SUTRA: That time I met God (DN 1)

CIA Agent Stan Marsh can be a bit of a control freak. Here, he puts a gun to God's head to get his way. And God laughs...then shoots Stan in the head because that's just the kind of god he is, all vengeful and full of love (American Dad, "Rapture's Delight").

Before Genesis

(Bible Wisdom Chronicles) Before the Book of Genesis: The Untold Story of Creation (Gnostic)

The origin of the belief in a Creator God

I am the Great Supremo, Almighty creator, Brahma

THE BUDDHA: Now, there comes a time, meditators, when, sooner or later, after the lapse of a [cosmologically] long period, this world-system [devolves and] passes away.

When this happens, beings have mostly been reborn [due to their previous skillful karma, their wholesome deeds] in the World of Radiance (ābhassara deva loka), and there they dwell made of mind and feeding on joy, emitting light from themselves, traversing the air, continuing in glory (streaming radiance). They remain this way for a long period of time.

Now, there comes a time, meditators, when, sooner or later, this world-system begins to re-evolve. When this happens the Palace of the Supreme (Brahmā-loka) appears, but it is empty. And some [high-born] being or other, either because its* span of years has passed or its merit [the store of karma that allowed it to live there] is exhausted, falls from the World of Radiance and reappears [is reborn, comes to life] in the Palace of the Supreme.

• [*Brahmas do not undergo sexual dimorphism and therefore are neither male nor female, as is true of all beings above the level of brahmas, but may be said to be androgynous, encompassing or capable of encompassing characteristics of either gender.]

So this God is the be-all end-all?

And there also that being lives made of mind and feeding on joy, emitting light from itself, traversing the air, continuing in streaming glory, and thus remains for a long, long period of time.

Now there arises in this being, from dwelling alone there so long, a dissatisfaction and a longing: "O, would that other beings might come to join me in this place!”

• [NOTE: Buddhism is not atheistic but ultimately nontheistic, with many polytheistic overtones. There is not just one God but many gods (brahmas and devas), none of whom are the actual ultimate creator or first cause. Because time and universes happen in cycles, evolving and devolving, there could be an alpha and omega of sorts, but it isn't real or ultimate because there are higher-born beings than that. A brahma sees to the extent of its plane of existence and not hire, where it cannot access. So it is not omniscient nor omnipotent and either is not aware of the other "Gods" or is willfully ignorant so as to not have to ponder how they came to be there.]

And, just then, either because their span of years had passed or their merit was exhausted, other beings fall from the World of Radiance and appear in the Palace of the Supreme as companions, who in all respects are like it.

• There are many heavenly worlds (sagga, deva-lokas) and many Gods (brahmas) and gods (devas) among the general 31 Planes of Existence. There are countless individual worlds categorized into these general planes. See Buddhist cosmology.

On this happening, meditators, the one who was first reborn there thinks to itself:

“I am Brahmā [the Supreme], the Great Brahmā, the Supreme One, the Mighty, the All-Seeing, the Ruler, the Lord of All [the Universe], the Maker, the Creator, the Chief of All, appointing to each its place, the Ancient of Days, the Father of All who are and are ever to be. These other beings are of my creation. Why is that so? A while ago I thought, 'Would that they might come!’ And on my mental aspiration, behold the beings came!”

A.I. almost gets it right, missing sight of what the

Buddha really was: a human who rose above Gods.

The Gods are not awakened/enlightened. He was.

Moreover, those beings themselves also think: “This must be Brahmā, the Supreme, the Mighty, the All-Seeing, the Ruler, the Lord of All, the Maker, the Creator, the Chief of All, appointing to each its place, the Ancient of Days, the Father of All who are and ever are to be. And we must have been created by this being. Why? It is because, as we see, it was this being who was here first, and we came after.”

On this, meditators, the one who first came into existence [on that plane] is of longer life and more glorious [brighter, streaming more radiance], and more powerful than those who appeared afterward.

