{"collection":"Majjhima Nikaya","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/suttacentral_mn120/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/suttacentral_mn120","id":"suttacentral_mn120","license":"CC0","rights_basis":"suttacentral_bilara_data_cc0","source":"suttacentral","source_url":"https://suttacentral.net/mn120/en/sujato","summary":null,"tags":["Early Buddhist Texts","Majjhima Nikaya"],"text":"So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near S\u0101vatth\u012b in Jeta\u2019s Grove, An\u0101thapi\u1e47\u1e0dika\u2019s monastery. There the Buddha addressed the mendicants, \u201cMendicants!\u201d \u201cVenerable sir,\u201d they replied. The Buddha said this: \u201cI shall teach you rebirth by choice. Listen and apply your mind well, I will speak.\u201d \u201cYes, sir,\u201d they replied. The Buddha said this: \u201cTake a mendicant who has faith, ethics, learning, generosity, and wisdom. They think: \u2018If only, when my body breaks up, after death, I would be reborn in the company of well-to-do aristocrats!\u2019 They settle on that thought, stabilize it, and develop it. Those choices and meditations of theirs, developed and cultivated like this, lead to rebirth there. This is the path and the practice that leads to rebirth there. Furthermore, take a mendicant who has faith, ethics, learning, generosity, and wisdom. They think: \u2018If only, when my body breaks up, after death, I would be reborn in the company of well-to-do brahmins \u2026 well-to-do householders!\u2019 They settle on that thought, stabilize it, and develop it. Those choices and meditations of theirs, developed and cultivated like this, lead to rebirth there. This is the path and the practice that leads to rebirth there. Furthermore, take a mendicant who has faith, ethics, learning, generosity, and wisdom. And they\u2019ve heard: \u2018The gods of the four great kings are long-lived, beautiful, and very happy.\u2019 They think: \u2018If only, when my body breaks up, after death, I would be reborn in the company of the gods of the four great kings!\u2019 They settle on that thought, stabilize it, and develop it. Those choices and meditations of theirs, developed and cultivated like this, lead to rebirth there. This is the path and the practice that leads to rebirth there. Furthermore, take a mendicant who has faith, ethics, learning, generosity, and wisdom. And they\u2019ve heard: \u2018The gods of the thirty-three \u2026 the gods of Yama \u2026 the joyful gods \u2026 the gods who love to create \u2026 the gods who control what is created by others are long-lived, beautiful, and very happy.\u2019 They think: \u2018If only, when my body breaks up, after death, I would be reborn in the company of the gods who control what is created by others!\u2019 They settle on that thought, stabilize it, and develop it. Those choices and meditations of theirs, developed and cultivated like this, lead to rebirth there. This is the path and the practice that leads to rebirth there. Furthermore, take a mendicant who has faith, ethics, learning, generosity, and wisdom. And they\u2019ve heard: \u2018The Divinity of a thousand is long-lived, beautiful, and very happy.\u2019 Now the Divinity of a thousand meditates focused on pervading a thousandfold galaxy, as well as the sentient beings reborn there. As a person with clear eyes might pick up a gallnut in their hand and examine it, so too the Divinity of a thousand meditates focused on pervading a thousandfold galaxy, as well as the sentient beings reborn there. They think: \u2018If only, when my body breaks up, after death, I would be reborn in the company of the Divinity of a thousand!\u2019 They settle on that thought, stabilize it, and develop it. Those choices and meditations of theirs, developed and cultivated like this, lead to rebirth there. This is the path and the practice that leads to rebirth there. Furthermore, take a mendicant who has faith, ethics, learning, generosity, and wisdom. And they\u2019ve heard: \u2018The Divinity of two thousand \u2026 the Divinity of three thousand \u2026 the Divinity of four thousand \u2026 the Divinity of five thousand is long-lived, beautiful, and very happy.\u2019 Now the Divinity of five thousand meditates focused on pervading a five-thousandfold galaxy, as well as the sentient beings reborn there. As a person with clear eyes might pick up five gallnuts in their hand and examine them, so too the Divinity of five thousand meditates focused on pervading a five-thousandfold galaxy, as well as the sentient beings reborn there. They think: \u2018If only, when my body breaks up, after death, I would be reborn in the company of the Divinity of five thousand!