At Sāvatthi. Then King Pasenadi of Kosalā approached the Blessed One, paid homage to him, and sat down to one side. The Blessed One then said to him:
“Great king, there are these four kinds of persons found existing in the world. What four? The one heading from darkness to darkness, the one heading from darkness to light, the one heading from light to darkness, the one heading from light to light. “And how, great king, is a person one heading from darkness to darkness? Here some person has been reborn in a low family — a family of caṇḍālas, bamboo workers, hunters, cartwrights, or flower-scavengers — a poor family in which there is little food and drink and which subsists with difficulty, one where food and clothing are obtained with difficulty; and he is ugly, unsightly, deformed, chronically ill — purblind or cripple-handed or lame or paralyzed. He is not one who gains food, drink, clothing, and vehicles; garlands, scents, and unguents; bedding, housing, and lighting. He engages in misconduct of body, speech, and mind. Having done so, with the breakup of the body, after death, he is reborn in the plane of misery, in a bad destination, in the nether world, in hell.
“Suppose, great king, a man would go from darkness to darkness, or from gloom to gloom, or from stain to stain: this person, I say, is exactly similar. It is in this way, great king, that a person is one heading from darkness to darkness.
“And how, great king, is a person one heading from darkness to light? Here some person has been reborn in a low family … one where food and clothing are obtained with difficulty; and he is ugly … or paralyzed. He is not one who gains food … and lighting. He engages in good conduct of body, speech, and mind. Having done so, with the breakup of the body, after death, he is reborn in a good destination, in a heavenly world.
“Suppose, great king, a man would climb from the ground on to a palanquin, or from a palanquin on to horseback, or from horseback to an elephant mount, or from an elephant mount to a mansion: this person, I say, is exactly similar. It is in this way, great king, that a person is one heading from darkness to light.
“And how, great king, is a person one heading from light to darkness? Here some person has been reborn in a high family — an affluent khattiya family, an affluent brahmin family, or an affluent householder family — one which is rich, with great wealth and property, with abundant gold and silver, abundant treasures and commodities, abundant wealth and grain; and he is handsome, attractive, graceful, possessing supreme beauty of complexion. He is one who gains food, drink, clothing, and vehicles; garlands, scents, and unguents; bedding, housing, and lighting. He engages in misconduct of body, speech, and mind. Having done so, with the breakup of the body, after death, he is reborn in the plane of misery, in a bad destination, in the nether world, in hell.
“Suppose, great king, a man would descend from a mansion to an elephant mount, or from an elephant mount to horseback, or from horseback to a palanquin, or from a palanquin to the ground, or from the ground to underground darkness: this person, I say, is exactly similar. It is in this way, great king, that a person is one heading from light to darkness.
“And how, great king, is a person one heading from light to light? Here some person has been reborn in a high family … with abundant wealth and grain; and he is handsome, attractive, graceful, possessing supreme beauty of complexion. He is one who gains food … and lighting. He engages in good conduct of body, speech, and mind. Having done so, with the breakup of the body, after death, he is reborn in a good destination, in a heavenly world.
“Suppose, great king, a man would cross over from palanquin to palanquin, or from horseback to horseback, or from elephant mount to elephant mount, or from mansion to mansion: this person, I say, is exactly similar. It is in this way, great king, that a person is one heading from light to light.
“These, great king, are the four kinds of persons found existing in the world.
(i)
419 “The person, O king, who is poor,
Lacking in faith, stingy,
Niggardly, with bad intentions,
Wrong in views, disrespectful,
420 Who abuses and reviles ascetics,
Brahmins, and other mendicants;
A nihilist, a scoffer, who hinders
Another giving food to beggars:
421 When such a person dies, O king,
He goes, lord of the people,
To the terrible hell,
Heading from darkness to darkness.
(ii)
422 “The person, O king, who is poor,
Endowed with faith, generous,
One who gives, with best intentions,
A person with unscattered mind
423 Who rises up and venerates ascetics,
Brahmins, and other mendicants;
One who trains in righteous conduct,
Who hinders none giving food to beggars:
424 When such a person dies, O king,
He goes, lord of the people,
To the triple heaven,
Heading from darkness to light.
(iii)
425 “The person, O king, who is rich,
Lacking in faith, stingy,
Niggardly, with bad intentions,
Wrong in views, disrespectful,
426 Who abuses and reviles ascetics,
Brahmins, and other mendicants;
A nihilist, a scoffer, who hinders
Another giving food to beggars:
427 When such a person dies, O king,
He goes, lord of the people,
To the terrible hell,
Heading from light to darkness.