And it might well be, meditators, that some being on falling from that state, should come here. And having come here, he might go forth from the household life into the left-home life. And having become a wandering ascetic he, by reason of ardor, persistent exertion, consistent application, earnestness, and careful thought [balanced effort] reaches such rapture of heart [piti born of meditative absorption called jhana] that, rapt in heart, he calls to mind his past life (his last dwelling-place) but not the ones prior to that.

God didn't really create the world out of nothing?

Buddhism and the God-Idea

He says to himself, “That illustrious Brahmā, the Great Brahmā, the Supreme One, the Mighty, the All-Seeing, the Ruler, the Lord of All, the Maker, the Creator, the Chief of All, appointing to each its place, the Ancient of Days, the Father of All who are and ever are to be, the One by whom we were created, that One is steadfast, immutable, eternal, of a nature that knows no change and will remain so for ever and ever, whereas we who were created by that being have come here as beings who are impermanent, mutable, limited in duration of life.”

This, meditators, is the first state of things on account of which, starting out from which, some wandering ascetics and Brahmin priests, being Eternalists as to some things and Non-Eternalists as to others, maintain that the soul [self, atta, atman] and the world are partly eternal and partly not.

• Seth MacFarlane, American Dad; Long Discourses of the Buddha (DN 1), "The All-Embracing Net of Views," Dīgha Nikāya 1, Brahmajāla Sutta, translated by Prof. Rhys Davids and edited by Dhr. Seven (Dec. 2024), from Ven. Nyanaponika (formerly Mr. Siegmund Feniger) Wheel #47: Buddhism and the God-Idea: Selected Texts, 1962 (Buddhist Publication Society, Kandy, Sri Lanka) for Wisdom Quarterly

UFOs, ETs, hybrids and Enoch in Judaism

Sheldon S., CC Liu, Dhr. Seven, Pat Macpherson (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

The Third Book of Enoch Explained

(ReligionForBreakfast) Sept. 21, 2023: [Like Buddhism and Christianity, Judaism seems replete with stories of our neighbors the Sky People or Devas, "Shining Ones," interacting with humans on earth. There are many planes and levels of Devas, corresponding roughly to Judeo-Christian conceptions of the types of angelic beings along with fallen angels or Asuras ("Titans") in Buddhism and the Dharmic religions: Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism.]

The Third Book of Enoch claims to be the account of a mystical vision of heaven [a word that in Hebrew is always plural, "heavens," which includes the abode of moon and sun]. Notably, it portrays Enoch transforming into the second most powerful being in the universe: the Archangel Metatron. [CC, can we start a video department and make cool, modern videos about Buddhist figures like Sakka, King of the Devas, and Vepacitti (a kind of Buddhist Lucifer figure), and the War in Heaven between the beautiful, gated world of the Devas and the jealous Asuras who got thrown out coming back for vengeance? - No, that would take forever. Darcy and Dave could have done it. They probably exist already. I'll scour the Web.]

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Entering heaven, is this what is heard?

Yogini Lehra (KPFK 90.7 FM), FESTIVAL OF TABLA; Eds., Wisdom Quarterly

Welcome to the lower celestial sphere of devas.

What must it be like to enter one of the sensual (kama-loka) heavens (sagga)?

In the European conception, there must be castrati devas known as gandharvas (gandhabbas) acting as musician entertainers for the other devas, playing lutes, dulcimers, and lyres, sipping ambrosia (amrita). Classical composer Prokofiev knew something about creating an ambiance of peace and solemnity.

But devas or "shining ones" are a Vedic, Buddhist, and Jain conception, being the Dharmic religions. These temple Brahmin and wandering ascetic shraman traditions began in proto-India. Examples of the heady and heartfelt sacred music of India exist today. There's The Festival of Tabla™.

Is there an eternal heaven or hell in Hinduism?

(HinduAcademy)  June 18, 2019. Do the Dharmic religions believe one spends an eternity in bliss or pain unimaginable for the karma created here in this life? Visit hindu-academy.com for more info. Whatsapp Broadcast Group: +447717884792 or jo.my/hinduacademy. #hinduismexplained

Today the largest festival of Indian classical music and musicians on the west coast (Eternal Dharma Temple, Los Angeles) is rapidly becoming a globally recognized landmark for percussive arts as well as the classical traditions of South Asia.

