Is it possible to take birth at will ?

[sentinel]

Hi to all ,

I was wondering if a person has the ability to take birth at will At time of Death ? Say for instance , a (supposedly advanced in training) monk is going to die soon , can he choose places and family to be the next birth of his ? Buddha himself seems to chose his birth destination at will .

[SarathW]

I thought birth is always a result of will (Sankhara)

[santa100]

In some respects, we all can "choose" our future destination by cultivating the proper wholesome kamma suitable for its future fruition (ie. abandon killing to "choose" a healthy and long-life rebirth, abandon stealing/stinginess to "choose" a wealthy rebirth, abandon adultery for a hamonious and peaceful rebirth, etc...)

[pegembara]

"A monk who is a trainee — yearning for the unexcelled relief from bondage, his aspirations as yet unfulfilled — directly knows earth as earth. Directly knowing earth as earth, let him not conceive things about earth, let him not conceive things in earth, let him not conceive things coming out of earth, let him not conceive earth as 'mine,' let him not delight in earth. Why is that? So that he may comprehend it, I tell you.

https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitak ... .than.html

"The well-instructed disciple of the noble ones — who has regard for noble ones, is well-versed & disciplined in their Dhamma; who has regard for men of integrity, is well-versed & disciplined in their Dhamma — discerns what ideas are fit for attention and what ideas are unfit for attention. This being so, he does not attend to ideas unfit for attention and attends [instead] to ideas fit for attention.

"This is how he attends inappropriately: 'Was I in the past? Was I not in the past? What was I in the past? How was I in the past? Having been what, what was I in the past? Shall I be in the future? Shall I not be in the future? What shall I be in the future? How shall I be in the future? Having been what, what shall I be in the future?' Or else he is inwardly perplexed about the immediate present: 'Am I? Am I not? What am I? How am I? Where has this being come from? Where is it bound?'

"He attends appropriately, This is stress... This is the origination of stress... This is the cessation of stress... This is the way leading to the cessation of stress. As he attends appropriately in this way, three fetters are abandoned in him: identity-view, doubt, and grasping at precepts & practices. These are called the fermentations to be abandoned by seeing.

https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitak ... .than.html

[Polar Bear]

There is definitely a sutta that states that a person who is virtuous, if they make a wish to be reborn as a wealthy upper class person, or to be reborn among a specific heavenly abode, will be able to achieve their wish due to that good kamma. I couldn’t find the sutta though, I cant think of the right key words. Maybe someone else will stumble upon it for us.

[Polar Bear]

I think I was looking for MN 41 below, but there might be another sutta I was thinking of. It looks like determining your rebirth is less a matter of definitely succeeding though and more a matter of greater possibility.

This is how principled and moral conduct is the reason why some sentient beings, when their body breaks up, after death, are reborn in a good place, a heavenly realm.

A person of principled and moral conduct might wish: ‘If only, when my body breaks up, after death, I would be reborn in the company of well-to-do aristocrats!’ It’s possible that this might happen. Why is that? Because they have principled and moral conduct.

A person of principled and moral conduct might wish: ‘If only, when my body breaks up, after death, I would be reborn in the company of well-to-do brahmins … well-to-do householders …

the Gods of the Four Great Kings …

the Gods of the Thirty-Three … the Gods of Yama … the Joyful Gods … the Gods Who Love to Create … the Gods Who Control the Creations of Others … the Gods of Brahmā’s Group …

the Radiant Gods …

the Gods of Limited Radiance … the Gods of Limitless Radiance … the Gods of Streaming Radiance … the Gods of Limited Glory … the Gods of Limitless Glory … the Gods Replete with Glory … the Gods of Abundant Fruit … the Gods of Aviha … the Gods of Atappa … the Gods Fair to See … the Fair Seeing Gods … the Gods of Akaniṭṭha … the gods of the dimension of infinite space … the gods of the dimension of infinite consciousness … the gods of the dimension of nothingness … the gods of the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception.’ It’s possible that this might happen. Why is that? Because they have principled and moral conduct.

A person of principled and moral conduct might wish: ‘If only I might realize the undefiled freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom in this very life, and live having realized it with my own insight due to the ending of defilements.’ It’s possible that this might happen. Why is that? Because they have principled and moral conduct.”

https://suttacentral.net/mn41/en/sujato

[sentinel]

I think I was looking for MN 41 below,

https://suttacentral.net/mn41/en/sujato

Thanks Polar , but , I am looking at , for example , when near to death time i am directing my mind to take birth , say in Ajahn Chah relative family ?
Is that possible ?

[DooDoot]

Maybe someone else will stumble upon it for us.

MN 120 about saṅkhārupapattiṃ.

[sentinel]

Maybe someone else will stumble upon it for us.

MN 120 about saṅkhārupapattiṃ.

the gods of the dimension of infinite space …

the gods of the dimension of infinite consciousness …

the gods of the dimension of nothingness … the gods of the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception are long-lived, beautiful, and very happy.’ They think: ‘If only, when my body breaks up, after death, I would be reborn in the company of the gods of the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception!’ They settle on that thought, stabilize it and develop it. Those choices and meditations of theirs, developed and cultivated like this, lead to rebirth there. This is the path and the practice that leads to rebirth there.