SUTRA: The Karma of Comedy (stand up)

Stand up Comedians Kellen Erskine and Siri (Dry Bar Comedy, 11/5/19); Ven. Thanissaro, Right Livelihood (SN.42.2) edited by Dhr. Seven, Pat Macpherson, Ellie Askew, Wisdom Quarterly

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Considering a career in acting? You may want to reconsider...

Enough, headman, enough. Do not ask that.

Then Talaputa, the head of a comedic-dramatic acting troupe, went to the Blessed One and, on arrival, bowed and sat respectfully to one side. Sitting there he said to the [Buddha]:

"Venerable sir, I've heard that it has been passed down by the ancient teaching lineage of actors that, 'When an actor on the stage, in the midst of a festival, makes people laugh and gives them delight with one's imitation [deceptive illusion, counterfeit] of reality then, at the breakup of the body, after death, that actor is reborn in the company of the laughing devas [angels, light beings, deities].' What does the Blessed One say about that?"

"Enough, headman, enough. Set that aside, and do not ask."

But a second time... and a third time Talaputa re-asked.

[The Buddha finally replied:] "Headman, apparently I am unable to get past you by imploring, 'Enough, headman, enough. Set that aside, and do not ask.' So I will answer you simply:

"Beings [audience members] who are not yet free of passion [greed, lust, craving] to begin with, who are instead ensnared by the bond of passion, focus with even more passion on things inspiring passion presented by an actor on stage in the midst of a festival.

"Beings who are not yet free of aversion [hate, anger, annoyance] to begin with, who are ensnared by the bond of aversion, focus with even more aversion on things inspiring aversion presented by an actor on stage in the midst of a festival.

"Beings who are not yet free of delusion [wrong view, ignorance, confusion] to begin with, who are ensnared by the bond of delusion, focus with even more delusion on things inspiring delusion presented by an actor on stage in the midst of a festival.

"Thus the actor — intoxicated and heedless, having caused others to become intoxicated and heedless — with the breakup of the body, after death, is reborn in what is called the 'Hell* of Laughter.'

• [*"Hell" in the Buddhist sense is not permanent damnation. It is not eternal (though it may last kalpas or aeons and seem quite longer than eternal and never ending). It is not even damnation in the sense of a "final judgment." It is closer to the appropriated Catholic concept of "purgatory." It is said to be the natural result of the natural (impersonal) law of karma -- intentional actions bearing their ripening fruit and manifold results.]

"But if one holds a view like, 'When an actor on the stage, in the midst of a festival, makes people laugh and gives them delight with one's imitation of reality then, with the breakup of the body, after death, that actor is reborn in the company of the laughing devas,' that is one's own wrong view.

"Now, I tell you, there are two [rebirth] destinations for a person overtaken by a wrong view, either hell or the animal womb."

When this was said, Talaputa, the head of the acting troupe, burst into tears and sobbed.

[The Blessed One said:] "That is what I could not get past you by saying, 'Enough, headman, enough. Set that aside, and do not ask.'"

"No, venerable sir, I'm not crying because of what the Blessed One said, but rather because I had been deceived, cheated, and fooled for so long by what the ancient teaching lineage of actors had said. — SN 42.2