1.
The Person Discourse
132.
At Sāvatthī.
Then King Pasenadi of Kosala approached the Blessed One;
having approached, he paid respect to the Blessed One and sat down to one side.
To King Pasenadi of Kosala seated to one side, the Blessed One said this:
"Great king, there are these four persons existing and found in the world.
Which four?
One heading from darkness to darkness, one heading from darkness to light, one heading from light to darkness, one heading from light to light."
"And how, great king, is a person one heading from darkness to darkness? Here, great king, a certain person is reborn in a low family, in an outcast family or a basket-maker's family or a hunter's family or a chariot-maker's family or a refuse-scavenger's family, poor, with little food and drink, with a difficult livelihood, where food and clothing are obtained with difficulty. And he is ugly, unsightly, dwarfish, sickly, blind or crippled or lame or paralysed, not an obtainer of food, drink, clothing, vehicles, garlands, perfumes and ointments, bedding, lodging and lighting. He practises misconduct by body, he practises misconduct by speech, he practises misconduct by mind. He, having practised misconduct by body, having practised misconduct by speech, having practised misconduct by mind, upon the body's collapse at death, is reborn in a realm of misery, an unfortunate realm, a nether world, in hell.
"Just as, great king, a man might go from darkness to darkness, or from gloom to gloom, or from bloodstain to bloodstain. I say this person is similar to that, great king. Thus, great king, a person is one heading from darkness to darkness.
"And how, great king, is a person one heading from darkness to light? Here, great king, a certain person is reborn in a low family, in an outcast family or a basket-maker's family or a hunter's family or a chariot-maker's family or a refuse-scavenger's family, poor, with little food and drink, with a difficult livelihood, where food and clothing are obtained with difficulty. And he is ugly, unsightly, dwarfish, sickly, blind or crippled or lame or paralysed, not an obtainer of food, drink, clothing, vehicles, garlands, perfumes and ointments, bedding, lodging and lighting. He practises good conduct by body, he practises good conduct by speech, he practises good conduct by mind. He, having practised good conduct by body, having practised good conduct by speech, having practised good conduct by mind, upon the body's collapse at death, is reborn in a fortunate realm, in a heavenly world.
"Just as, great king, a man might climb from the ground onto a divan, or from a divan onto a horse's back, or from a horse's back onto an elephant's back, or from an elephant's back onto a mansion. I say this person is similar to that, great king. Thus, great king, a person is one heading from darkness to light.
"And how, great king, is a person one heading from light to darkness? Here, great king, a certain person is reborn in a high family, in a wealthy warrior family or a wealthy brahmin family or a wealthy householder family, rich, of great wealth, of great possessions, with abundant gold and silver, with abundant means and provisions, with abundant wealth and grain. And he is handsome, good-looking, pleasing, endowed with the highest beauty of complexion, an obtainer of food, drink, clothing, vehicles, garlands, perfumes and ointments, bedding, lodging and lighting. He practises misconduct by body, he practises misconduct by speech, he practises misconduct by mind. He, having practised misconduct by body, having practised misconduct by speech, having practised misconduct by mind, upon the body's collapse at death, is reborn in a realm of misery, an unfortunate realm, a nether world, in hell.
"Just as, great king, a man might descend from a mansion onto an elephant's back, or from an elephant's back onto a horse's back, or from a horse's back onto a divan, or from a divan onto the ground, or from the ground might enter into darkness. I say this person is similar to that, great king. Thus, great king, a person is one heading from light to darkness.
"And how, great king, is a person one heading from light to light? Here, great king, a certain person is reborn in a high family, in a wealthy warrior family or a wealthy brahmin family or a wealthy householder family, rich, of great wealth, of great possessions, with abundant gold and silver, with abundant means and provisions, with abundant wealth and grain. And he is handsome, good-looking, pleasing, endowed with the highest beauty of complexion, an obtainer of food, drink, clothing, vehicles, garlands, perfumes and ointments, bedding, lodging and lighting. He practises good conduct by body, he practises good conduct by speech, he practises good conduct by mind. He, having practised good conduct by body, having practised good conduct by speech, having practised good conduct by mind, upon the body's collapse at death, is reborn in a fortunate realm, in a heavenly world.
"Just as, great king, a man might cross from divan to divan, or might cross from horseback to horseback, or might cross from elephant's back to elephant's back, or might cross from mansion to mansion. I say this person is similar to that, great king. Thus, great king, a person is one heading from light to light. These, great king, are the four persons existing and found in the world." This he said, etc.
Miserly, of evil thought, holding wrong view, disrespectful.
He reviles and abuses, he is a nihilist and an irritator.
Such a man, O king, when dying, O lord of people;
Goes to the terrible hell, one heading from darkness to darkness.
He gives, of excellent thought, a man of undistracted mind.
Rising up he pays respect, he trains in righteous conduct.
Such a man, O king, when dying, O lord of people;
Goes to the celestial abode, one heading from darkness to light.
Miserly, of evil thought, holding wrong view, disrespectful.
He reviles and abuses, he is a nihilist and an irritator.
Such a man, O king, when dying, O lord of people;
He goes to the terrible hell, one heading from light to darkness.
He gives, of excellent thought, a man of undistracted mind.
Rising up he pays respect, he trains in righteous conduct.
Such a man, O king, when dying, O lord of people;
He goes to the celestial state, one heading from light to light."