The Festival’s focus is to provide an unbiased platform for a new and diverse generation of artists, giving them a chance to present authentic tabla (Indian bongo) as well as instrumental, vocal, and dance solos in front of larger and more receptive audiences.

At the Sanatan Dharma Hindu Temple, newcomers are able to perform on the same stage as maestros. Such an opportunity is integral and essential to uplift new artists and create a healthy and vibrant South Asian music and arts community.

The two-day festival is filled with exceptional artists from the U.S. and around the world. Come experience this unique festival.

​ The Festival of Tabla™ (FOT) is brought by the Ravi & Shashi Bellare Arts Foundation, a 501(c)(3) Charitable non-profit organization (EIN: 33-0550765), located in Chino Hills, California. (ravishashiarts.org). More:

• FESTIVAL OF TABLA
• Festival of Tabla 2023 (ticketspice.com)
• Sanatan Dharma Cultural Center
• 15311 Pioneer Blvd., Norwalk, CA 90650
• Natural stone round chakra healing crystal set for reiki energy: polished palm stone for meditation | Temu
• Incense Waterfall (theinscentswaterfall.com)
• Life of Qi (prana): Transform life with an ancient force (chi)

Good Catholic goes to HELL: religion to blame

Pat Macpherson, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Good Catholic goes to hell and says religion is to blame (shocking NDE)

(Shaman Oaks) June 7, 2023. #afterlife #neardeathexperience #heaven M.K. (Kathy) McDaniel had an NDE (near-death experience) after contracting the flu.

• 0:00 - Intro
• 2:14 - NDE in Hell
• 17:17 - NDE in Heaven
• 21:49 - Why did I go to Hell?
• 28:40 - Are you trying to get rich?
• 29:14 - Could it have been a dream?
• 30:22 - Do you have nightmares from your NDE?
• 31:55 - How did your NDE change you?
• 35:36 - An email from Heaven
• 37:16 - What is the purpose of life?
• 38:51 - Are you afraid of death?
• 39:18 - Her book

Buddhism describes many hells (narakas)

She found herself wandering around [in a place Buddhists would describe as] hell [naraka-loka], but eventually ended up in heaven [Buddhist sagga or the deva-loka].

An NDE occurs when someone dies, is revived, and knows for certain that there is an afterlife -- life after life, life after death.

A distressing NDE like Kathy had happens to 3 in 10 people who have an NDE. For Kathy her NDE both distressed and amazed here, and it changed her life forever. ✨

Kathy's links

• Website: misfitinhelltoheavenexpat.com
• Facebook: facebook.com/KathyMcDanie...
• Instagram: instagram.com/kathymcdani...
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/MKMcDaniel3
• Contact: mkm@heavenexpat.com
• 📚 Book: amzn.to/3X1F4e7

But "hell" is not really real, right, Bart Ehrman?

*NOTE: This post contains affiliate links which, if used to buy something, may earn someone a commission. ✨

Social links

• IG: https://www.instagram.com/shamanoaks/
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• Join on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/shamanoaks
• Contact: Website: https://www.shamanoaks.com
• Email: shamanoaks@gmail.com
• Music: epidemicsound.com/referral...

#nde #neardeathexperience #afterlife #heaven #nde2023 #shamanoaks

Sutra: Is there a heaven? (video)

Ven. Kiribathgoda Gnanananda Thera (trans.), Rajjumālā Vimānavatthu (Khuddaka Nikāya, Crimson Chapter (4.12) Rajjumala’s Mansion or UFO; Dhr. Seven, Seth Auberon (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Ven. Moggallana: "Devata, your beauty shines in all directions like the bright star named Osadhi.

"When you dance, divine music and sweet fragrance spread from your hands and feet. Also, the ornaments on your head play delightful music. The bouquet of flowers on your head spreads sweet fragrance, like that of a manjusaka tree, and plays music when the breeze blows on it. Surely, you must smell that fragrance and see your own divine body?

