The Discourse on Individuals

The Buddha's words

Puggalasutta from Tipitaka_Pali_Reader

Photo by Vibhav Satam on Unsplash

Thus have I heard.

At Sāvatthī. Then King Pasenadi of Kosala approached the Blessed One, bowed to him, and sat down to one side. As King Pasenadi of Kosala was sitting to one side, the Blessed One said to him: “Great king, there are these four types of individuals existing, found in the world. Which four?

One who goes from darkness to darkness,

One who goes from darkness to light,

One who goes from light to darkness,

One who goes from light to light.”

“How, great king, does an individual go from darkness to darkness? Here, great king, a certain individual is reborn into a low family: a Caṇḍāla family, a Veṇa family, a Nisāda family, a Rathakāra family, or a Pukkusa family; a poor family with little food and drink, living a difficult life, where sustenance is obtained with difficulty. Furthermore, he is ill-favored, unattractive, hunchbacked, often ill—one-eyed, or crippled, or lame, or paralyzed—and does not obtain food, drink, clothing, vehicles, garlands, scents, ointments, bedding, lodging, or lights. He engages in misconduct by body, misconduct by speech, and misconduct by mind. Having engaged in misconduct by body, misconduct by speech, and misconduct by mind, with the breaking up of the body, after death, he reappears in a state of deprivation, a bad destination, the lower realms, hell.

“Just as, great king, a person might go from darkness to darkness, or from gloom to gloom, or from blood-stains to blood-stains. Such an individual, great king, I declare to be like that. Thus, great king, is an individual who goes from darkness to darkness.

“How, great king, does an individual go from darkness to light? Here, great king, a certain individual is reborn into a low family: a Caṇḍāla family, a Veṇa family, a Nisāda family, a Rathakāra family, or a Pukkusa family; a poor family with little food and drink, living a difficult life, where sustenance is obtained with difficulty.

Furthermore, he is ill-favored, unattractive, hunchbacked, often ill—one-eyed, or crippled, or lame, or paralyzed—and does not obtain food, drink, clothing, vehicles, garlands, scents, ointments, bedding, lodging, or lights. He engages in good conduct by body, good conduct by speech, and good conduct by mind. Having engaged in good conduct by body, good conduct by speech, and good conduct by mind, with the breaking up of the body, after death, he reappears in a good destination, a heavenly world.

“Just as, great king, a person might ascend from the ground to a couch, or from a couch to a horse's back, or from a horse's back to an elephant's shoulder, or from an elephant's shoulder to a palace. Such an individual, great king, I declare to be like that. Thus, great king, is an individual who goes from darkness to light.

“How, great king, does an individual go from light to darkness? Here, great king, a certain individual is reborn into a high family: a rich Khattiya-clan, or a rich Brāhmaṇa-clan, or a rich householder-clan; an affluent, wealthy, greatly prosperous family with abundant gold and silver, abundant assets and property, abundant wealth and grain. Furthermore, he is handsome, attractive, charming, endowed with supreme beauty of complexion, and obtains food, drink, clothing, vehicles, garlands, scents, ointments, bedding, lodging, and lights. He engages in misconduct by body, misconduct by speech, and misconduct by mind. Having engaged in misconduct by body, misconduct by speech, and misconduct by mind, with the breaking up of the body, after death, he reappears in a state of deprivation, a bad destination, the lower realms, hell.

“Just as, great king, a person might descend from a palace to an elephant's shoulder, or from an elephant's shoulder to a horse's back, or from a horse's back to a couch, or from a couch to the ground, or from the ground enter into darkness. Such an individual, great king, I declare to be like that. Thus, great king, is an individual who goes from light to darkness.

“How, great king, does an individual go from light to light?

Here, great king, a certain individual is reborn into a high family: a rich Khattiya-clan, or a rich Brāhmaṇa-clan, or a rich householder-clan; an affluent, wealthy, greatly prosperous family with abundant gold and silver, abundant assets and property, abundant wealth and grain. Furthermore, he is handsome, attractive, charming, endowed with supreme beauty of complexion, and obtains food, drink, clothing, vehicles, garlands, scents, ointments, bedding, lodging, and lights. He engages in good conduct by body, good conduct by speech, and good conduct by mind. Having engaged in good conduct by body, good conduct by speech, and good conduct by mind, with the breaking up of the body, after death, he reappears in a good destination, a heavenly world.

“Just as, great king, a person might transfer from one couch to another, or from one horse's back to another, or from one elephant's shoulder to another, or from one palace to another. Such an individual, great king, I declare to be like that. Thus, great king, is an individual who goes from light to light. These, great king, are the four types of individuals existing, found in the world.” The Blessed One said this…pe…

“A poor person, O king, is faithless and stingy;

mean, with evil intentions, holding wrong views, without respect.

“To monastics or brahmins, or other mendicants,

he reviles and abuses; he is a nihilist and quarrelsome.

“He hinders those who give, and food to those who ask;

Such a person, O king, O lord of men,

when dying, goes to a terrible hell, one who goes from darkness to darkness.

“A poor person, O king, is faithful and unselfish;

He gives with noble intentions, a person with an undistracted mind.

“To monastics or brahmins, or other mendicants,

he rises and bows, and trains in good conduct.

“He does not hinder those who give, nor food to those who ask;

“Such a person, O king, lord of men,

When he dies, goes to a heavenly abode, having darkness as his destination.

“If, O king, a wealthy man is faithless and stingy,

Mean, with evil thoughts, wrong view, and disrespectful;

“He insults and reviles ascetics, brahmins, or other mendicants;

He is a nihilist and given to anger.

“He hinders those giving, and food from those who ask.

Such a person, O king, lord of men,

When he dies, goes to a frightful hell, having darkness as his destination.

“If a wealthy man, O king, is faithful and not stingy;

He gives with noble intentions, a person with an unagitated mind.

“He rises and salutes ascetics, brahmins, or other mendicants;

He trains in right conduct.

“He does not hinder those giving, or food from those who ask.

Such a person, O king, lord of men,

When he dies, goes to a heavenly abode, having light as his destination.”