Aṇguttara Nikāya
X. Dasaka-Nipāta
XXI: Kara-Ja-Kāya-Vagga
The Book of the Gradual Sayings
X. The Book of the Tens
XXI: The Body Born of Deeds
Sutta 208
Kara-Ja-Kāya Suttaṃ
The Brahma-moods[1]
Translated from the Pali by F. L. Woodward, M.A.
Copyright The Pali Text Society
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[1][than][olds][bodh] "Monks, I declare that of intentional deeds done and accumulated
there can be no wiping out
without experiencing the result thereof,
and that too whenever arising,
either in this same visible state
or in some other state hereafter.
I declare, monks, that there is no ending of Ill
as regards intentional deeds done and accumulated
without experiencing the results thereof.
§
"thus freed" = "evaṃ vigata" "thus devoid of" It is very likely that the previous sutta, which is, as it is, an exact duplicate of the sutta previous to it, actually belongs as the first portion of this sutta.
— p.p.
Monks, that Ariyan disciple[2]
thus freed from coveting,
freed from malevolence,
not bewildered
but self-possessed and concentrated,
with a heart possessed of amity,
abides irradiating one quarter of the world,
likewise the second,
third and fourth quarters of the world,
likewise above,
below,
across,
everywhere,
for all sorts and conditions —
he abides irradiating the whole world
with a heart possessed of amity
that is widespreading,
grown great and boundless,
free from enmity and untroubled.
He comes to know thus:
Formerly this heart of mine was confined,[3]
it was not made to grow;
but now my heart is boundless,
well made to grow.
Moreover whatsoever deed belongs to a limited range,
now it stays not in that range,
it stands not still in that range.[4]
Now what think ye, monks?
If from his youth up[5]
this young man
should make the heart's release by amity to grow,
pray would he do any wicked deed?"
"Surely not, sir."
"Pray, can any ill contact one
who does no wicked deed?"
"Surely not, sir.
How shall ill contact such an one?"
"Indeed, monks, this heart's release by amity
must be made to grow
whether by a woman or by a man.
A woman or a man cannot take this body and go away.[6]
This mortal being, monks,
is but a between-thoughts.[7]
He comes to know thus:
'Whatever wicked deed has been done by me here
with this body born of action,[8]
all of that must be felt here;
then it will not follow me
and come to be hereafter.'[9]
Thus made to grow, monks,
the heart's release by amity
conduces to not-returning
for the monk of insight won in this life,[10]
but who has not yet penetrated the release beyond that.
§
Monks, that Ariyan disciple
thus freed from coveting,
freed from malevolence,
not bewildered
but self-possessed and concentrated,
with a heart possessed of compassion,
abides irradiating one quarter of the world,
likewise the second,
third and fourth quarters of the world,
likewise above,
below,
across,
everywhere,
for all sorts and conditions —
he abides irradiating the whole world
with a heart possessed of compassion
that is widespreading,
grown great and boundless,
free from enmity and untroubled.
He comes to know thus:
Formerly this heart of mine was confined,
it was not made to grow;
but now my heart is boundless,
well made to grow.
Moreover whatsoever deed belongs to a limited range,
now it stays not in that range,
it stands not still in that range.
Now what think ye, monks?
If from his youth up
this young man
should make the heart's release by compassion to grow,
pray would he do any wicked deed?"
"Surely not, sir."
"Pray, can any ill contact one
who does no wicked deed?"
"Surely not, sir.
How shall ill contact such an one?"
"Indeed, monks, this heart's release by compassion
must be made to grow
whether by a woman or by a man.
A woman or a man cannot take this body and go away.
This mortal being, monks,
is but a between-thoughts.
He comes to know thus:
'Whatever wicked deed has been done by me here
with this body born of action,
all of that must be felt here;
then it will not follow me
and come to be hereafter.'
Thus made to grow, monks,
the heart's release by compassion
conduces to not-returning
for the monk of insight won in this life,
but who has not yet penetrated the release beyond that.
§
Monks, that Ariyan disciple
thus freed from coveting,
freed from malevolence,
not bewildered
but self-possessed and concentrated,
with a heart possessed of sympathy,
abides irradiating one quarter of the world,
likewise the second,
third and fourth quarters of the world,
likewise above,
below,
across,
everywhere,
for all sorts and conditions —
he abides irradiating the whole world
with a heart possessed of sympathy
that is widespreading,
grown great and boundless,
free from enmity and untroubled.
He comes to know thus:
Formerly this heart of mine was confined,
it was not made to grow;
but now my heart is boundless,
well made to grow.
Moreover whatsoever deed belongs to a limited range,
now it stays not in that range,
it stands not still in that range.
Now what think ye, monks?