"Tell me, Devata, what kind of meritorious action [skillful karma] did you do when you were in the human world to have gained this beauty that shines in all directions and to have earned all these wonderful things?"

Devata: "In my previous life, I was in the human world living in the city called Gaya. I was a servant girl working in a high-caste family. I did not have much merit and was very unfortunate. Everybody called me 'Rajjumala.' I was abused, threatened, and beaten. I was tired of living that way.

“One day I took a water pot and, pretending to get some water, I ran away. I ran into the forest beside the road. There I contemplated suicide. I thought that there was no point in living like this. I made a strong noose and tied it to a tree. I looked around to see whether anybody was there. Then I saw the Supreme Buddha, the most compassionate teacher of all beings in the world, sitting at the root of a tree meditating, free from all fears.

(Roxy Music, April 3, 1973) "In Every Dream Home a Heartache." Brian Ferry asks, "Is there a heaven? I'd like to think so." BBC TV: The Old Grey Whistle Test, Brian Eno on keyboards. 

“I was shocked and surprised. The hairs on my body stood on end. I thought, 'Who is that being in this forest – is he a human or a deva?' The sight of him was thrilling! He has escaped from the forest of defilements and attained the bliss of calmness. When I saw him, I was delighted. I realized that he was not an ordinary human being. The Blessed One lived with restrained senses, delighting in meditation, with his mind established in nirvana. Truly, he is the Supreme Buddha, the most compassionate teacher in the world.

“Like a lion living in his cave, the Blessed One is afraid of nothing. Seeing a brave buddha is very rare, like seeing a [heavenly] udumbara flower. The Supreme Buddha called to me gently, saying, 'Rajjumala,' and asked me to go for guidance to the Supreme Buddha. When I heard those sweet, gentle, meaningful, soft, and lovely words, all my sorrows went away. My mind was joyful and clean. I was ready to understand the Dharma [Teaching of Liberation]. At that time, the most compassionate teacher in the world taught me the Dharma, saying, 'This is suffering, this is the cause of suffering, this is the end of suffering, and this is the way leading to deathlessness [nirvana].' I followed the advice of the most compassionate and skilled teacher, the Supreme Buddha. I understood the peaceful and deathless state, nirvana. With the realization of the Four Ennobling Truths, my love towards the Buddha became strong, unshakable, well rooted, and well established. I became a daughter born of the heart of the Supreme Buddha.

We're here to entertain you, Shining One!

“Now, I enjoy living in this heaven, playing and dancing. I do not have any fear of falling into the plains of misery again [because she has attained at the very least the first stage of enlightenment called stream entry, which means one can never be reborn anywhere lower than the human plane]. I wear divine flower garlands and drink water from the divine river Madhumaddava. Sixty thousand musical instruments wake me from my sleep. Devas entertain me. Their names are Alamba, Gaggara, Bhima, Sadhuvadin, Samsaya, Pokkhara, and Suphassa. Other devatas, including Vina, Mokkha, Nanda, Sunanda, Sonadinna, Sucimhita, Alambusa, Missakesi, Pundarika, Athicharuni, Eniphassa, Suphassa, Subhadda, and Muduvadini entertain me as well. These and many other devatas entertain me with divine music coming to me whenever I wish. They approach me saying, 'Come now! Let’s dance and sing! We are here to entertain you.'

“Those without merit will not receive mansions [vimanas = UFOs = celestial platforms, mansions, palaces, motherships] like this. Only those with merit receive this happiness in the heavenly Nandana Park in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three (Tavatimsa).

“Those who have not gathered merit will not get any happiness in their current life or their next life. Only those who have gathered merit get happiness in both the present and next life. Those who would like to be reborn in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three must collect much merit. Only people who do good things are able to enjoy heavenly [celestial] pleasures.