(iv)
428 “The person, O king, who is rich,
Endowed with faith, generous,
One who gives, with best intentions,
A person with unscattered mind
429 Who rises up and venerates ascetics,
Brahmins, and other mendicants;
One who trains in righteous conduct,
Who hinders none giving food to beggars:
430 When such a person dies, O king,
He goes, lord of the people,
To the triple heaven,
Heading from light to light.”
At Sāvatthi. Then, in the middle of the day, King Pasenadi of Kosalā approached the Blessed One... The Blessed One said to him as he was sitting to one side: “Where are you coming from, great king, in the middle of the day?”
“Venerable sir, my grandmother has died. She was old, aged, burdened with years, advanced in life, come to the last stage, years from birth. Venerable sir, my grandmother was dear and beloved to me. If, venerable sir, by means of the elephantgem I could have redeemed her from death, I would have given away even the elephant-gem so that she would not have died. If by means of the horse-gem I could have redeemed her from death … If by a prize village I could have redeemed her from death … If by means of the country I could have redeemed her from death, I would have given away even the country so that she would not have died.”
“All beings, great king, are subject to death, terminate in death, and cannot escape death.”
“It is wonderful, venerable sir! It is amazing, venerable sir! How well this has been stated by the Blessed One: ‘All beings, great king, are subject to death, terminate in death, and cannot escape death.’”
“So it is, great king! So it is, great king! All beings, great king, are subject to death, terminate in death, and cannot escape death. Just as all the potter’s vessels, whether unbaked or baked, are subject to a breakup, terminate in their breakup, and cannot escape their breakup, so all beings are subject to death, terminate in death, and cannot escape death.
431 “All beings will die, For life ends in death.
They will fare according to their deeds,
Reaping the fruits of their merit and evil:
The doers of evil go to hell,
The doers of merit to a happy realm.
432 “Therefore one should do what is good
As a collection for the future life.
Merits are the support for living beings
[When they arise] in the other world.”
At Sāvatthi. Sitting to one side, King Pasenadi of Kosalā said to the Blessed One: “Venerable sir, how many things are there in the world which, when they arise, arise for one’s harm, suffering, and discomfort?”
“There are, great king, three things in the world which, when they arise, arise for one’s harm, suffering, and discomfort. What are the three? Greed, hatred, and delusion. These are the three things in the world which, when they arise, arise for one’s harm, suffering, and discomfort.
433 “Greed, hatred, and delusion,
Arisen from within oneself,
Injure the person of evil mind
As its own fruit destroys the reed.”
At Sāvatthi. Sitting to one side, King Pasenadi of Kosalā said to the Blessed One:
“Venerable sir, where should a gift be given?” “Wherever one’s mind has confidence, great king.”
“But, venerable sir, where does what is given become of great fruit?”
“This is one question, great king, ‘Where should a gift be given?’ and this another, ‘Where does what is given become of great fruit?’ What is given to one who is virtuous, great king, is of great fruit, not so what is given to an immoral person. Now then, great king, I will question you about this same point. Answer as you see fit. What do you think, great king? Suppose you are at war and a battle is about to take place. Then a khattiya youth would arrive, one who is untrained, unskilful, unpractised, inexperienced, timid, petrified, frightened, quick to flee. Would you employ that man, and would you have any use for such a man?”
“Surely not, venerable sir.”
“Then a brahmin youth would arrive … a vessa youth … a sudda youth … who is untrained … quick to flee. Would you employ that man, and would you have any use for such a man?”
“Surely not, venerable sir.”
“What do you think, great king? Suppose you are at war and a battle is about to take place. Then a khattiya youth would arrive, one who is trained, skilful, practised, experienced, brave, courageous, bold, ready to stand his place. Would you employ that man, and would you have any use for such a man?”
“Surely I would, venerable sir.”
“Then a brahmin youth would arrive … a vessa youth … a sudda youth … who is trained … ready to stand his place. Would you employ that man, and would you have any use for such a man?”
“Surely I would, venerable sir.”
“So too, great king, when a person has gone forth from the household life into homelessness, no matter from what clan, if he has abandoned five factors and possesses five factors, then what is given to him is of great fruit. What five factors have been abandoned? Sensual desire has been abandoned; ill will has been abandoned; sloth and torpor have been abandoned; restlessness and remorse have been abandoned; doubt has been abandoned. What five factors does he possess? He possesses the aggregate of virtue of one beyond training, the aggregate of concentration of one beyond training, the aggregate of wisdom of one beyond training, the aggregate of liberation of one beyond training, the aggregate of the knowledge and vision of liberation of one beyond training. He possesses these five factors. Thus what is given to one who has abandoned five factors and who possesses five factors is of great fruit.
434 “As a king intent on waging war
Would employ a youth skilled with the bow,
One endowed with strength and vigour,
But not the coward on account of his birth —
435 So even though he be of low birth,
One should honour the person of noble conduct,
The sagely man in whom are established
The virtues of patience and gentleness.
