Aṇguttara Nikāya
Chakka Nipāta
IV. Devatā Vagga
The Book of the Gradual Sayings
The Book of the Sixes
IV. The Devas
Sutta 39
Kamma-Nidāna Suttaṃ
The Means[1]
Translated from the Pali by E.M. Hare.
Copyright The Pali Text Society
Commercial Rights Reserved
For details see Terms of Use.
[1] Thus have I heard:
The Exalted One was dwelling near Sāvatthī.
There the Exalted One addressed the monks, saying:
"Monks."
"Yes, lord," they replied, and the Exalted One said:
2. 'Monks, there are these three means to heap up[2] deeds.
What three?
Greed is a means to heap up deeds;
hate is a means to heap up deeds;
delusion is a means to heap up deeds.
■
Monks, not from greed
does not-greed heap up,
but from greed surely greed heaps up;
not[3] from hate
does not-hate heap up,
but from hate surely hate heaps up;
not from delusion
does non-delusion heap up,
but from delusion surely
delusion heaps up.
■
Monks, not of deeds,
greed-born,
hate-born,
delusion-born,
are devas,
are men,
nor they who fare along the happy way;
monks, of deeds born of greed,
hate,
delusion,
hell is,
brute-birth is,
the ghost-realm is,
and they who fare along the evil way.
Verify, monks, these are the three means
to heap up deeds.
§
Monks, there are these three means
to heap up deeds.
What three?
Not-greed is a means to heap up deeds;
not-hate is a means to heap up deeds;
non-delusion is a means to heap up deeds.
■
Monks, not from not-greed
does greed heap up,
but from not-greed surely not-greed heaps up;
not from not-hate does hate heap up,
but from not-hate surely not-hate heaps up;
not from non-delusion does delusion heap up,
but from nondelusion surely non-delusion heaps up.
■
Monks, not of deeds,
born of not-greed,
not-hate,
non-delusion,
is hell,
brute-birth,
the ghost-realm,
nor they who fare along the evil way;
monks, of deeds, born of not-greed,
not-hate,
non-delusion,
devas are,
men are,
and they who fare along the happy way.
Verily, monks, these are the three means
to heap up deeds.'
[1] Nidāna, binding on to, √dā, cause.
Ecclesiastes ii, 26:
For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit.
K.J.V.
— p.p.
[2] Samudaya. Comy. piṇḍa-karaṇ' atthāya (snow)-ball-like. Cf. Ecclesiastes ii, 26.