“Definitely, supreme buddhas are born into this world for the happiness of all beings. Thus, buddhas are the unique fields of treasure where donors can plant their seeds of merit [with massively abundant results]. Having respected such great beings, these fortunate people enjoy heavenly pleasures. Source: Vv 50: Rajjumālāvimānavatthu—Ven. Kiribathgoda Gnanananda Thera (suttacentral.net)

Heaven and Hell: History of Afterlife (audio)

UNC Chapel Hill Prof. Bart D. Ehrman, with Host Mitch Jeserich (Letters & Politics, 4/9/20, KPFA); Host Terry Gross (Fresh Air, NPR); Pat Macpherson, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Get off me, Michael (Sakka)

Bart Ehrman, a New York Times best-selling historian of early Christianity, takes on two of the most gripping questions of human existence: Where did the ideas of "heaven" and "hell" come from, and why do they endure?

What happens when we die? A recent Pew Research poll showed 72 percent of Americans believe in a literal heaven, 58 percent in a literal hell.

Lucifer cum Satan = Buddhist Vepacitti

Most people who hold these beliefs are Christians who ASSUME they are age-old teachings of the Bible.

But eternal rewards and eternal punishments are found nowhere in the Old Testament (the pre-Roman Empire version of the Bible) and are not what Jesus or his disciples taught.

Sacred Jewish lit based on older Sumerian texts

So where did the ideas come from? In clear and compelling terms, Prof. Bart Ehrman recounts the long history of the afterlife, ranging from the pre-Jewish Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh up to the writings of Augustine, focusing especially on the teachings of Jesus and his early followers.

• AUDIO: Bart Ehrman Pacifica radio interview, KPFA
• AUDIO: Terry Gross talks to Prof. Bart Ehrman, NPR

We pick and choose what we like about Jesus

Ehrman discusses ancient guided tours of heaven and hell, in which a living person observes the sublime blessings of heaven for those who are saved and the horrifying torments of hell for the damned.

Some of these accounts take the form of near-death experiences, the oldest on record, with intriguing similarities to those reported today.

One of Ehrman’s startling conclusions is that there never was a single Greek, Jewish, or Christian understanding of the afterlife. What there was were numerous competing views.

• Are we in the "End Times"? Apocalypse is the Greek word for the Latin word "Revelation"

Moreover, these views did not come from nowhere; they were intimately connected with the social, cultural, and historical worlds out of which they emerged.

Only later, in the early Christian centuries, did they develop into the notions of eternal bliss or eternal damnation widely accepted today.

As a historian and professor of religious studies, Ehrman does not [and obviously cannot since he is no mystic with direct experience of the beyond like meditators gain] provide a definitive answer to the question of what happens after death.

In Heaven and Hell, he does the next best thing: By helping us reflect on where our ideas of the afterlife come from, he assures us that even if there may be something to hope for when we die, there is certainly nothing to fear. More + AUDIO

Jesus was nailed to a tree in one story, a cross in another. This tree in Colombia is inspiring the faithful to greater faith and pilgrimages to see it like a visage of the Virgin Mary or Mother Miriam.

Happy Mother's Day (sutra)

SuttaCentral.net edited by Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson, Crystal Quintero, Wisdom Quarterly

WARNING: There is implicit sexist bias in this discourse, so take it with a grain of salt.

.

With Nakula’s Mother on the "Lovable Gods"

The Buddha had two mothers.

At one time the Buddha was staying in the Land of the Bhaggas on Crocodile Hill, in the deer park at Bhesakaḷā’s Wood.

The housewife Nakula’s mother went up to the Buddha, bowed, and sat respectfully to one side. Then the Buddha said to her:

“Nakula’s mother, when females have eight qualities -- as their bodies break up after death -- they are reborn in company with the Devas of the Lovable Group. What are the eight qualities?

“Take the case of a female whose mother and father give her to a husband wanting what’s best for her, out of kindness and compassion. She would get up before him and go to bed after him, and be obliging, behaving nicely, and speaking politely.

 

I raised my sister's son for our husband.

“She honors, respects, esteems, and venerates those whom her husband respects, such as mother and father, as well as wandering ascetics and Brahmins. And when they arrive she provides them with a seat and water [with which to wash their feet].

