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an.4.85 Aṅguttara Nikāya (Numbered Discourses)

Darkness

“There are these four types of people to be found existing in the world. Which four? One in darkness who is headed for darkness, one in darkness who is headed for light, one in light who is headed for darkness, and one in light who is headed for light.

“And how is one the type of person in darkness who is headed for darkness? There is the case where a person is born into a lowly family—the family of a scavenger, a hunter, a basket-weaver, a wheelwright, or a sweeper—a family that is poor, with little food or drink, living in hardship, where food & clothing are hard to come by. And he is ugly, misshapen, stunted, & sickly: half-blind or deformed or lame or crippled. He doesn’t receive any [gifts of] food, drink, clothing, or vehicles; garlands, perfumes, or ointments; bedding, shelter, or lamps. He engages in bodily misconduct, verbal misconduct, & mental misconduct. Having engaged in bodily misconduct, verbal misconduct, & mental misconduct, he—on the break-up of the body, after death—reappears in the plane of deprivation, the bad destination, the lower realms, in hell. This is the type of person in darkness who is headed for darkness.

“And how is one the type of person in darkness who is headed for light? There is the case where a person is born into a lower class family—the family of a scavenger, a hunter, a basket-weaver, a wheelwright, or a sweeper—a family that is poor, with little food or drink, living in hardship, where food & clothing are hard to come by. And he is ugly, misshapen, stunted, & sickly: half-blind or deformed or lame or crippled. He doesn’t receive any [gifts of] food, drink, clothing, or vehicles; garlands, perfumes, or ointments; bedding, shelter, or lamps. He engages in good bodily conduct, good verbal conduct, & good mental conduct. Having engaged in good bodily conduct, good verbal conduct, & good mental conduct, he—on the break-up of the body, after death—reappears in the good destination, the heavenly world. This is the type of person in darkness who is headed for light.

“And how is one the type of person in light who is headed for darkness? There is the case where a person is born into an upper class family—a noble warrior family, a priestly family, a prosperous householder family—a family that is rich, with much wealth, with many possessions, with a great deal of money, a great many accoutrements of wealth, a great many commodities. And he is well-built, handsome, extremely inspiring, endowed with a lotus-like complexion. He receives [gifts of] food, drink, clothing, & vehicles; garlands, perfumes, & ointments; bedding, shelter, & lamps. He engages in bodily misconduct, verbal misconduct, & mental misconduct. Having engaged in bodily misconduct, verbal misconduct, & mental misconduct, he—on the break-up of the body, after death—reappears in the plane of deprivation, the bad destination, the lower realms, in hell. This is the type of person in light who is headed for darkness.

“And how is one the type of person in light who is headed for light? There is the case where a person is born into an upper class family—a noble warrior family, a priestly family, a prosperous householder family—a family that is rich, with much wealth, with many possessions, with a great deal of money, a great many accoutrements of wealth, a great many commodities. And he is well-built, handsome, extremely inspiring, endowed with a lotus-like complexion. He receives [gifts of] food, drink, clothing, & vehicles; garlands, perfumes, & ointments; bedding, shelter, & lamps. He engages in good bodily conduct, good verbal conduct, & good mental conduct. Having engaged in good bodily conduct, good verbal conduct, & good mental conduct, he—on the break-up of the body, after death—reappears in the good destination, the heavenly world. This is the type of person in light who is headed for light.

“These are the four types of people to be found existing in the world.”

- Translator: Thanissaro Bhikkhu

- Editor: Gabriel Laera

From Darkness to Darkness

“Mendicants, these four people are found in the world.
What four?
The dark bound for darkness,
the dark bound for light,
the light bound for darkness, and
the light bound for light.
And how is a person dark and bound for darkness?
It’s when someone is reborn in a low family—a family of outcastes, bamboo-workers, hunters, chariot-makers, or waste-collectors—poor, with little to eat or drink, where life is tough, and food and shelter are hard to find.
And they’re ugly, unsightly, deformed, chronically ill—one-eyed, crippled, lame, or half-paralyzed. They don’t get to have food, drink, clothes, and vehicles; garlands, fragrance, and makeup; or bed, house, and lighting.
And they do bad things by way of body, speech, and mind.
When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell.
That’s how a person is dark and bound for darkness.
And how is a person dark and bound for light?
It’s when some person is reborn in a low family …

But they do good things by way of body, speech, and mind.
When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in a good place, a heavenly realm.
That’s how a person is dark and bound for light.
And how is a person light and bound for darkness?
It’s when some person is reborn in an eminent family—a well-to-do family of aristocrats, brahmins, or householders—rich, affluent, and wealthy, with lots of gold and silver, lots of property and assets, and lots of money and grain.
And they’re attractive, good-looking, lovely, of surpassing beauty. They get to have food, drink, clothes, and vehicles; garlands, fragrance, and makeup; and bed, house, and lighting.
But they do bad things by way of body, speech, and mind.
When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell.
That’s how a person is light and bound for darkness.
And how is a person light and bound for light?
It’s when some person is reborn in an eminent family …

And they do good things by way of body, speech, and mind.
When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in a good place, a heavenly realm.
That’s how a person is light and bound for light.
These are the four people found in the world.”