SUTRA: Messengers of the Gods
“There are, meditators, these three ‘messengers’ of the gods (devas). What are the three?
“Firstly, someone does unskillful things by way of body, speech, and mind. When that person’s body breaks up, after death, one is reborn in a place of loss, an unfortunate place, the underworld, even in hell(s).
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| The King of the Dead Yama is kind and just |
“Then the wardens of hell take one by the arms and present one to the King of the Dead Yama, saying: ‘Your Majesty, this person did not pay due respect to mother and father, wandering ascetics and temple priests (Brahmins), nor honor the elders in the family. May Your Majesty judge this person!’
“Then King Yama questions, presses, and grills that person about the first messenger of the gods: ‘Sir, did you not see the first messenger of the gods who appeared among human beings?’
“The person answers, ‘I saw nothing, sir.’
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| A typical old person, balding and falling apart |
“The person answers, ‘I did see that, sir.’
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| I love you, Baby. Stay healthy, and wear a coat. |
“Then King Yama asks, ‘Sir, did it not occur to you — being sensible and mature — “I, too, am liable to grow old. I am not exempt from old age. I should better do good by way of body, speech, and mind”?’
“The person answers, ‘I couldn’t, sir. I was negligent.’
“Then King Yama asks, ‘Sir, because you were negligent, you didn’t do what is skillful by way of body, speech, or mind. Indeed, they’ll definitely torment you to fit your negligence. That unskillful deed wasn’t done by your mother, father, brother, or sister.
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| This is Death turning samsara. |
- [NOTE: What deeds (karma) are skillful, wholesome, and profitable, and what intentional actions are unskillful, unwholesome, and unprofitable? Why? By natural course of results, some deeds produce pleasant, wished for, welcome results, whereas by the same natural course of results, not anyone's punishment or education, some deeds produce unpleasant, unwished for, unwelcome results. This is a natural fixity of the universe and not a meting out of rewards and punishments, as it is often presented for the sake of simplicity, clarity, and believability by many of the world's spiritual teachings. If something produces a bad result and that is not clear because it does not happen immediately or even necessarily in this life, the Buddha has pointed it out so that people and devas may guard against it if they heed the Buddha's enlightened advice. If an plant, for example, were poisonous such that anyone who ate of it, it would bring about their illness, they would not eat of it. However, if another plant seemed to produce no such result, and was inviting and experienced as pleasant, but later produced illness, people would eat of it, eat a lot of it, blissfully unaware of the danger, and one who knows might warn them. Who would listen? People would argue against such a person, laugh at such a person, stick in the mud, killjoy, goody two-shoes, judge, critic, buttinsky, and neither listen nor cause others to listen but instead urging them to eat and enjoy and not worry, having for themselves tested the plant and found it to be pleasant and without harm. Then, later, when the harm set in, long after its consumption, people would become confused: "Some say it's fine, some that it's dangerous, I don't know who to believe or what to do? I like it, so I'll do it. I don't see any harm in it, and until I do, I'll do what I want." People have that choice. In this discourse, the Buddha warns against actions that seem harmless to one who does them even though they harm others as one would not wish to be harmed. And they see no danger in this so long as the result does not ripen and come to fruition. Are Buddhist hells real? There is no need for faith or belief. One may develop meditative absorption and look for them under the ground in a designated area, and one will see for oneself. Unless one sees, how likely is anyone to believe? This traditional method of investigation is taught in detail by Pa Auk Sayadaw and his accomplished students able to enter the jhanas at will. A similar instruction is also given to perceive vimasnas or heavenly mansions above the tree tops. However it may sound to us, it is not a matter of belief or skepticism; it is a matter of looking for oneself so that one needs no teacher or teaching to tell one what is real and what is merely metaphorical. We hope it's a metaphor, a simile, or hyperbole. That is a comforting thought. But we have known people who have known-and-seen for themselves, revealing that it is completely possible to know for sure while one is yet alive and do something about it. Consider the case of the Dickensian Ebenezer S.]
“It wasn’t done by friends and colleagues, by relatives and kin, by the deities (devas), nor by wandering ascetics and temple priests. That unskillful deed was done by you alone, and you alone will experience the results.’
“Then King Yama grills that person about the second messenger of the gods: ‘Sir, did you not see the second messenger of the gods who appeared among human beings?’
