A Manual of Abhidhamma

by Nārada Thera | 80,494 words | ISBN-13: 9789380336510

In the Abhidhammattha Sangaha there is a brief exposition of the Law of Dependent Origination, followed by a descriptive account of the Causal Relations that finds no parallel in any other philosophy. Edited in the original Pali Text with English Translation and Explanatory Notes by Narada Maha Thera....

Fourfold Rebirth

Patisandhicatukkam

§ 4.

Apāyapatisandhi, Kāmasugatipatisandhi, Rūpāvacarapatisandhi, āruppapatisandhi c'āti catubbidhā hoti patisandhi nāma.

Tattha akusalavipākopekkhāsahagata-santīranam apāyabhūmiyam okkantikkhane patisandhi hutvā tato param bhavangam pariyosāne cavanam hutvā vocchijjati. Ayam ekā' v' āpāyapatisandhi nāma.

Kusalavipāk'opekkhāsahagatasantīranam pana kāmasugatiyam manussānam jaccandhādi hīnasattānam c'eva bhummanissitānañ ca vinipātikasurānañ ca patisandhi bhavangacutivasena pavattati.

Mahāvipākāni pan'attha sabbatthā' pi kāmasugatiyam patisandhi bhavangacutivasena pavattanti.

Imā nava kāmasugatipatisandhiyo nāma.

  • Sā pan' āyam dasavidhā' pi kāmāvacarapatisandhicc'eva sankham, gacchati.
  • Tesu catunnam, apāyānam manussānam vinipātikāsurānañ ca āyuppamānagananāya niyamo natthi.
  • Cātummahārājikānam pana devānam dibbāni pañca vassasatāni āyuppamānam. Manussagananāya navuti-vassasatasahassappamānam hoti.
  • Tato catuggunam tāvatimsānam, tato catuggunam Yāmānam, tato catuggunam Tusitānam, tato catuggunam Nimmānaratīnam, tato catuggunam Paranimmitavasavattīnam devānam, āyuppamānam.

Nava satañ c'ekavīsa vassānam kotiyo tathā

Vassasatasahassāni satthi ca vasavattisu.

§ 5.

Pathamajjhānavipākam pathamajjhānabhūmiyam patisandhibhavangacutivasena pavattati.

Tathā dutiyajjhānavipākam tatiyaijjhānavipākañ ca dutiyajjhānabhūmiyam. Catutthajjhānavipākam tatiyajjhānabhūmiyam. Pañcamajjhānavipākañ ca catutthajjhānabhūmiyam. Asaññasattānam pana rūpam eva patisandhi hoti. Tathā tato param pavattiyam cavanakāle ca rūpam eva pavattitvā nirujjhati. Imā cha rūpāvacarapatisandhiyo nāma.

Tesu brahmapārisajjānam devānam kappassa tatiyo bhāgo āyuppamānam.

Brahmapurohitānam upaddhakappo, Mahābrahmānam eko kappo, Parittābhānam dve kappāni. Appamānābhānam cattāri kappāni. ābhassarānam attha kappāni. Parittasubhānam solasa kappāni. Appamānasubhānam dvattimsa kappāni. Subhakinhānam catusatthi kappāni. Vehapphalānam asañnasattānañ ca pañcakappasatāni. Avihānam kappasahassāni. Atappānam dve kappasahassani. Sudassānam cattāri kappasahassāni. Sudassīnam atthakappasahassāni. Akanitthhānam solasa kappa sahassāni āyuppamānam.

Patham' āruppādi vipākāni pathamāruppādi bhūmīsu yathākkamam patisandhi bhavangacutivasena pavattanti.

Imā catasso āruppapatisandhiyo nāma.

Tesu pana ākāsānañcāyatanūpagānam devānam vīsati kappasahassāni āyuppamānam. Viññānañcāyatanūpagānam devānam cattālīsakappasahassāni, ākiñcaññāyatanūpagānam devānam satthikappasahassāni. N'eva saññā Nāsaññāyatanūpagānam devānam caturāsītikappasahassāni āyuppamānam.

§ 6.

Patisandhi bhavangañ ca tathā cavanamānasam
Ekam eva tathā v'eka visayam c'ekajātiyam.
Idam' ettha patisandhi-catukkam.

 

(translation)

§ 4.

Rebirth is fourfold-namely,

  1. (i) rebirth in a Woeful State,
  2. (ii) rebirth in a blissful Sense-sphere,
  3. (iii) rebirth in a Rūpāvacara plane, and
  4. (iv) rebirth in an Arūpāvacara plane.

