Aṇguttara-Nikāya
III. Tika Nipāta
III. Puggala Vagga
The Book of the Gradual Sayings
or
More-Numbered Suttas
III. The Book of the Threes
III. On Persons
Sutta 23
Saṇkhāra Suttaṃ
Accumulation
Translated from the Pali by
F.L. Woodward, M.A.
Copyright The Pali Text Society
Commercial Rights Reserved
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[1][bodh][upal][olds] Thus have I heard:
On a certain occasion the Exalted One was staying near Sāvatthi at Jeta Grove,
in Anāthapiṇḍika's Park.
Then the Exalted One addressed the monks, saying:
"Monks."
"Yes, Lord," replied those monks to the Exalted One.
The Exalted One said this:
"Monks, these three persons are found existing in the world.
What three?
Herein, monks, a certain person accumulates[1] acts of body, speech and thought that are discordant.
As a result of so doing he is reborn in a world that is discordant.
So reborn in such a world,
contacts that are discordant affect him.
Thus affected by discordant contacts
he experiences feeling that is discordant,
utterly painful,
such as, for instance,
dwellers in Purgatory feel.
■
Herein again, monks, a certain person accumulates acts of body that are harmonious,
acts of spech that are harmonious,
acts of thought that are harmonious.
As a result of this he is reborn in a world that is harmonioius.
So reboorn, harmonious contacts affect him.
Thus affected he experiences feeling that is harmonious,
utterly blissful,
such as the devas of the Pure Abodes feel.
■
Yet again, monks, a certain person accumulates acts of body, speech and thought
that are both discordant and harmonious.
So doing he is reborn in a world that is both discordant and harmonious.
Thus reborn, contacts both discordant and harmonious affect him.
Thus affected he experiences feelings both discordant and harmonious,
a mixture[2] of pleasure and pain,
such as for instance some human beings,
some devas and some dwellers in Purgatory feel.
So there are these three persons found existing in the world.'
[1] Abhisankharoti = rāsiṇ karoti. Comy.
[2] Text adds sankiṇṇaṇ, not in Sinh. text or Comy.
References:
AN 4.232 n. 1 on savyāpajjhaṃ 'discordant' there translated 'joined with harm'.
