333 (1)–347 (15)

(333) “Just as, bhikkhus, in this Jambudīpa, delightful parks, groves, landscapes, and lotus ponds are few, while more numerous are the hills and slopes, rivers that are hard to cross, places with stumps and thorns, and rugged mountains, so too those beings are few who are born on dry ground; more numerous are those beings who are born in water.”

(334) “... so too those beings are few who are reborn among human beings; more numerous are those beings who have been reborn elsewhere than among human beings.”

(335) “... so too those beings are few who are reborn in the middle provinces; more numerous are those who have been reborn in the outlying provinces among the uncouth foreigners.”

(336) “... so too those beings are few who are wise, intelligent, astute, able to understand the meaning of what has been well stated and badly stated; more numerous are those who are unwise, stupid, obtuse, unable to understand the meaning of what has been well stated and badly stated.”

(337) “... so too those beings are few who are endowed with the noble eye of wisdom; more numerous are those beings who are confused and immersed in ignorance.”185

(338) “... so too those beings are few who get to see the Tathāgata; more numerous are those beings who do not get to see him.”

(339) “... so too those beings are few who get to hear the Dhamma and discipline expounded by the Tathāgata; more numerous are those who do not get to hear it.”

(340) “... so too those beings are few who, having heard the Dhamma, retain it in mind; more numerous are those who, having heard the Dhamma, do not retain it in mind.”

(341) “... so too those beings are few who examine the meaning of the teachings that have been retained in mind; more numerous are those who do not examine the meaning of the teachings that have been retained in mind.”

(342) “... so too those beings are few who understand the meaning and the Dhamma and then practice in accordance with the Dhamma; more numerous are those who do not understand the meaning and the Dhamma and do not practice in accordance with the Dhamma.”

(343) “... so too those beings are few who acquire a sense of urgency about things inspiring urgency; more numerous are those who do not acquire a sense of urgency about things inspiring urgency.”

(344) “... so too those beings are few who, when inspired with a sense of urgency, strive carefully; more numerous are those who, when inspired with a sense of urgency, do not strive carefully.”

(345) “... so too those beings are few who gain concentration, one-pointedness of mind, based on release; more numerous are those who do not gain concentration, one-pointedness of mind, based on release.”

(346) “... so too those beings are few who obtain the exquisite taste of delicious food; more numerous are those who do not gain such food but subsist on scraps brought in a bowl.”

(347) “... so too those beings are few who obtain the taste of the meaning, the taste of the Dhamma, the taste of liberation; more numerous are those who do not obtain the taste of the meaning, the taste of the Dhamma, the taste of liberation.189 Therefore, bhikkhus, you should train yourselves thus: ‘We will obtain the taste of the meaning, the taste of the Dhamma, the taste of liberation.’ It is in such a way that you should train yourselves.”

348 (16)–377 (45)

(348) –(350) “Just as, bhikkhus, in this Jambudīpa delightful parks, groves, landscapes, and lotus ponds are few, while more numerous are the hills and slopes, rivers that are hard to cross, places with stumps and thorns, and rugged mountains, so too those beings are few who, when they pass away as human beings, are reborn among human beings. More numerous are those who, when they pass away as human beings, are reborn in hell ... in the animal realm ... in the sphere of afflicted spirits.”

(351)–(353) “... so too those beings are few who, when they pass away as human beings, are reborn among the devas. More numerous are those who, when they pass away as human beings, are reborn in hell ... in the animal realm ... in the sphere of afflicted spirits.”

(354)–(356) “... so too those beings are few who, when they pass away as devas, are reborn among the devas. More numerous are those who, when they pass away as devas, are reborn in hell ... in the animal realm ... in the sphere of afflicted spirits.”

(357)–(359) “... so too those beings are few who, when they pass away as devas, are reborn among human beings. More numerous are those who, when they pass away as devas, are reborn in hell ... in the animal realm ... in the sphere of afflicted spirits.”

(360)–(362) “... so too those beings are few who, when they pass away from hell, are reborn among human beings. More numerous are those who, when they pass away from hell, are reborn in hell ... in the animal realm ... in the sphere of afflicted spirits.”

(363)–(365) “... so too those beings are few who, when they pass away from hell, are reborn among the devas. More numerous are those who, when they pass away from hell, are reborn in hell ... in the animal realm ... in the sphere of afflicted spirits.”

(366)–(368) “... so too those beings are few who, when they pass away from the animal realm, are reborn among human beings. More numerous are those who, when they pass away from the animal realm, are reborn in hell ... in the animal realm ... in the sphere of afflicted spirits.”

(369)–(371) “... so too those beings are few who, when they pass away from the animal realm, are reborn among the devas. More numerous are those who, when they pass away from the animal realm, are reborn in hell ... in the animal realm ... in the sphere of afflicted spirits.”

(372)–(374) “... so too those beings are few who, when they pass away from the sphere of afflicted spirits, are reborn among human beings. More numerous are those who, when they pass away from the sphere of afflicted spirits, are reborn in hell ... in the animal realm ... in the sphere of afflicted spirits.”

(375)–(377) “... so too those beings are few who, when they pass away from the sphere of afflicted spirits, are reborn among the devas. More numerous are those who, when they pass away from the sphere of afflicted spirits, are reborn in hell ... in the animal realm ... in the sphere of afflicted spirits.”