Wisdom Quarterly: American Buddhist Journal: Going from Light to Darkness (sutra)

Monday, February 24, 2014

Going from Light to Darkness (sutra)

Amber Larson, Dhr. Seven, CC Liu, Wisdom Quarterly translation based on Ven. Thanissaro, Abbot Wat Metta (accesstoinsight.org, Tamonata Sutra: Darkness, AN 4.85)

[The Buddha taught:] "There are four kinds of people in the world. What four?

"One is in darkness headed for darkness,
one is in darkness headed for light,
one is in light headed for darkness,
one is in light headed for light.

"How is one in darkness and headed for darkness? In this case some person is born into a lowly family -- the family of a scavenger, a hunter, a basket-weaver, a wheelwright, or a sweeper -- a poor family with little to eat and drink, living in hardship, where food and clothing are hard to come by. Moreover, one is unsightly, misshapen, stunted, sickly: half-blind or deformed or lame or crippled. One does not receive any [offerings or gifts of] food, drink, clothing, or vehicles, garlands, perfumes, or creams, bedding, shelter, or lights.

"[Therefore,] one engages in bodily misconduct, verbal misconduct, and mental misconduct. Having engaged in such misconduct, one -- on the dissolution of the body after death -- reappears in a plane of deprivation, an unfortunate destination, a lower realm of rebirth, even in the hells. This person is in darkness headed for darkness.

Psychedelic Buddhas in polymer clay (mariannamicherina/flickr.com)

"And how is one in darkness but headed for light? In this case a person is born into a lowly (lower class or outcaste) family -- the family of a scavenger, a hunter... One is unsightly... One does not receive any [offerings or gifts of] food, drink, clothing, or vehicles... [Yet] one engages in skillful bodily conduct, skillful verbal conduct, and skillful mental conduct. Having engaged in such conduct, one -- on the dissolution of the body after death -- reappears in a fortunate destination [such as the human world], even in a heavenly world. This is a person in darkness but headed for light.

I look nice, but I'm a well born, right-wing maniac pushing for more oppressive rule in Israel.

"And how is one in light but headed for darkness? In this case one is born into a well off family -- a royal (ruling) family, a Brahmin priest (intellectual) family, a prosperous householder (merchant) family -- a family that is rich, with wealth, with many possessions, with a great deal of money, a great many spoils of wealth, a great many commodities to trade. Moreover, one is beautiful, well built, extremely attractive, endowed with a lotus-like complexion. One receives [offerings or gifts of] food, drink, clothing, and vehicles, garlands, perfumes, and creams, bedding, shelter, and light. [Yet,] one engages in bodily misconduct, verbal misconduct, and mental misconduct. Having engaged in such misconduct, one -- on the dissolution of the body after death -- reappears in a world of deprivation, in an unfortunate destination, in a lower [subhuman] realm, even in the hells. This is a person in light but headed for darkness.

"And how is one in light and headed for light? In this case a person is born into a well off family... One engages in skillful bodily conduct, skillful verbal conduct, and skillful mental conduct. Having engaged in such conduct, one -- on the dissolution of the body after death -- reappears in a fortunate destination, even the heavenly worlds. This person is in light and headed for light.

"These are the four kinds of people found in the world."