436 “One should build delightful hermitages
And invite the learned to dwell in them;
One should build water tanks in the forest
And causeways over rough terrain.
437 “With a confident heart one should give
To those of upright character:
Give food and drink and things to eat,
Clothing to wear and beds and seats.
438 “For as the rain-cloud, thundering,
Wreathed in lightning, with a hundred crests,
Pours down its rain upon the earth,
Flooding both the plain and valley —
439 So the wise man, faithful, learned,
Having had a meal prepared,
Satisfies with food and drink
The mendicants who live on alms.
Rejoicing, he distributes gifts,
And proclaims, ‘Give, give.’
440 “For that is his thundering
Like the sky when it rains.
That shower of merit, so vast,
Will pour down on the giver.”
25 (5) The Simile of the Mountain
At Sāvatthi. Then, in the middle of the day, King Pasenadi of Kosalā approached the Blessed One... The Blessed One said to him as he was sitting to one side: “Now where are you coming from, great king, in the middle of the day?”
“Just now, venerable sir, I have been engaged in those affairs of kingship typical for head-anointed khattiya kings, who are intoxicated with the intoxication of sovereignty, who are obsessed by greed for sensual pleasures, who have attained stable control in their country, and who rule having conquered a great sphere of territory on earth.”
“What do you think, great king? Here, a man would come to you from the east, one who is trustworthy and reliable; having approached, he would tell you: ‘For sure, great king, you should know this: I am coming from the east, and there I saw a great mountain high as the clouds coming this way, crushing all living beings. Do whatever you think should be done, great king.’ Then a second man would come to you from the west … Then a third man would come to you from the north … … Then a fourth man would come to you from the south, one who is trustworthy and reliable; having approached, he would tell you: ‘For sure, great king, you should know this: I am coming from the south, and there I saw a great mountain high as the clouds coming this way, crushing all living beings. Do whatever you think should be done, great king.’ If, great king, such a great peril should arise, such a terrible destruction of human life, the human state being so difficult to obtain, what should be done?”
“If, venerable sir, such a great peril should arise, such a terrible destruction of human life, the human state being so difficult to obtain, what else should be done but to live by the Dhamma, to live righteously, and to do wholesome and meritorious deeds?”
“I inform you, great king, I announce to you, great king: aging and death are rolling in on you. When aging and death are rolling in on you, great king, what should be done?”
“As aging and death are rolling in on me, venerable sir, what else should be done but to live by the Dhamma, to live righteously, and to do wholesome and meritorious deeds?
“There are, venerable sir, elephant battles [fought by] headanointed khattiya kings, who are intoxicated with the intoxication of sovereignty, who are obsessed by greed for sensual pleasures, who have attained stable control in their country, and who rule having conquered a great sphere of territory on earth; but there is no place for those elephant battles, no scope for them, when aging and death are rolling in. There are, venerable sir, cavalry battles [fought by] head-anointed khattiya kings … There are chariot battles … infantry battles … but there is no place for those infantry battles, no scope for them, when aging and death are rolling in. In this royal court, venerable sir, there are counsellors who, when the enemies arrive, are capable of dividing them by subterfuge; but there is no place for those battles of subterfuge, no scope for them, when aging and death are rolling in. In this royal court, venerable sir, there exists abundant bullion and gold stored in vaults and depositories, and with such wealth we are capable of mollifying the enemies when they come; but there is no place for those battles of wealth, no scope for them, when aging and death are rolling in. As aging and death are rolling in on me, venerable sir, what else should be done but to live by the Dhamma, to live righteously, and to do wholesome and meritorious deeds?”
“So it is, great king! So it is, great king! As aging and death are rolling in on you, what else should be done but to live by the Dhamma, to live righteously, and to do wholesome and meritorious deeds?”
This is what the Blessed One said. Having said this, the Fortunate One, the Teacher, further said this:
441 “Just as mountains of solid rock,
Massive, reaching to the sky,
Might draw together from all sides,
Crushing all in the four quarters —
So aging and death come
Rolling over living beings —
442 Khattiyas, brahmins, vessas, suddas,
Caṇḍālas and scavengers:
They spare none along the way
But come crushing everything.
443 “There’s no ground there for elephant troops,
For chariot troops and infantry.
One can’t defeat them by subterfuge,
Or buy them off by means of wealth.
444 “Therefore a person of wisdom here,
Out of regard for his own good,
Steadfast, should settle faith
In the Buddha, Dhamma, and Saṅgha.
445 “When one conducts oneself by Dhamma
With body, speech, and mind,
They praise one here in the present life,
And after death one rejoices in heaven.”