If from his youth up
this young man
should make the heart's release by sympathy to grow,
pray would he do any wicked deed?"
"Surely not, sir."
"Pray, can any ill contact one
who does no wicked deed?"
"Surely not, sir.
How shall ill contact such an one?"
"Indeed, monks, this heart's release by sympathy
must be made to grow
whether by a woman or by a man.
A woman or a man cannot take this body and go away.
This mortal being, monks,
is but a between-thoughts.
He comes to know thus:
'Whatever wicked deed has been done by me here
with this body born of action,
all of that must be felt here;
then it will not follow me
and come to be hereafter.'
Thus made to grow, monks,
the heart's release by sympathy
conduces to not-returning
for the monk of insight won in this life,
but who has not yet penetrated the release beyond that.
§
Monks, that Ariyan disciple
thus freed from coveting,
freed from malevolence,
not bewildered
but self-possessed and concentrated,
with a heart possessed of equanimity,
abides irradiating one quarter of the world,
likewise the second,
third and fourth quarters of the world,
likewise above,
below,
across,
everywhere,
for all sorts and conditions —
he abides irradiating the whole world
with a heart possessed of equanimity
that is widespreading,
grown great and boundless,
free from enmity and untroubled.
He comes to know thus:
Formerly this heart of mine was confined,
it was not made to grow;
but now my heart is boundless,
well made to grow.
Moreover whatsoever deed belongs to a limited range,
now it stays not in that range,
it stands not still in that range.
Now what think ye, monks?
If from his youth up
this young man
should make the heart's release by equanimity to grow,
pray would he do any wicked deed?"
"Surely not, sir."
"Pray, can any ill contact one
who does no wicked deed?"
"Surely not, sir.
How shall ill contact such an one?"
"Indeed, monks, this heart's release by equanimity
must be made to grow
whether by a woman or by a man.
A woman or a man cannot take this body and go away.
This mortal being, monks,
is but a between-thoughts.
He comes to know thus:
'Whatever wicked deed has been done by me here
with this body born of action,
all of that must be felt here;
then it will not follow me
and come to be hereafter.'
Thus made to grow, monks,
the heart's release by equanimity
conduces to not-returning
for the monk of insight won in this life,
but who has not yet penetrated the release beyond that."
[1] Brahma-vihārā; cf. K.S. v, 98 n.
[2] As at S. iv, 322 = K.S. iv, 227; G.S. ii, 132. Apparently all this is borrowed from some other sutta, for it is introduced without apparent reason thus suddenly. Below we have 'that young man.'
[3] Paritta; cf. D. i, 251 = Dialog. i, 318; K.S. iv, 227.
[4] Yaṇ pamāṇa-kataṇ kammaṇ is taken by Comy. as equal to kāmā-vacara (sphere of sense-activities), while appamāṇa-kataṇ kammaṇ is of rūpāvacara (the realm of finer matter). This passage in the Brahma-vihāras has hitherto been taken (by Rhys Davids at D. i, loc. cit., and by myself at K.S. iv) to refer to the all-embracing range of amity, 'whatsoever finite thing there be, naught is passed over or left aside' — i.e., he leaves out no finite object from his heart; but re-reading Text and Comy. I think this trans. will not stand for kammaṇ and na tatrāvasissati, for another idea seems thus introduced. Comy., which repeats a part of SA. iii on S. iv, 227, seems to think it means, 'by shutting out the result of this or that act, of himself he is carried onwards to the Company of the Brahma-world.'
[5] Dahara-t-agge.
[6] Lit., 'there is not a going away of body, taking it along, for a man or woman.'
[7] Citt'antaro ayaṇ macco. I have not found the word c.a. in P. Dicts. Comy. says it is citta-kāraṇo or citten'eva antariko — i.e., at one thought-moment one is in this world, at the next in the deva-world or purgatory, etc. Editor of Text misprints an'atthiko (?) at p. 364 (in Appendix).
[8] Karaja-kāya (this gives the name to this chapter), translated 'sentient body' at Expositor ii, 485, where note has: 'It is also explained as the "constituted body" (sasambhāra-kāya) or "body born of becoming." ... Comy. on Dīg. ii takes it to mean "the body derived from the four great essentials." ... The rendering by "frail body" in Buddhist Psychological Ethics, p. 213, is wrong.'
[9] Na taṇ anugaṇ bhavissati. So Text, but Comy. anubhavissati (= na anugataṇ bhavissati), referring to one on the Fourfold Path.
[10] Idha-paññassa bhikkhuno. Comy. imasmiṇ sāsane paññā idha paññā nāma sāsana-caritāya ariya-pañÑāya yuttassa ariya-sāvakassa. Text has idha paññ'assa (?), as if it were paññāssa (would be wisdom). The release 'beyond' is arahantship.
