AN 10.216 Saṃsappaniya pariyāya [Saṃsappanīya] Sutta.

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AN 10.216 Saṃsappaniya pariyāya [Saṃsappanīya] Sutta.

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AN 10.216 Saṃsappaniya pariyāya [Saṃsappanīya] Sutta.
Translated by Bhikkhu Bodhi.


https://suttacentral.net/en/an10.216

“Bhikkhus, I will teach you an exposition of the Dhamma on creeping. [2177] Listen and attend closely. I will speak.”

“Yes, Bhante,” those bhikkhus replied. The Blessed One said this:

“And what, bhikkhus, is that exposition of the Dhamma on creeping? Bhikkhus, beings are the owners of their kamma, the heirs of their kamma; they have kamma as their origin, kamma as their relative, kamma as their resort; whatever kamma they do, good or bad, they are its heirs.

(1) “Here, someone destroys life; he is murderous, bloody-handed, given to blows and violence, merciless to living beings. He creeps along by body, speech, and mind. [2178] His bodily kamma is crooked; his verbal kamma is crooked; his mental kamma is crooked. His destination is crooked; his rebirth is crooked. But for one with a crooked destination and rebirth, I say, there is one of two destinations: either the exclusively painful hells or a species of creeping animal. And what are the species of creeping animals? The snake, the scorpion, the centipede, the mongoose, the cat, the mouse, and the owl, [2179] or any other animals that creep away when they see people. Thus a being is reborn from a being; one is reborn through one’s deeds. When one has been reborn, contacts affect one. It is in this way, I say, that beings are the heirs of their kamma.

(2) “Someone takes what is not given … (3) … engages in sexual misconduct … (4) … speaks falsehood … (5) … speaks divisively … (6) … speaks harshly … (7) … indulges in idle chatter … (8) … is full of longing … (9) … has a mind of ill will and intentions of hate … (10) … holds wrong view and has an incorrect perspective thus: ‘There is nothing given … there are in the world no ascetics and brahmins of right conduct and right practice who, having realized this world and the other world for themselves by direct knowledge, make them known to others.’ He creeps along by body, speech, and mind. His bodily kamma is crooked … His destination is crooked; his rebirth is crooked…. Thus a being is reborn from a being; one is reborn through one’s deeds. When one has been reborn, contacts affect one. It is in this way, I say, that beings are the heirs of their kamma.

“Bhikkhus, beings are the owners of their kamma, the heirs of their kamma; they have kamma as their origin, kamma as their relative, kamma as their resort; whatever kamma they do, good or bad, they are its heirs.

(1) “Here, having abandoned the destruction of life, someone abstains from the destruction of life; with the rod and weapon laid aside, conscientious and kindly, he dwells compassionate toward all living beings. He does not creep along by body, speech, and mind. His bodily kamma is straight; his verbal kamma is straight; his mental kamma is straight. His destination is straight; his rebirth is straight. But for one with a straight destination and rebirth, I say, there is one of two destinations: either the exclusively pleasant heavens or eminent families, such as those of affluent khattiyas, affluent brahmins, or affluent householders, families that are rich, with great wealth and property, abundant gold and silver, abundant treasures and belongings, abundant wealth and grain. Thus a being is reborn from a being; one is reborn through one’s deeds. When one has been reborn, contacts affect one. It is in this way, I say, that beings are the heirs of their kamma.

(2) “Having abandoned the taking of what is not given, someone abstains from taking what is not given … (3) … abstains from sexual misconduct … (4) … abstains from false speech … (5) … abstains from divisive speech … (6) … abstains from harsh speech … (7) … abstains from idle chatter … (8) … is without longing … (9) … is of good will … (10) … holds right view and has a correct perspective thus: ‘There is what is given … there are in the world ascetics and brahmins of right conduct and right practice who, having realized this world and the other world for themselves by direct knowledge, make them known to others.’ He does not creep along by body, speech, and mind. His bodily kamma is straight … His destination is straight; his rebirth is straight…. Thus a being is reborn from a being; one is reborn through one’s deeds. When one has been reborn, contacts affect one. It is in this way, I say, that beings are the heirs of their kamma.

