{"collection":"Anguttara Nikaya","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/suttacentral_an9.19/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/suttacentral_an9.19","id":"suttacentral_an9.19","license":"CC0","rights_basis":"suttacentral_bilara_data_cc0","source":"suttacentral","source_url":"https://suttacentral.net/an9.19/en/sujato","summary":null,"tags":["Anguttara Nikaya","Early Buddhist Texts"],"text":"\u201cMendicants, tonight, several glorious deities, lighting up the entire Jeta\u2019s Grove, came to me, bowed, stood to one side, and said to me: \u2018Sir, formerly when we were human beings, renunciates came to our homes. We politely rose for them, but we didn\u2019t bow. And so, having not fulfilled our duty, full of remorse and regret, we were reborn in a lesser realm.\u2019 Then several other deities came to me and said: \u2018Sir, formerly when we were human beings, renunciates came to our homes. We politely rose for them and bowed, but we didn\u2019t offer a seat. And so, having not fulfilled our duty, full of remorse and regret, we were reborn in a lesser realm.\u2019 Then several other deities came to me and said: \u2018Sir, formerly when we were human beings, renunciates came to our homes. We politely rose for them, bowed, and offered a seat, but we didn\u2019t share as best we could. \u2026\u2019 \u2018\u2026 we didn\u2019t sit nearby to listen to the teachings. \u2026\u2019 \u2018\u2026 we didn\u2019t actively listen to the teachings. \u2026\u2019 \u2018\u2026 we didn\u2019t memorize the teachings. \u2026\u2019 \u2018\u2026 we didn\u2019t examine the meaning of teachings we\u2019d memorized. \u2026\u2019 \u2018\u2026 not having understood the meaning and the teaching, we didn\u2019t practice in line with the teaching. And so, having not fulfilled our duty, full of remorse and regret, we were reborn in a lesser realm.\u2019 Then several other deities came to me and said: \u2018Sir, formerly when we were human beings, renunciates came to our homes. We politely rose, bowed, and offered them a seat. We shared as best we could. We sat nearby to listen to the teachings, lent an ear, memorized them, and examined their meaning. Understanding the teaching and the meaning we practiced in line with the teaching. And so, having fulfilled our duty, free of remorse and regret, we were reborn in a superior realm.\u2019 Here, mendicants, are these roots of trees, and here are these empty huts. Practice absorption, mendicants! Don\u2019t be negligent! Don\u2019t regret it later, like those former deities.\u201d","title":"A Deity","tradition":"Anguttara Nikaya","translated_text":null,"word_count":341}