\u2019 They settle on that thought, stabilize it, and develop it. Those choices and meditations of theirs, developed and cultivated like this, lead to rebirth there. This is the path and the practice that leads to rebirth there. Furthermore, take a mendicant who has faith, ethics, learning, generosity, and wisdom. And they\u2019ve heard: \u2018The Divinity of ten thousand is long-lived, beautiful, and very happy.\u2019 Now the Divinity of ten thousand meditates focused on pervading a ten-thousandfold galaxy, as well as the sentient beings reborn there. Suppose there was a beryl gem that was naturally lustrous, eight-faceted, well-worked. When placed on a cream rug it would shine and glow and dazzle. In the same way the Divinity of ten thousand meditates focused on pervading a ten-thousandfold galaxy, as well as the sentient beings reborn there. They think: \u2018If only, when my body breaks up, after death, I would be reborn in the company of the Divinity of ten thousand!\u2019 They settle on that thought, stabilize it, and develop it. Those choices and meditations of theirs, developed and cultivated like this, lead to rebirth there. This is the path and the practice that leads to rebirth there. Furthermore, take a mendicant who has faith, ethics, learning, generosity, and wisdom. And they\u2019ve heard: \u2018The Divinity of a hundred thousand is long-lived, beautiful, and very happy.\u2019 Now the Divinity of a hundred thousand meditates focused on pervading a hundred-thousandfold galaxy, as well as the sentient beings reborn there. Suppose there was a pendant of Black Plum River gold, fashioned by a deft smith, well wrought in the forge. When placed on a cream rug it would shine and glow and dazzle. In the same way the Divinity of a hundred thousand meditates focused on pervading a hundred-thousandfold galaxy, as well as the sentient beings reborn there. They think: \u2018If only, when my body breaks up, after death, I would be reborn in the company of the Divinity of a hundred thousand!\u2019 They settle on that thought, stabilize it, and develop it. Those choices and meditations of theirs, developed and cultivated like this, lead to rebirth there. This is the path and the practice that leads to rebirth there. Furthermore, take a mendicant who has faith, ethics, learning, generosity, and wisdom. And they\u2019ve heard: \u2018The radiant gods \u2026 the gods of limited luminosity \u2026 the gods of limitless luminosity \u2026 the gods of sublime luminosity \u2026 the gods of limited beauty \u2026 the gods of limitless beauty \u2026 the gods of universal beauty \u2026 the gods of abundant fruit \u2026 the gods of Aviha \u2026 the gods of Atappa \u2026 the gods fair to see \u2026 the fair seeing gods \u2026 the gods of Akani\u1e6d\u1e6dha \u2026 the gods of the dimension of infinite space \u2026 the gods of the dimension of infinite consciousness \u2026 the gods of the dimension of nothingness \u2026 the gods of the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception are long-lived, long-lasting, and very happy.\u2019 They think: \u2018If only, when my body breaks up, after death, I would be reborn in the company of the gods of the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception!\u2019 They settle on that thought, stabilize it, and develop it. Those choices and meditations of theirs, developed and cultivated like this, lead to rebirth there. This is the path and the practice that leads to rebirth there. Furthermore, take a mendicant who has faith, ethics, learning, generosity, and wisdom. They think: \u2018If only I might realize the undefiled freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom, and live having realized it with my own insight in this very life due to the ending of defilements!\u2019 They realize the undefiled freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom. And they live having realized it with their own insight in this very life due to the ending of defilements. And, mendicants, that mendicant is not reborn anywhere.\u201d That is what the Buddha said. Satisfied, the mendicants approved what the Buddha said.","title":"Rebirth by Choice","tradition":"Majjhima Nikaya","translated_text":null,"word_count":1340}