The skillful (kusala) and unskillful (akusala) karma (action) of different beings can produce nineteen different types of rebirth-producing consciousness (patisandhi-citta) in all, arising in different planes of existence.
One of these types is an unpleasant karmic result (vipaka), and eighteen types are pleasant (wished for and agreeable) results. Of the types of consciousness with pleasant results, one type is not accompanied by beautiful roots (generosity, kindness, wisdom); seventeen types are profitable results accompanied by beautiful roots.
[Nor does it mean that one is or was by habit a bad person, because any single action previously done can act as the basis of rebirth. Therefore, one should not judge oneself and not even think of judging others by external appearances. What is showing is not necessarily what is predominantly there or what one is capable of good or bad.] It all depends on the karma one has and is accumulating. As regards people who are born into happy and fortunate circumstances, if their unskillful deeds get the chance to produce results at an inopportune time, their next rebirth will be an unhappy one.
Darkness
(Gradual Sayings, Book of the Fours, Ch. IX, pal. 5)
Monks, these four [kinds of] persons are found existing in the world. What four?
- one who is in darkness and bound for darkness
- one who is in darkness but bound for light
- one who is in light but bound for darkness
- one who is in light and bound for light
And how is a person in darkness bound for darkness?
In this case a certain person is born in a low family -- the family of a scavenger or a hunter or a basket-weaver or wheel-wright or sweeper -- or in the family of some wretched person hard put to find a meal or earn a living, where food and clothes are hard to get. Moreover, one is ill-favored, ugly, dwarfish, sickly, purblind, crooked, lame, or paralyzed, without enough to eat, without clothes, vehicle, without perfumes or flower-garlands, bed, dwelling, or lights. One lives in the practice of unskillfulness through body, speech, or thought.
So doing, when the body breaks up, after death one is reborn in the waste (animal or other subhuman planes of rebirth), the way of woe, the downfall, even in the hells. Thus, monks, is the person who is in darkness and bound for darkness.
And how is a person in darkness but bound for light?
In this case a certain person is born in a low family...without bed, dwelling, or lights. One lives in the practice of skillfulness with body, speech, and thought...
So doing, when the body breaks up, after death one is reborn in the happy bourn (human and or superhuman planes of rebirth), the way of weal, the profitable, even in the heavens. Thus, monks, is the person who is in darkness but bound for light.
And how is a person in light but bound for darkness?
In this case a certain person is born in a high family... And that person is well-built, attractive and charming, possessed of beauty of form. One is one able to get clothes, vehicle, perfumes and flower-garlands, bed, dwelling, and lights. But one lives in the practice of unskillfulness through body, speech, or thought. So doing, when the body breaks up, after death one is reborn in the waste, the way of woe, the downfall, even in the hells. Thus, monks, is the person who is in light but bound for darkness.
And how is a person who is in light and bound for light?
In this case a person is born in a high family... able to get clothes... bed, dwelling, and lights. One lives in the practice of skillfulness through with body, speech, and thought.
So doing, when the body breaks up, after death one is reborn in the happy bourn, the way of weal, the profitable, even in the heavens. Thus, monks, is one who is in light and bound for light.
These are the four persons found existing in the world.
A rebirth consciousness (patisandhi-citta) with beautiful roots (sahetuka vipaka) is the result of skillful deeds (kusala karma), which are of a higher degree than the wholesome actions producing an (ahetuka patisandhi-citta). There are eight different types of sahetuka vipaka cittas which can perform the rebirth producing function.
People are born with different characters. They are born with different degrees of wisdom or without wisdom. The rebirth-producing consciousnesses of people are different. It is always accompanied by non-greed (generosity) and non-aversion (kindness), but not always by wisdom. It can be accompanied by wisdom, or it can be without wisdom, depending on the karma that produces it. More>>