“She’s skilled and tireless in her husband’s household duties, such as knitting and sewing. She understands how to go about things in order to complete and organize the work.

“She knows what work her husband’s domestic servants, employees, and workers have completed and what they’ve left incomplete. She knows who is sick, who is fit or unwell. She distributes to each a fair portion of various foods.

 

Buddha's biological mother shown as a sal tree dryad

“She ensures that any income her husband earns is guarded and protected, whether money, grain, silver, or gold. She does not overspend, steal, waste, or lose it. 

 

“She’s a lay follower who has gone for guidance to the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Saṅgha [the noble Sangha, who having been guided by the Buddha and Dharma have become enlightened].

 

“She’s ethical. She does not kill living creatures, steal, commit sexual misconduct [explained as having intercourse with the ten forbidden persons], lie, or use alcoholic drinks that cause negligence.

“She’s generous. She lives at home freed of the stain of stinginess, freely generous, open-handed, loving to let go, committed to charity, loving to give and to share.

When they have these eight qualities females -- when their bodies break up, after death -- are reborn in company with the Devas of the Lovable Group.

She would never look down on her husband,
who is always keen to work hard and
always looking after her,
bringing her whatever she wants.

A good woman never scolds her husband
with jealous words.
Being astute, she reveres
those respected by her husband.

She gets up early, works tirelessly,
and manages the domestic help.
She is lovable to her husband
and preserves family wealth.

A lady who fulfills these duties
according to her husband’s wish,
is reborn among the devas
called ‘Lovable’.”

QUESTIONS

Q: Wait, Buddhism has heaven?

A: No, Buddhism has heavens (sagga) of the akasha-deva-loka or celestial-shining ones-world, the many deva worlds and planes of existence reborn into by merit and good karma and by meditation and the stilling of the mind on a single object to the point of absorption (jhana, zen, dhyana, or chan).

Q: Buddh-ism is sexism?

A: Yes, well, it's not sexism but it has sexist elements added to it. It arose in very sexist societies -- or societies which used to be very openminded and inclusive and got torn up by invasions and conquering and became sexist, patriarchal, and regressive. But the Buddha and Buddha's teaching were not that way. And particularly in the West, our Buddhism will not be that way. It's back to basics and letting go of the cultural overlay...so we can add our own openminded overlay with our sensibilities. To think there is no sexism because there shouldn't be will disappoint when the texts or some teachers are regressive or chauvinistic or displaying the biases and prejudices of a given society where Buddhism took hold.

Q: Are there women in Buddhism?

A: Yes, and they love it. But with the treatment of females after the loss of the Buddhist Nuns' Order, not everyone loves it. We need equality. We need to bring back the magic, modernity, and really progressive things the Buddha taught.

Q: The Buddha had two mothers?

A: Yes, his biological mother (Maha Maya Devi) passed away a week after he was born and his mother's sister and King Suddhodana's other wife (Maha Prajapati Gotami Devi) raised him as her own from that day on. Maya had agreed to be reborn here, it is said, to give birth to the Bodhisattva ("Buddha-to-be"), so once that task was done, it was back to the Tusita world. The Buddha out of love for his mother taught her the Dharma in the Tavatimsa world so that she could benefit from what he had discovered in his last birth.

The "Giving Sutra": a discourse on dana

Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly, Ven. Thanissaro (trans.), Dana (AN 6.37)

SUMMARY: The Dāna Sutra regards an offering by Velukantakī Nandamātā to a group of ascetics with the Buddha's two chief male disciples at their head. Her offering, says the Buddha, is complete in six ways: three from the giver, three from the recipients: The giver is (1) glad at heart before making a gift, (2) is satisfied while giving, (3) rejoices after giving the gift. Recipients are (4) lust-free, (5) hate-free, (6) delusion-free or practicing toward such freedom. The merit (good karma) obtained from such a gift is incalculable (A.iii.336f.)

.

The Buddha is the Great Friend to all.

