Sucaritasutta
Sāvatthinidānaṁ. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho so bhikkhu bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: “ko nu kho, bhante, hetu, ko paccayo, yena midhekacco kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā gandhabbakāyikānaṁ devānaṁ sahabyataṁ upapajjatī”ti? “Idha, bhikkhu, ekacco kāyena sucaritaṁ carati, vācāya sucaritaṁ carati, manasā sucaritaṁ carati. Tassa sutaṁ hoti: ‘gandhabbakāyikā devā dīghāyukā vaṇṇavanto sukhabahulā’ti. Tassa evaṁ hoti: ‘aho vatāhaṁ kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā gandhabbakāyikānaṁ devānaṁ sahabyataṁ upapajjeyyan’ti. So kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā gandhabbakāyikānaṁ devānaṁ sahabyataṁ upapajjati. Ayaṁ kho, bhikkhu, hetu, ayaṁ paccayo, yena midhekacco kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā gandhabbakāyikānaṁ devānaṁ sahabyataṁ upapajjatī”ti.
Good Conduct
At Sāvatthī. Seated to one side, that mendicant said to the Buddha: “Sir, what is the cause, what is the reason why someone, when their body breaks up, after death, is reborn in the company of the gods of the centaur realm?” “Mendicant, it’s when someone does good things by way of body, speech, and mind. And they’ve heard: ‘The gods of the centaur realm are long-lived, beautiful, and very happy.’ They think: ‘If only, when my body breaks up, after death, I would be reborn in the company of the gods of the centaur realm!’ When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in the company of the gods of the centaur realm. This is the cause, this is the reason why someone, when their body breaks up, after death, is reborn in the company of the gods of the centaur realm.”