Exploring the Path - Pāli Course

The first lesson in this chapter on sammākammanto begins with four verses spoken by the Buddha, in which he answers questions about four people who had recently passed away. His replies show the delight that comes from living a good and upright life in the Dhamma, while also highlighting the mental pain that results from unwholesome actions. The verses also provide a revelation about the future consequences of these actions, revealing the destiny, or kamma, that each person may have to face.

The first verse ‘Idha socati pecca socati …’ was spoken in reference to a butcher named Cundasūkarika.¹ It is said that he was very cruel and hard-hearted without ever having done a meritorious deed. While he was dying, his agony and suffering had reached incomparable intensity and he seemed to be squealing out of pain like a pig. He suffered for seven full days before he passed away, where he found himself in hell (avīci niraya). This is when the Buddha expressed the quoted verses. The background to those utterances of the Enlightened One is provided in more details by the commentary.

The Buddha was questioned:

Bhante, idha loke evaṃ socitvā puna gantvā socanaṭṭhāneyeva² nibbatto’ti.

Bhante, having suffered here in this world after being reborn did he arise once again in a place of grief?

Āma, bhikkhave, pamattā nāma gahaṭṭhā vā hontu pabbajitā vā, ubhayattha socantiyevā!

Yes, truly so, Bhikkhus, whether a layperson or someone having gone forth, being oblivious, one likewise suffers in both places!

Tattha pāpakārīti nānappakārassa³ pāpakammassa kārako puggalo ‘akataṃ vata me kalyāṇaṃ, kataṃ pāpa’nti ekaṃseneva maraṇasamaye idha socati, idamassa kammasocanaṃ.⁴

Vipākaṃ anubhavanto pana pecca socati. Idamassa paraloke vipākasocanaṃ⁵. Evaṃ so ubhayattha socatiyeva.⁶

“I have not performed wholesome actions, but evil was done by me,” in this way the evildoer wails at the time of death, having performed various evil deeds. Thus one suffers here, suchlike one is bewailing one’s actions.

Undergoing the (kammic) effects derived therefrom, one laments thereafter, suchlike is one’s bewailing of the karmic effects in the next world. In this way one wails in both places.

The Buddha was likewise approached by Bhikkhus and laypeople who had questions about the effects of both evil and wholesome deeds.

The second verse ‘Idha modati pecca modati…’ was uttered in regards to Dhammikaupāsaka. The commentary provides more background about this lay disciple named Dhammika. He had earned this name because he was of blameless, virtuous conduct and praised for his generosity. It is said that just before dying, while listening to the recitation of the Mahāsatipaṭṭhānasutta, he envisioned different chariots from the deva worlds to choose from. He decided on the Tusita world and was reborn there. Here is what the Enlightened One explained after being asked about this. 

Bhante, idāni idha ñātimajjhe modamāno vicaritvā idāneva gantvā puna modanaṭṭhāneyeva⁷ nibbatto’ti.

Bhante, having enjoyed his life amongst his relatives here in this world and gone from here did he arise once again in a place of delight?

Āma, bhikkhave, appamattā hi gahaṭṭhā vā pabbajitā vā sabbattha modantiyevā⁸

 Yes, truly so, Bhikkhus, whether a layperson or someone having gone forth, being heedful, one takes pleasure in both places!

Tattha katapuññoti nānappakārassa kusalassa kārako puggalo ‘akataṃ vata me pāpaṃ, kataṃ me kalyāṇa’nti idha kammamodanena, pecca vipākamodanena modati. Evaṃ ubhayattha modati nāma.

Kammavisuddhinti dhammikaupāsakopi⁹ attano kammavisuddhiṃ puññakammasampattiṃ¹⁰ disvā kālakiriyato pubbe idhalokepi modati, kālaṃ katvā idāni paralokepi atimodatiyevāti.¹¹

‘I have not performed evil actions, but wholesome ones were done by me,’ thus, at the time of death the performer of manifold good actions delights here, suchlike one is enjoying one’s actions now and one enjoys the karmic effects in the next world. In this way one rejoices in both places.

Understanding the purified kamma when seeing one’s merits derived from those wholesome actions, a disciple practicing the Dhamma already enjoys this world before one’s death, and when one’s time has arrived in the next world one is filled with joy.¹²

The third verse ‘Idha tappati pecca tappati …’ was expressed by the Buddha concerning his renowned adversary Devadatta who intended to create his own following and aspired to take over the Saṅgha.¹³ The commentary here describes his three unsuccessful attempts to kill the Buddha.¹⁴ It also relates to the later period when Devadatta became very sick over nine months and finally decided to approach the Buddha. Devadatta had by then realised that in spite of his intense hatred towards him, the Buddha had never once replied with even the slightest bitterness. The tradition relates that due to his evil deeds, Devadatta could not even see the Buddha – after taking a bath, he sank to the earth and was slowly swallowed up. Just before his head was starting to submerge, he took final refuge in the Buddha.¹⁵

Bhante, idha tappanto vicaritvā puna gantvā tappanaṭṭhāneyeva nibbatto’ti.