On one occasion the Blessed One [the Buddha] was staying near Savatthi in Jeta's Grove, in Anathapindika's monastery.

On that occasion the laywoman Velukandaki, Nanda's mother, had established a donation endowed with six factors for the monastic community headed by Sāriputta and [Maha] Moggallāna.

I love when we exchange gifts! (SheKnows)

The Blessed One saw with his divine eye, which surpasses the human, that the laywoman Velukandaki, Nanda's mother, had done so. And seeing this, he addressed the monastics:

"Meditators, the laywoman Velukandaki, Nanda's mother, has established a donation endowed with six factors for the monastic community headed by Sariputta and Maha Moggallana.
 
"How is a donation endowed with six factors? There is the case where there are the three factors of the donor, the three factors of the recipients.
 
"What are the three factors of the donor? In one case the donor, before giving, is glad. While giving, his or her mind is bright and clear. After giving, one is gratified. These are the three factors of the donor.
 
"Now what are the three factors of the recipients? In one case, the recipients are free of passion or are practicing for the subduing of passion. They are free of aversion or practicing for the subduing of aversion. They are free of delusion or practicing for the subduing of delusion.

• [NOTE: Greed, hatred/fear, and delusion (craving, aversion, and ignorance) are the three sources, the three root causes, of all bad karma and therefore of all suffering in Buddhism.]

"These are the three factors of the recipients.
 
"These are the three factors of the donor and the three factors of the recipients. And this is how a donation is endowed with six factors.
  
"It is not easy to measure the merit of a donation endowed with six factors as 'just this much a boon of merit, a bonanza of what is skillful -- a source of bliss, heavenly, resulting in bliss, leading to [rebirth in a] heaven -- that leads to what is wished for, pleasing, charming, beneficial, and pleasant.' It is simply reckoned as a great mass of merit, incalculable, immeasurable. (See Dhp 195-196).
 

Devas (fairies) give

"Just as it is difficult to measure the great ocean as 'just this many buckets of water, just this many hundreds of buckets of water, just this many thousands of buckets of water, or just this many hundreds of thousands of buckets of water,' it is instead simply reckoned as a great mass of water, incalculable, immeasurable.

"In the same way, it is difficult to measure the merit of a donation endowed with these six factors as 'just this much a boon of merit, a bonanza of what is skillful -- a source of bliss, heavenly, resulting in bliss, leading to [rebirth in a] heaven -- that leads to what is wished for, pleasing, charming, beneficial, and pleasant.' It is simply reckoned as a great mass of merit, incalculable, immeasurable."

Summary in verse

What did the Buddha know and teach?

Before giving one is glad

While giving, the mind bright and clear

Having given, gratified:

This is the consummation of "sacrifice" (dana, offering)

Passion-free, aversion-free, delusion-free

without defilement:

This is the consummation of the field of sacrifice,

giving to one restrained, leading the highest life

• The Thai edition puts this sentence in the singular form, as translated here. The Pali Text Society and Burmese editions put it in the plural.

Having rinsed oneself,

having given with one's own hands,

then -- because of oneself
and because of the other --

• In other words, because one is possessed of the three factors as the donor, and the other -- the recipient -- is possessed of the three factors as the recipient.

Gifts for all! Chinese donation envelopes

That is a sacrifice yielding great fruit

Having given in this way -- intelligent --

a person of confidence (faith),

by wisdom released, reappears -- wise --

in a world of unalloyed bliss.

What is yours and not yours (sutra)

Venerable Nyanaponika Thera (trans.) Alagaddupama Sutra, "The Snake Simile" (MN 22), BPS.lk via accesstoinsight.org edited by Amber Larson and Dhr. Seven, Wisdom Quarterly

Golden Buddha framed by chemtrail-formed clouds (polo D/popolisson/flickr.com)

THE SUTRA, SECTIONS 1-39

Not Yours [44]

40. "Therefore, meditators,* give up whatever is not yours! [45] Giving it up will for a long time serve your welfare and happiness. What is not yours?
 
