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Meditation J Krishnamurti Tao Te Ching Dhammapada Buddhist Classics A Call To Practice! One Buddha Per Universe A Lesson From A Ghost Karma Tales A Scripture That Protects Kings The Realms of Rebirth
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Buddhist Classics
The Realms of Rebirth
...Continued from Part One
Animal Section
Because of passion, they are reborn in the womb of geese, doves and the like, [in the womb] of rhinoceroses, [in the womb of those] exceedingly influenced by passion; [and] because of [their] moha [delusion], in the wombs of insects and so on.
Because of anger and ill-will, they become snakes, because of pride and obduracy, lions; some are reborn, on account of their excessive conceit, in the wombs of donkeys and dogs.
He who is avaricious [or] discontented gets birth as a monkey; the foul-mouthed, the fickle and the shameless are reborn in the wombs of crows.
Those flogging, fettering and injuring elephants, horses, buffalo and the like become spiders of cruel character, stinging insects and scorpions.
Men who are flesh-eating, angry and avaricious are reborn after death as tigers, cats, jackals, bears, vultures, wolves and so on.
Men who are generous givers yet angry and cruel [become] nagas [serpent deities] of great iddhi-power [magical power]; though charitable they become garuda-lords [mythical birds of prey] because of anger and haughtiness.
If any wrongdoing in thought and so on has been done by themselves, they are reborn in the realms of animals; therefore one should shun that [wrongdoing].
Animals - the second section [is concluded]
Peta Section
Petas [Ghosts]
Those who steal what can be chewed and eaten and who lack energy [for good deeds] become corpse-eating petas, kataputanas [rotten bodied].
Those who oppress the young and cheat them because of greed are themselves reborn kataputanas to feed on birth-impurities.
Whatsoever men are engaged in low practices, the mean, the avaricious and the constantly greedy are reborn after death as goitrous petas.
Whoever prevents others from giving and does not himself give anything becomes a hungry, thirsty peta, needle-mouthed and big-bellied.
Whoever preserves [his] wealth for his family [but] neither enjoys nor gives it is reborn a peta taking [only] what is given, eating funeral offerings.
Whoever longs to steal another's property, and gives and then regrets it, is reborn as a peta feeding on dung, phlegm and vomit.
Whoever speaks unpleasantly in anger, words hitting vital spots, because of that deed becomes for a long time a peta with a mouth like a furnace.
And whoever is cruel-minded, without sympathy and quarrelsome, would become a fiery peta eating worms, insects and beetles.
Kumbhandas [Ghouls]
Any village-fraud who himself gives but stops [others] giving is reborn a kumbhanda, deformed, [but] doing honour.
Whoever pitilessly kills animals, but gives [them] to be eaten [by others] inevitably, after death, finds his various kinds of food [as] a rakkhasa [flesh-eating demon].
Those who are always intent on scent and garlands, are slow to anger and are munificent are reborn after death as gandhabbas [fragrance-eating spirits], furthering the delight of the devas.
Whoever is angry, malicious and offers goods out of greed is reborn as a pisaca [goblin], evil-minded with deformed visage.
Those men who are constantly corrupt, fickle, causing pain to others, [but] constantly delighting in giving, become bhutas [ghosts] after death.
Those who are horrible, angered, [but] generous, and those fond of intoxicating liquors are reborn after death as yakkhas [woodland spirits], feeding on horrible things, fond of liquor.
Those who in this world convey folk such as mother, father and guru in carriages become yakkhas travelling in celestial palaces, provided with ease.
Because of the fault which is craving and avarice, after death people are reborn as petas; [and they are reborn as] yakkhas and so on because of deeds good but spoiled - therefore one should shun wickedness.
Asuras [Demigods]
That treacherous person who is always deceitful [but] commits no other sin, who is quarrelsome [but] generous, becomes lord of asuras.
Vepacitti's asuras went to the realm of the Thirty-three devas; those named the Kalakanja asuras were included among the petas.
Petas - the third section [is concluded]
...Excerpt from Buddhist Scriptures
Continues in Part Three...
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