Therein the immoral resultant investigating consciousness, accompanied by indifference, (21) becomes the re-linking (consciousness) at the moment of descent into a woeful state. Then it lapses into bhavanga and finally it becomes the decease (consciousness) and is cut off.

This is the one single woeful rebirth.

The moral resultant investigating consciousness, accompanied by indifference, persists as the re-linking, life-continuum and decease (consciousness) of degraded human beings of the blissful Sense-sphere, such as those born blind and so forth (22), and also of earth-bound fallen (23) Asuras.

The eight great resultants (24) act as the re-linking, life-continuum, and decease (consciousness) everywhere in the blissful Sense-sphere.

These nine comprise rebirth in the blissful Sense sphere.

The (foregoing) ten modes are reckoned as rebirth in the Kāmāvacara plane.

There is no definite limit to the duration of life of beings born in Woeful States amongst humans and fallen Asuras (25).

The age-limit of gods of the Realm of Four Kings is 500 celestial years (26), that is, according to human reckoning, 9,000,000.

The age-limit of the Thirty-three gods is four times this amount. The age-limit of Delightful gods is four times that of the Thirty-three. Four times that amount is the age-limit of the gods who delight in their creations. Four times that amount is the age-limit of those who lord over the creations of others.

In the plane of those who lord over others' creations the age-limit, according to human reckoning, is nine hundred and twenty million sixty thousand years.

§ 5.

The first jhāna resultant occurs in the first jhāna plane as the re-linking, life-continuum, and decease (consciousness); similarly the second jhāna resultant and the third jhāna resultant in the second jhāna plane; the fourth jhāna resultant in the third jhāna plane; the fifth jhāna resultant in the fourth-jhāna plane. But for mindless beings material form itself occurs as rebirth. Similarly thereafter, during lifetime and at the moment of decease, only material form exists and perishes.

These six are the modes of rebirth on the Rūpāvacara plane.

Among these the age-limit of the gods of Brahma's Retinue is one-third of an aeon (27); of Brahma's Ministers is half an aeon; of Mahā Brahma is one aeon; of Minor Lustre two aeons (28); of Infinite Lustre four aeons; of Radiant gods eight aeons; of Minor Aura 16 aeons; of Infinite Aura 32 aeons; of Steady Aura 64 aeons; of Great Reward and Mindless Beings 500 aeons; of Durable gods 1,000 aeons; of Serene gods 2,000 aeons; Beautiful gods 4,000 aeons; of Clear-sighted gods 8,000 aeons; of The Highest gods 16,000 aeons.

The first arūpa jhāna resultant and others occur respectively on the first and other arūpa planes as the re-linking life-continuum and decease (consciousness).

These are the four modes of rebirth on the arūpa-plane.

Among them the age-limit of gods who have attained to the Realm of Infinity of Space is 20,000 aeons; of those who have attained to the Realm of Infinity of Consciousness is 40,000 aeons; of those who have attained to the Realm of Nothingness is 60,000 aeons; of those who have attained to the Realm of neither Perception nor non-Perception is 84,000 aeons. (See diagram X.)

§ 6.

The re-linking consciousness, life-continuum consciousness, and the decease consciousness in one (particular) birth are similar (here eka does not mean one) and have an identical object.

Herein this is the Fourfold Rebirth.

 

Notes:

21. Akusala-Vipāka.

22. Though congenitally blind, deaf or dumb they are born as human beings because of their past good Kamma.

23. i.e., fallen from happiness.

24. These are the eight sobhana vipāka cittas. See Chapter I, p. *.

25. Beings suffer in Woeful states in accordance with their Kamma. Their age-limit differs according to the gravity of the evil deed. Some are short-lived, and some are long-lived. Mallikā, the queen of King Pasenadi of Kosala, for in stance, had to suffer in a woeful state for only seven days. Devadatta, on the other hand, is destined to suffer for an aeon.

At times, earth, bound deities live for only seven days.

26. Books state that 50 human years equal one celestial day. Thirty such days amount to one month, and twelve such months constitute one year.

27. Kappa - That which is thought of in accordance with the analogy of mustard seeds and the rock (kappīyati sāsapapabbatopamāhi' ti kappo).

There are three kinds of kappas, namely, antara kappa, asankheyya kappa, and mahā kappa. The interim period when the age-limit of human beings rises from ten to an indefinite time and then falls to ten again, is known as an antara kappa. Twenty such antara kappas equal one asankheyya kappa - literally an incalculable cycle. Four asankheyya kappas equal one mahā kappa. This exceeds the time required to exhaust a volume, a yojana in length breadth, and height, filled with mustard seeds, by throwing away a seed once in every hundred years.

28. By kappa, here and in the following cases, is meant a mahā kappa.

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