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AN 10.219PTS AN 5.2992 min read

The Body Born of Deeds

Karajakāyasutta

The Buddha asserts that one’s kamma must be exhausted before making an end of suffering. If one develops the heart’s release through love, no bad deeds can persist there.

Translated by Bhikkhu Sujato · Pāli: Mahāsaṅgīti Tipiṭaka · Public domain (CC0) via SuttaCentral

  • 0.1Aṅguttara Nikāya 10.219Numbered Discourses 10.219
  • 0.221. Karajakāyavagga21. The Body Born of Deeds

0.3KarajakāyasuttaThe Body Born of Deeds

1.1“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.1.2tañca 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.1.3Na tvevāhaṁ, bhikkhave, sañcetanikānaṁ kammānaṁ katānaṁ upacitānaṁ appaṭisaṁveditvā dukkhassantakiriyaṁ vadāmi.But in any case, there is no making an end of suffering without experiencing intentional deeds that have been performed and accumulated, I say.

2.1Sa 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.

3.1PTS 5.300So evaṁ pajānāti:They understand:3.2‘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.’

4.1Taṁ kiṁ maññatha, bhikkhave,What do you think, mendicants?4.2daharatagge 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?”

4.3“No hetaṁ, bhante”.“No, sir.”

5.1“Akarontaṁ kho pana pāpakammaṁ api nu kho dukkhaṁ phuseyyā”ti?“Not doing any bad deed, would they still experience any suffering?”

5.2“No hetaṁ, bhante.“No, sir.5.3Akarontañhi, bhante, pāpakammaṁ kuto dukkhaṁ phusissatī”ti.For if they don’t do any bad deed, from where would suffering afflict them?”

6.1“Bhāvetabbā kho panāyaṁ, bhikkhave, mettācetovimutti itthiyā vā purisena vā.“This heart’s release by love should be developed by women or men.6.2Itthiyā vā, bhikkhave, purisassa vā nāyaṁ kāyo ādāya gamanīyo.For neither women nor men take this body with them when they go.6.3Cittantaro ayaṁ, bhikkhave, macco.The mind is what’s inside mortal beings.6.4So evaṁ pajānāti:They understand:6.5‘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.6.6na taṁ anugaṁ bhavissatī’ti.It will not follow me to my next life.’6.7Evaṁ 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.

7.1Karuṇāsahagatena cetasā …They meditate spreading a heart full of compassion …7.2muditāsahagatena cetasā …They meditate spreading a heart full of rejoicing …7.3upekkhāsahagatena 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.7.4Iti 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.

8.1PTS 5.301So evaṁ pajānāti:They understand:8.2‘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.’

9.1Taṁ kiṁ maññatha, bhikkhave,What do you think, mendicants?9.2daharatagge 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?”

9.3“No hetaṁ, bhante”.“No, sir.”

10.1“Akarontaṁ kho pana pāpakammaṁ api nu kho dukkhaṁ phuseyyā”ti?“Not doing any bad deed, would they still experience any suffering?”

10.2“No hetaṁ, bhante.“No, sir.10.3Akarontañhi, bhante, pāpakammaṁ kuto dukkhaṁ phusissatī”ti.For if they don’t do any bad deed, from where would suffering afflict them?”

11.1“Bhāvetabbā kho panāyaṁ, bhikkhave, upekkhā cetovimutti itthiyā vā purisena vā.“This heart’s release by equanimity should be developed by women or men.11.2Itthiyā vā, bhikkhave, purisassa vā nāyaṁ kāyo ādāya gamanīyo.For neither women nor men take this body with them when they go.11.3Cittantaro ayaṁ, bhikkhave, macco.The mind is what’s inside mortal beings.11.4So evaṁ pajānāti:They understand:11.5‘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.11.6na taṁ anugaṁ bhavissatī’ti.It will not follow me to my next life.’11.7Evaṁ 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.”

11.8Navamaṁ.