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AN 6.14PTS AN 3.2921 min read

A Good Death

Bhaddakasutta

A mendicant who lives well and doesn’t waste time will have a good death.

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

  • 0.1Aṅguttara Nikāya 6.14Numbered Discourses 6.14
  • 0.22. Sāraṇīyavagga2. Warm-hearted

0.3BhaddakasuttaA Good Death

1.1PTS 3.293Tatra kho āyasmā sāriputto bhikkhū āmantesi:There Sāriputta addressed the mendicants:1.2“āvuso bhikkhave”ti.“Reverends, mendicants!”

1.3“Āvuso”ti kho te bhikkhū āyasmato sāriputtassa paccassosuṁ.“Reverend,” they replied.1.4Āyasmā sāriputto etadavoca:Sāriputta said this:

2.1“Tathā tathā, āvuso, bhikkhu vihāraṁ kappeti yathā yathāssa vihāraṁ kappayato na bhaddakaṁ maraṇaṁ hoti, na bhaddikā kālakiriyā.“A mendicant lives life so as to not have a good death.2.2Kathañcāvuso, bhikkhu tathā tathā vihāraṁ kappeti yathā yathāssa vihāraṁ kappayato na bhaddakaṁ maraṇaṁ hoti, na bhaddikā kālakiriyā?And how do they live life so as to not have a good death?

3.1Idhāvuso, bhikkhu kammārāmo hoti kammarato kammārāmataṁ anuyutto, bhassārāmo hoti bhassarato bhassārāmataṁ anuyutto, niddārāmo hoti niddārato niddārāmataṁ anuyutto, saṅgaṇikārāmo hoti saṅgaṇikarato saṅgaṇikārāmataṁ anuyutto, saṁsaggārāmo hoti saṁsaggarato saṁsaggārāmataṁ anuyutto, papañcārāmo hoti papañcarato papañcārāmataṁ anuyutto.Take a mendicant who relishes work, talk, sleep, company, closeness, and proliferation. They love these things and like to relish them.3.2Evaṁ kho, āvuso, bhikkhu tathā tathā vihāraṁ kappeti yathā yathāssa vihāraṁ kappayato na bhaddakaṁ maraṇaṁ hoti, na bhaddikā kālakiriyā.A mendicant who lives life like this does not have a good death.3.3Ayaṁ vuccatāvuso:This is called3.4‘bhikkhu sakkāyābhirato nappajahāsi sakkāyaṁ sammā dukkhassa antakiriyāya’.a mendicant who enjoys substantial reality, who hasn’t given up substantial reality to rightly make an end of suffering.

4.1Tathā tathāvuso, bhikkhu vihāraṁ kappeti yathā yathāssa vihāraṁ kappayato bhaddakaṁ maraṇaṁ hoti, bhaddikā kālakiriyā.A mendicant lives life so as to have a good death.4.2Kathañcāvuso, bhikkhu tathā tathā vihāraṁ kappeti yathā yathāssa vihāraṁ kappayato bhaddakaṁ maraṇaṁ hoti, bhaddikā kālakiriyā?And how do they live life so as to have a good death?

5.1PTS 3.294Idhāvuso, bhikkhu na kammārāmo hoti na kammarato na kammārāmataṁ anuyutto, na bhassārāmo hoti na bhassarato na bhassārāmataṁ anuyutto, na niddārāmo hoti na niddārato na niddārāmataṁ anuyutto, na saṅgaṇikārāmo hoti na saṅgaṇikarato na saṅgaṇikārāmataṁ anuyutto, na saṁsaggārāmo hoti na saṁsaggarato na saṁsaggārāmataṁ anuyutto, na papañcārāmo hoti na papañcarato na papañcārāmataṁ anuyutto.Take a mendicant who doesn’t relish work, talk, sleep, company, closeness, and proliferation. They don’t love these things or like to relish them.5.2Evaṁ kho, āvuso, bhikkhu tathā tathā vihāraṁ kappeti yathā yathāssa vihāraṁ kappayato bhaddakaṁ maraṇaṁ hoti, bhaddikā kālakiriyā.A mendicant who lives life like this has a good death.5.3Ayaṁ vuccatāvuso:This is called5.4‘bhikkhu nibbānābhirato pajahāsi sakkāyaṁ sammā dukkhassa antakiriyāyā’ti.a mendicant who delights in extinguishment, who has given up substantial reality to rightly make an end of suffering.

6.1Yo papañcamanuyutto,A beast who likes to proliferate,6.2papañcābhirato mago;enjoying proliferation,6.3Virādhayī so nibbānaṁ,fails to win extinguishment,6.4yogakkhemaṁ anuttaraṁ.the supreme sanctuary from the yoke.

7.1Yo ca papañcaṁ hitvāna,But one who gives up proliferation,7.2nippapañcapade rato;enjoying the state of non-proliferation,7.3Ārādhayī so nibbānaṁ,wins extinguishment,7.4yogakkhemaṁ anuttaran”ti.the supreme sanctuary from the yoke.”

7.5Catutthaṁ.