Bhante, having been tormented here in this world, after being reborn did he arise once again in a place of sorrow?

Āma, bhikkhave, pabbajitā vā hontu gahaṭṭhā vā, pamādavihārino¹⁶ ubhayattha tappantiyevā

Yes, truly so, Bhikkhus, whether a layperson or someone having gone forth, being used to negligence, one is tortured in both places!

Tattha idha tappatīti idha kammatappanena domanassamattena tappati. Peccāti paraloke pana vipākatappanena atidāruṇena¹⁷ apāyadukkhena tappati. Pāpakārīti nānappakārassa pāpassa kattā. Ubhayatthāti iminā vuttappakārena tappanena ubhayattha tappati nāma.

Pāpaṃ meti so hi kammatappanena kappanto ‘‘pāpaṃ me kata’’nti tappati. Taṃ appamattakaṃ tappanaṃ, vipākatappanena pana tappanto bhiyyo tappati duggatiṃ gato atipharusena¹⁸ tappanena ativiya¹⁹ tappatīti.²⁰

Thus one is tortured here: already here one is tortured through one’s own deeds and the mental gloom of those deeds. In the next world one is tortured through the kammic effects of those deeds, through the extremely cruel and painful pains in the lower worlds. An evildoer is a doer of various evil actions. Due to the described torture, one is tortured in both the spheres.

‘Evil have I done’, while one is tormented by this acknowledgement –‘evil has been done by me’ – one suffers. This is yet the lesser torment, for when one is tortured by the kammic effects of one’s deed and arrives at the lower worlds, one suffers even more, one is tortured very harshly by punitive torments.

The last verse ‘Idha nandati pecca nandati …’ pertains to Sumanādevī, the youngest daughter of the legendary rich merchant Anāthapiṇḍika. She had achieved the state of a sakadāgāminī while supervising the offering of alms-food in the house of her father by listening to a discourse. Later she became seriously ill and called for her father. On her deathbed Anāthapiṇḍika asked her whether she was wailing (vilapasi) and was fearful (bhāyasi) but she said no.²¹ Sumanādevī addressed her father here as ‘younger brother’ (kaniṭṭhabhātikā) and thus he drew the conclusion that she must have become bewildered. Anāthapiṇḍika felt extremely sad but the Buddha later consoled him and explained that she was quite right to address him like so since she had attained a higher state than he was as a sotāpanno.²² Asking where she ‘had gone’ the Buddha told him that she went to the heavenly sphere of Tusita.²³ This is what Anāthapiṇḍika then asked:

 Bhante, mama dhītā idha ñātakānaṃ antare nandamānā vicaritvā ito gantvāpi nandanaṭṭhāneyeva nibbattā’ti.

Bhante, while my daughter was dwelling in the midst of her kin she enjoyed her life here in this world and when gone did she arise once again in a place of happiness?

Atha naṃ satthā ‘āma, gahapati, appamattā nāma gahaṭṭhā vā pabbajitā vā idha loke ca paraloke ca nandantiyevā’²⁴

Yes, truly so, householder, whether a layperson or someone having gone forth, being heedful will rejoice in both the places!

Tattha idhāti idha loke kammanandanena nandati. Peccāti paraloke vipākanandanena nandati. Katapuññoti nānappakārassa puññassa kattā. Ubhayatthāti idha ‘‘kataṃ me kusalaṃ, akataṃ me pāpa’’nti nandati, parattha vipākaṃ anubhavanto nandati.

Puññaṃ meti idha nandanto pana ‘‘puññaṃ me kata’’nti somanassamatteneva kammanandanaṃ upādāya nandati. Bhiyyoti vipākanandanena pana sugatiṃ gato sattapaññāsavassakoṭiyo saṭṭhivassasatasahassāni dibbasampattiṃ anubhavanto tusitapure²⁵ ativiya nandatīti.

In this way ‘here’: already here one rejoices through the delight of one’s own deeds, in the next world one delights in the kammic effects of those deeds. A doer of merits is a doer of various meritorious actions.

Thus one delights in both the spheres: here one rejoices ‘done by me were meritorious actions, evil deeds’ were not done by me, in the next world he enjoys partaking of the kammic effects. 

‘Merits have I done’, here one is elated by this acknowledgement -‘merits have been done by me’- and the delight in the joy that accompanies the deeds. But when due to the kammic effects one arrives at the higher spheres and attains existence in the heavenly worlds for fifty-seven koṭi²⁶ and sixty-thousand years in the splendor of the Tusita-city one rejoices even much more.

May more and more beings get established in merits not only through avoidance of unwholesomeness but likewise collect and develop all the concomitants of cāritta-sīla with the perspective of mental purification within the framework of the Noble Eightfold Path!