AN 3.76

Paṭhamabhavasutta

Atha kho āyasmā ānando yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā ānando bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: “bhavo, bhavoti, bhante, vuccati. Kittāvatā nu kho, bhante, bhavo hotī”ti?

Continued Existence (1st)

Then Venerable Ānanda went up to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and said to him: “Sir, they speak of this thing called ‘continued existence’. How is continued existence defined?”

“Kāmadhātuvepakkañca, ānanda, kammaṁ nābhavissa, api nu kho kāmabhavo paññāyethā”ti? “No hetaṁ, bhante”. “Iti kho, ānanda, kammaṁ khettaṁ, viññāṇaṁ bījaṁ, taṇhā sneho. Avijjānīvaraṇānaṁ sattānaṁ taṇhāsaṁyojanānaṁ hīnāya dhātuyā viññāṇaṁ patiṭṭhitaṁ evaṁ āyatiṁ punabbhavābhinibbatti hoti. (…)

“If, Ānanda, there were no deeds to result in the sensual realm, would continued existence in the sensual realm still come about?” “No, sir.” “So, Ānanda, deeds are the field, consciousness is the seed, and craving is the moisture. The consciousness of sentient beings—shrouded by ignorance and fettered by craving—is established in a lower realm. That’s how there is regeneration into a new state of existence in the future.

Rūpadhātuvepakkañca, ānanda, kammaṁ nābhavissa, api nu kho rūpabhavo paññāyethā”ti? “No hetaṁ, bhante”. “Iti kho, ānanda, kammaṁ khettaṁ, viññāṇaṁ bījaṁ, taṇhā sneho. Avijjānīvaraṇānaṁ sattānaṁ taṇhāsaṁyojanānaṁ majjhimāya dhātuyā viññāṇaṁ patiṭṭhitaṁ evaṁ āyatiṁ punabbhavābhinibbatti hoti. (…)

If there were no deeds to result in the realm of luminous form, would continued existence in the realm of luminous form still come about?” “No, sir.” “So, Ānanda, deeds are the field, consciousness is the seed, and craving is the moisture. The consciousness of sentient beings—shrouded by ignorance and fettered by craving—is established in a middle realm. That’s how there is regeneration into a new state of existence in the future.

Arūpadhātuvepakkañca, ānanda, kammaṁ nābhavissa, api nu kho arūpabhavo paññāyethā”ti? “No hetaṁ, bhante”. “Iti kho, ānanda, kammaṁ khettaṁ, viññāṇaṁ bījaṁ, taṇhā sneho. Avijjānīvaraṇānaṁ sattānaṁ taṇhāsaṁyojanānaṁ paṇītāya dhātuyā viññāṇaṁ patiṭṭhitaṁ evaṁ āyatiṁ punabbhavābhinibbatti hoti. Evaṁ kho, ānanda, bhavo hotī”ti.

If there were no deeds to result in the formless realm, would continued existence in the formless realm still come about?” “No, sir.” “So, Ānanda, deeds are the field, consciousness is the seed, and craving is the moisture. The consciousness of sentient beings—shrouded by ignorance and fettered by craving—is established in a higher realm. That’s how there is regeneration into a new state of existence in the future. That’s how continued existence is defined.”