“Bhikkhus, beings are the owners of their kamma, the heirs of their kamma; they have kamma as their origin, kamma as their relative, kamma as their resort; whatever kamma they do, good or bad, they are its heirs.

“This, bhikkhus, is that exposition of the Dhamma on creeping.”

Notes

[2177] Saṃsappanīyapariyāyaṃ vo bhikkhave dhammapariyāyaṃ desessāmi.
Mp: “An exposition of the Dhamma that has ‘creeping’ as its
subject matter.”

[2178] Mp: “In doing that action he creeps forward, creeps around,
wriggles around.”

[2179] Ulūkā. The owl may have been included here because it operates
furtively. The Chinese counterpart at T I 273c 27–28 mentions only
four animals: the snake, the mouse, the cat, and the fox.
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Re: AN 10.216 Saṃsappaniya pariyāya [Saṃsappanīya] Sutta.

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Re: AN 10.216 Saṃsappaniya pariyāya [Saṃsappanīya] Sutta.

Post by gavesako »

The unusual formulation "Thus a being is reborn from a being; one is reborn through one’s deeds." is explained by Piya Tan:


The second line (bhūtā bhūtassa upapatti hoti) is a difficult line. There is clearly a word play here,
that is, the usage of words in such a way as to be as inclusive as possible of the various intended senses
and imports. For example, it can be alternately translated as: “A being’s rebirth is due to what he has been
(or what he has done).” The main idea, however, is clear: our karmic state arises from our own past actions.
[2.1.2]
2.1.2 Bhūta. There is another alternate translation of the same line above [2.1], that is, “A being’s
rebirth is due to his past” [§3.6 etc]. Here, bhūta is somewhat freely, but with valid reasons, translated as
“the past,” from its sense as the past participle (“has become, has been”) of bhavati, “to be.”17 This usage
is clearly brought out in this beautiful alliteratively poetic phrase—bhūte ca bhāvino c’eva sabbe bhūpe,
“all the past and present kings”—found in the Mahā,vaṁsa (Mahv 57.37).
2.1.3 “As he acts.” The third line, yaṁ karoti tena upapajjati [§3.6 etc], is a short yaṁ/taṁ or correlative
sentence. Technically, it should be translated as “What one does, by that one is reborn.” The English
idiom here, however, brings out perhaps only the “passive” aspect (which is of course significant in itself):
that is, if we are unmindful, we would act unskillfully and be the victims of our own karma. We are
caught in the rut of our habits, instead of our bodily, verbal and mental faculties facilitating our personal
development. This “passive” aspect of our karma—our becoming victims of our actions—is comprehensively
stated in the first half of the Saṁsappanīya Pariyāya Sutta, that is, “the unwholesome course of karma”
cycle [§§3-4].18
The translation, “as he acts, so he is reborn,” is not only short and easy to apprehend, but actually
brings out more fully, even exactly, the import of the Pali sentence. It is vital to remember that in sutta
translation, our task is to bring out both the beauty and the truth (the meaning and the wording)19 of the
Pali texts. Hence, it is often said in the suttas that the Dharma is good (kalyāṇa) “both in the spirit and in
the letter” (s’atthaṁ sa,vyañjanaṁ).20
This idiomatic translation brings out both the “passive” and the “active” aspects of our karmic being.
The active aspect is laid out in the Sutta’s closing half, that is, “the wholesome karmic course” [§§5-6].
Although “active” can also apply to the negative aspects of karma, here the focus is on our mindful efforts
in cultivating the ten courses of good karma. In other words, we should be victors over karma.
Bad karma is “passive” in the sense that we seem to have no free will,21 but simply hand over our remote
control over to our negative habits and conditionings. We simply react to thoughts and situations,
and seek out ego-affirming stimulations, measuring them by our past experiences or future expectations.
As such, we have abandoned the present: in a real sense, we merely exist, but have no life!
Bhikkhu Gavesako
Kiṃkusalagavesī anuttaraṃ santivarapadaṃ pariyesamāno... (MN 26)

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Re: AN 10.216 Saṃsappaniya pariyāya [Saṃsappanīya] Sutta.

Post by User156079 »

I think it is noteworthy that intoxcation is not listed here as a thing leading to a crooked rebirth.
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