Aṅguttara Nikāya 10.219
Translators: sujato
Numbered Discourses 10.219
21. Karajakāyavagga
21. The Body Born of Deeds
Karajakāyasutta
The Body Born of Deeds
“Nāhaṁ, bhikkhave, sañcetanikānaṁ kammānaṁ katānaṁ upacitānaṁ appaṭisaṁveditvā byantībhāvaṁ vadāmi,
“Mendicants, I don’t say that intentional deeds that have been performed and accumulated are eliminated without being experienced.
tañca kho diṭṭheva dhamme upapajje vā apare vā pariyāye.
And that may be in this very life, or in the next life, or in some subsequent period.
Na tvevāhaṁ, bhikkhave, sañcetanikānaṁ kammānaṁ katānaṁ upacitānaṁ appaṭisaṁveditvā dukkhassantakiriyaṁ vadāmi.
And I don’t say that suffering is ended without experiencing intentional deeds that have been performed and accumulated.
Sa kho so, bhikkhave, ariyasāvako evaṁ vigatābhijjho vigatabyāpādo asammūḷho sampajāno paṭissato mettāsahagatena cetasā ekaṁ disaṁ pharitvā viharati tathā dutiyaṁ tathā tatiyaṁ tathā catutthaṁ. Iti uddhamadho tiriyaṁ sabbadhi sabbattatāya sabbāvantaṁ lokaṁ mettāsahagatena cetasā vipulena mahaggatena appamāṇena averena abyāpajjena pharitvā viharati.
That noble disciple is rid of desire, rid of ill will, unconfused, aware, and mindful. They meditate spreading a heart full of love to one direction, and to the second, and to the third, and to the fourth. In the same way above, below, across, everywhere, all around, they spread a heart full of love to the whole world—abundant, expansive, limitless, free of enmity and ill will.
So evaṁ pajānāti:
They understand:
‘pubbe kho me idaṁ cittaṁ parittaṁ ahosi abhāvitaṁ, etarahi pana me idaṁ cittaṁ appamāṇaṁ subhāvitaṁ. Yaṁ kho pana kiñci pamāṇakataṁ kammaṁ, na taṁ tatrāvasissati na taṁ tatrāvatiṭṭhatī’ti.
‘Formerly my mind was limited and undeveloped. Now it’s limitless and well developed. Whatever limited deeds I’ve done don’t remain or persist there.’
Taṁ kiṁ maññatha, bhikkhave,
What do you think, mendicants?
daharatagge ce so ayaṁ kumāro mettaṁ cetovimuttiṁ bhāveyya, api nu kho pāpakammaṁ kareyyā”ti?
Suppose a child had developed the heart’s release by love from their childhood on. Would they still do any bad deed?”
“No hetaṁ, bhante”.
“No, sir.”
“Akarontaṁ kho pana pāpakammaṁ api nu kho dukkhaṁ phuseyyā”ti?
“Not doing any bad deed, would they still experience any suffering?”
“No hetaṁ, bhante.
“No, sir.
Akarontañhi, bhante, pāpakammaṁ kuto dukkhaṁ phusissatī”ti.
For if they don’t do any bad deed, from where would suffering afflict them?”
“Bhāvetabbā kho panāyaṁ, bhikkhave, mettācetovimutti itthiyā vā purisena vā.
“This heart’s release by love should be developed by women or men.
Itthiyā vā, bhikkhave, purisassa vā nāyaṁ kāyo ādāya gamanīyo.
For neither women nor men take this body with them when they go.
Cittantaro ayaṁ, bhikkhave, macco.
The mind is what’s inside mortal beings.
So evaṁ pajānāti:
They understand:
‘yaṁ kho me idaṁ kiñci pubbe iminā karajakāyena pāpakammaṁ kataṁ, sabbaṁ taṁ idha vedanīyaṁ;
‘Whatever bad deeds I have done in the past with this deed-born body I will experience here.
na taṁ anugaṁ bhavissatī’ti.
It will not follow me to my next life.’
Evaṁ bhāvitā kho, bhikkhave, mettā cetovimutti anāgāmitāya saṁvattati, idha paññassa bhikkhuno uttari vimuttiṁ appaṭivijjhato.
The heart’s release by love developed in this way leads to non-return for a wise mendicant here who has not penetrated to a higher freedom.
Karuṇāsahagatena cetasā …
They meditate spreading a heart full of compassion …
muditāsahagatena cetasā …
They meditate spreading a heart full of rejoicing …
upekkhāsahagatena cetasā ekaṁ disaṁ pharitvā viharati tathā dutiyaṁ tathā tatiyaṁ tathā catutthaṁ.
They meditate spreading a heart full of equanimity to one direction, and to the second, and to the third, and to the fourth.
Iti uddhamadho tiriyaṁ sabbadhi sabbattatāya sabbāvantaṁ lokaṁ upekkhāsahagatena cetasā vipulena mahaggatena appamāṇena averena abyāpajjena pharitvā viharati.
In the same way above, below, across, everywhere, all around, they spread a heart full of equanimity to the whole world—abundant, expansive, limitless, free of enmity and ill will.
So evaṁ pajānāti:
They understand:
‘pubbe kho me idaṁ cittaṁ parittaṁ ahosi abhāvitaṁ, etarahi pana me idaṁ cittaṁ appamāṇaṁ subhāvitaṁ. Yaṁ kho pana kiñci pamāṇakataṁ kammaṁ, na taṁ tatrāvasissati na taṁ tatrāvatiṭṭhatī’ti.
‘Formerly my mind was limited and undeveloped. Now it’s limitless and well developed. Whatever limited deeds I’ve done don’t remain or persist there.’
Taṁ kiṁ maññatha, bhikkhave,
What do you think, mendicants?
daharatagge ce so ayaṁ kumāro upekkhaṁ cetovimuttiṁ bhāveyya, api nu kho pāpakammaṁ kareyyā”ti?
Suppose a child had developed the heart’s release by equanimity from their childhood on. Would they still do any bad deed?”
“No hetaṁ, bhante”.
“No, sir.”
“Akarontaṁ kho pana pāpakammaṁ api nu kho dukkhaṁ phuseyyā”ti?
“Not doing any bad deed, would they still experience any suffering?”
“No hetaṁ, bhante.
“No, sir.
Akarontañhi, bhante, pāpakammaṁ kuto dukkhaṁ phusissatī”ti.
For if they don’t do any bad deed, from where would suffering afflict them?”
“Bhāvetabbā kho panāyaṁ, bhikkhave, upekkhā cetovimutti itthiyā vā purisena vā.
“This heart’s release by equanimity should be developed by women or men.
Itthiyā vā, bhikkhave, purisassa vā nāyaṁ kāyo ādāya gamanīyo.
For neither women nor men take this body with them when they go.
Cittantaro ayaṁ, bhikkhave, macco.
The mind is what’s inside mortal beings.
So evaṁ pajānāti:
They understand:
‘yaṁ kho me idaṁ kiñci pubbe iminā karajakāyena pāpakammaṁ kataṁ, sabbaṁ taṁ idha vedanīyaṁ;
‘Whatever bad deeds I have done in the past with this deed-born body I will experience here.
na taṁ anugaṁ bhavissatī’ti.
It will not follow me to my next life.’
Evaṁ bhāvitā kho, bhikkhave, upekkhā cetovimutti anāgāmitāya saṁvattati, idha paññassa bhikkhuno uttari vimuttiṁ appaṭivijjhato”ti.
The heart’s release by equanimity developed in this way leads to non-return for a wise mendicant here who has not penetrated to a higher freedom.”
Navamaṁ.