{"collection":"Anguttara Nikaya","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/suttacentral_an10.177/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/suttacentral_an10.177","id":"suttacentral_an10.177","license":"CC0","rights_basis":"suttacentral_bilara_data_cc0","source":"suttacentral","source_url":"https://suttacentral.net/an10.177/en/sujato","summary":null,"tags":["Anguttara Nikaya","Early Buddhist Texts"],"text":"Then the brahmin J\u0101nusso\u1e47i went up to the Buddha, and exchanged greetings with him. When the greetings and polite conversation were over, he sat down to one side and said to the Buddha, \u201cWe who are known as brahmins give gifts and perform memorial rites for the dead: \u2018May this gift aid my departed relatives and kin. May they partake of this gift.\u2019 But does this gift really aid departed relatives and kin? Do they actually partake of it?\u201d \u201cIt aids them if the conditions are right, brahmin, but not if the conditions are wrong.\u201d \u201cThen, worthy Gotama, what are the right and wrong conditions?\u201d \u201cBrahmin, take someone who kills living creatures, steals, and commits sexual misconduct. They use speech that\u2019s false, backbiting, harsh, or nonsensical. And they\u2019re covetous, malicious, with wrong view. When their body breaks up, after death, they\u2019re reborn in hell. There they survive feeding on the food of the hell beings. The conditions there are wrong, so the gift does not aid the one who lives there. Take someone else who kills living creatures \u2026 and has wrong view. When their body breaks up, after death, they\u2019re reborn in the animal realm. There they survive feeding on the food of the beings in the animal realm. The conditions there too are wrong, so the gift does not aid the one who lives there. Take someone else who doesn\u2019t kill living creatures, steal, or commit sexual misconduct. They don\u2019t use speech that\u2019s false, backbiting, harsh, or nonsensical. And they\u2019re contented, kind-hearted, with right view. When their body breaks up, after death, they\u2019re reborn in the human realm. There they survive feeding on human food. The conditions there too are wrong, so the gift does not aid the one who lives there. Take someone else who doesn\u2019t kill living creatures \u2026 and has right view. When their body breaks up, after death, they\u2019re reborn in the company of the gods. There they survive feeding on the food of the gods. The conditions there too are wrong, so the gift does not aid the one who lives there. Take someone else who kills living creatures \u2026 and has wrong view. When their body breaks up, after death, they\u2019re reborn in the ghost realm. There they survive feeding on the food of the beings in the ghost realm. Or else they survive feeding on what friends and colleagues, relatives and kin provide them with from here. The conditions there are right, so the gift aids the one who lives there.\u201d \u201cBut worthy Gotama, who partakes of that gift if the departed relative is not reborn in that place?\u201d \u201cOther departed relatives reborn there will partake of that gift.\u201d \u201cBut who partakes of the gift when neither that relative nor other relatives have been reborn in that place?\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s impossible, brahmin, it cannot happen that that place is vacant of departed relatives in all this long time. It\u2019s never fruitless for the donor.\u201d \u201cDoes the worthy Gotama propose this even when the conditions are wrong?\u201d \u201cI propose this even when the conditions are wrong. Take someone who kills living creatures, steals, and commits sexual misconduct. They use speech that\u2019s false, backbiting, harsh, or nonsensical. And they\u2019re covetous, malicious, with wrong view. They give to ascetics or brahmins such things as food, drink, clothing, vehicles; garlands, fragrance, and makeup; and bed, house, and lighting. When their body breaks up, after death, they\u2019re reborn in the company of elephants. There they get to have food and drink, garlands and various adornments. Since in this life they killed living creatures \u2026 and had wrong view, they were reborn in the company of elephants. Since they gave to ascetics or brahmins \u2026 they get to have food and drink, garlands and various adornments. Take someone else who kills living creatures \u2026 and has wrong view. They give to ascetics or brahmins \u2026 When their body breaks up, after death, they\u2019re reborn in the company of horses. \u2026 cattle \u2026 dogs. There they get to have food and drink, garlands and various adornments. Since in this life they killed living creatures \u2026 and had wrong view, they were reborn in the company of dogs. Since they gave to ascetics or brahmins \u2026 they get to have food and drink, garlands and various adornments. Take someone else who doesn\u2019t kill living creatures, steal, or commit sexual misconduct. They don\u2019t use speech that\u2019s false, backbiting, harsh, or nonsensical. And they\u2019re contented, kind-hearted, with right view. They give to ascetics or brahmins \u2026 When their body breaks up, after death, they\u2019re reborn in the human realm. There they get to have the five kinds of human sensual stimulation. Since in this life they didn\u2019t kill living creatures \u2026 and had right view, they were reborn in the company of humans. Since they gave to ascetics or brahmins \u2026 they get to have the five kinds of human sensual stimulation. Take someone else who doesn\u2019t kill living creatures \u2026 and has right view. They give to ascetics or brahmins \u2026 When their body breaks up, after death, they\u2019re reborn in the company of the gods. There they get to have the five kinds of heavenly sensual stimulation. Since in this life they didn\u2019t kill living creatures \u2026 and had right view, they were reborn in the company of the gods. Since they gave to ascetics or brahmins \u2026 they get to have the five kinds of heavenly sensual stimulation. It\u2019s never fruitless for the donor.\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s incredible, worthy Gotama, it\u2019s amazing, This is quite enough to justify giving gifts and performing memorial rites for the dead, since it\u2019s never fruitless for the donor.\u201d \u201cThat\u2019s so true, brahmin. It\u2019s never fruitless for the donor.\u201d \u201cExcellent, worthy Gotama! Excellent! \u2026 From this day forth, may the worthy Gotama remember me as a lay follower who has gone for refuge for life.\u201d","title":"With J\u0101nusso\u1e47i","tradition":"Anguttara Nikaya","translated_text":null,"word_count":979}