[The Five Heaps of Clinging]

1. Form [corporeality, this body] is not yours. Give it up! Giving it up will for a long time serve your welfare and happiness.
2. Feeling is not yours. Give it up! Giving it up will for a long time serve your welfare and happiness.
3. Perception is not yours. Give it up! Giving it up will for a long time serve your welfare and happiness.
4. Mental formations are not yours. Give it up! Giving it up will for a long time serve your welfare and happiness.
5. Consciousness is not yours. Give it up! Giving it up will for a long time serve your welfare and happiness. [46]

41. "What do you think, meditators? If some people were to carry away the grass, sticks, branches, and leaves in this Jeta Grove, or burn them, or do with them what they pleased, would you think, These people carry us away, burn us, or do with us as they please?" — "No, venerable sir." — "Why not?" — "Venerable sir, it is because that is neither our self nor the property of a self."

"So, too, meditators, give up what is not yours! Giving it up will for a long time serve your welfare and happiness. What is it that is not yours? Form... feeling... perception... mental formations... consciousness are not yours. Give them up! Giving them up will for a long time serve your welfare and happiness."

The Explicit Teaching and Its Fruit

42. "Meditators, this well proclaimed Teaching [47] is plain, open, explicit, free of patchwork. [48]

In this well proclaimed Teaching that is plain, open, explicit, and free of patchwork, for those who are arhats (fully enlightened), free of taints, who have accomplished and completed their task, have laid down the burden, achieved their aim, severed the fetters binding them to rebirth, who are liberated by full knowledge, there is no (future) round of rebirth that can be ascribed to them.

 

43. "Meditators, in this well proclaimed Teaching that is plain, open, explicit, and free of patchwork, those meditators who have abandoned the five lower fetters will all be reborn spontaneously (in the Pure Abodes) and there they will [reach full enlightenment and] pass away finally, no more returning from that world.

 

44. "Meditators, in this well proclaimed Teaching that is plain, open, explicit, and free of patchwork, those meditators who have abandoned three fetters and have reduced greed, hatred, and delusion are all once-returners and, returning only once to this world, will then make a complete end of suffering.
 

45. "Meditators, in this well proclaimed Teaching that is plain, open, explicit, and free of patchwork, those meditators who have abandoned three fetters are all stream-enterers, no more liable to downfall, assured, and headed for full enlightenment.

 

46. "Meditators, in this well proclaimed Teaching that is plain, open, explicit, and free of patchwork, those meditators who are mature in Dharma, mature in confidence (saddha, faith) [49] are all headed for full enlightenment.

 

47. "Meditators, in this well proclaimed Teaching that is plain, open, explicit, and free of patchwork, those who simply have confidence in me, simply love for me [50] are all destined for heaven."

• There is no "heaven" (sagga) in Buddhism but rather many heavens, celestial worlds above the human plane -- from lowly Sensual Sphere planes of the messengers (gandharvas), to the sky rulers of the four directions (catumaharajikas), to the devas of World of the Thirty-Three...up to Fine-Material Sphere worlds and Immaterial Sphere planes of existence. None of these are permanent; one is born there by karma (good actions), and when that karma is exhausted, one falls back to carry on in the Continue Wandering On (samsara), the wheel of rebirth and death. The human world is, therefore, a fortunate destination because it is an excellent place between pleasure and pain to realize the liberating truth about the nature of existence marred by ignorance about reality. It is not what it seems, and enlightenment and nirvana are much better.

48. This is what the Blessed One said. Satisfied, the meditators rejoiced in the words of the Blessed One.

• *We have translated bhikkhus as "meditators" because although the Buddha originally delivered this and many other sutras to monastics, in most cases what is said is intended for entire audiences of followers (practitioners). Meditation (bhavana) is not principally a sitting practice but practice in all forms -- literally the "bringing into being" or cultivating of beneficial qualities that lead toward enlightenment and nirvana. Had the nun's order or Bhikkhuni Sangha not lapsed, many sutras would be worded, "O nuns!" yet no one would think what was being said were limited to nuns or women.