“The person answers, ‘I saw nothing, sir.’
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| A typical sickly hag, festering |
“The person answers, ‘I did see that, sir.’
“Then King Yama answers, ‘Sir, did it not occur to you — being sensible and mature — “I, too, am liable to become sick. I’m not exempt from sickness. I’d better do what is skillful by way of body, speech, and mind”?’
“The person answers, ‘I couldn’t, sir. I was negligent.’
“Then King Yama asks, ‘Sir, because you were negligent, you didn’t do what is skillful by way of body, speech, and mind. Well, they’ll definitely torment you to fit your negligence. That unskillful deed wasn’t done by your mother, father, brother, or sister.
“It wasn’t done by friends and colleagues, by relatives and kin, by the deities, nor by wandering ascetics and temple priests. That unskillful deed was done by you alone, and you alone will experience the results.’
“Then King Yama grills that person about the third messenger of the gods: ‘Sir, did you not see the third messenger of the gods who appeared among human beings?’
“The person answers, ‘I saw nothing, sir.’
“The person answers, ‘I did see that, sir.’
“Then King Yama asks, ‘Sir, did it not occur to you — being sensible and mature — “I, too, am liable to die. I’m not exempt from death. I’d better do what is skillful by way of body, speech, and mind”?’
“The person answers, ‘I couldn’t, sir. I was negligent.’
“Then King Yama asks, ‘Sir, because you were negligent, you didn’t do what is skillful by way of body, speech, and mind. Well, they’ll definitely torment you to fit your negligence. That unskillful deed wasn’t done by your mother, father, brother, or sister.
“It wasn’t done by friends and colleagues, by relatives and kin, by the deities, or by wandering ascetics and temple priests. That unskillful deed was done by you alone, and you alone will experience the results.’
“They drive red-hot stakes through the hands and feet, and another in the middle of the chest. And there that person suffers painful, sharp, severe, acute feelings — but that person does not die until that unskillful deed is eliminated.
“Then the wardens of hell throw that person down and hack that person with axes. …
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| What torments await in purgatory? |
“They hang that person upside down and hack that person with hatchets. …
“They harness that person to a chariot and drive that person back and forth across burning ground, blazing and glowing. …
“They make that person climb up and down a huge mountain of burning coals, blazing and glowing. …
“Then the wardens of hell turn that person upside down and throw that person in a red-hot copper pot, burning, blazing, and glowing. There one is seared in boiling scum and one is swept up and down and round and round. And there that person suffers painful, sharp, severe, acute feelings — but that person doesn’t die until that unskillful deed is eliminated.
“Then the wardens of hell toss that person into the Great Hell (Avici, the "Waveless").
“Now, about that Great Hell:
‘Four are its corners, four its doors,
Squarely divided in equal parts.
Surrounded by an iron wall,
of iron is its roof.
The ground, too, is made of iron,
it burns with fierce fire.
The heat constantly radiates
a hundred leagues around.’
“Once upon a time, the King of the Dead Yama thought, ‘Those who do such unskillful deeds in the world receive these many different torments. Oh, I hope I might be reborn as a human being and that a Realized One — a Perfected One, a fully Awakened One, a Buddha — arises in the world! Oh, that I may pay homage to that Buddha! Then the Buddha can teach me Dhamma so that I may understand the timeless Teaching.’“Now, I do not say this because I have heard it from some other wandering ascetic or Brahmin. I only say it because I have known, seen, and realized it for myself.
Those people who are negligent,
when warned by the gods’ (devas’) messengers:
a long time they sorrow,
when they go to that wretched place.
But those skillful and peaceful people,
when warned by the gods’ messengers,
never neglect
Seeing the peril in grasping,
the origin of birth and death,
the unattached are freed
with the ending of rebirth and death.
Happy, they’ve come to a safe place,
extinguished [all suffering] in this very life.
They’ve gone beyond all threats and perils
and risen above all suffering whatsoever.”
- Bhikkhu Sujato (trans.), SuttaCentral.net, Devadūta Sutta (AN 3.36), Tikanipāta, Paṭhamapaṇṇāsaka, Devadūtavagga,—"Numbered Discourses" 3.36, 4. "Messengers of the Gods [Devas]" edited by Dhr. Seven; submitted by Eli W., Wisdom Quarterly
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