ bhavissatī’ti. Evaṁ bhāvitā kho, bhikkhave, upekkhā cetovimutti anāgāmitāya saṁvattati, idha paññassa bhikkhuno uttari vimuttiṁ appaṭivijjhato”ti.

“This heart’s release by equanimity should be developed by women or men. For neither women nor men take this body with them when they go. The mind is what’s inside mortal beings. They understand: ‘Whatever bad deeds I have done in the past with this deed-born body I will experience here. It will not follow me to my next life.’ The heart’s release by equanimity developed in this way leads to non-return for a wise bhikkhu here who has not penetrated to a higher freedom.”

Navamaṁ.