Here, monks, a certain person makes a gift to an ascetic or a Brahmin, offering him food, drink, clothing and vehicles; garlands, scents and unguents; bedding, housing and lighting. In making the gift, he hopes for a reward.
He now notices affluent nobles, affluent Brahmins or affluent householders, enjoying themselves provided and furnished with the five cords of sensual pleasure, and he thinks: “Oh, with the breakup of the body, after death, may I be reborn among them!” and he sets his mind on that thought, keeps to it firmly and fosters it.
This thought of his aims at what is low, and if not developed to what is higher it will lead him to just such a rebirth. With the breakup of the body, after death, he will be reborn among affluent nobles, affluent Brahmins or affluent householders.
This, however, I declare only for the virtuous, not for the unvirtuous; for it is due to his purity, monks, that the heart’s desire of the virtuous succeeds.
Then again, a certain person makes a gift to an ascetic or a Brahmin, offering him food … or lighting. In making the gift, he hopes for a reward.
He now hears of the long life, the beauty and the great happiness of devas in the realm of the Four Great Kings … the Tavatimsa devas … the Yama devas … the Tusita devas … the devas Who Delight in Creation … the devas Who Control What is Created by others, and he wishes to be reborn among them.
He sets his mind on that thought, keeps to it firmly and fosters it. This thought of his aims at what is low, and if not developed to what is higher, it will lead him to just such a rebirth.
After his death, when his body breads up, he will be reborn among the devas in the realm of the Four Great Kings … or among the devas Who Control What is Created by others.
This, however, I declare only for the virtuous, not for the unvirtuous; for it is due to his purity, monks, that the heart’s desire of the virtuous succeeds.
Then again, a certain person makes a gift to an ascetic or to a Brahmin, offering him food … or lighting. He now hears of the long life, the beauty and the great happiness of the devas of Brahma’s Company, and he wishes to be reborn among them.
He sets his mind on that thought, keeps to it firmly and fosters it. This thought of his aims at what is low, and if not developed to what is higher, it will lead him to just such a rebirth. After his death, when his body breaks up, he will be reborn among the devas of Brahma’s Company.
This, however, I declare only for the virtuous, not for the unvirtuous; only for one free of lust, not for one who is lustful. Because he is without lust, monks, the heart’s desire of the virtuous succeeds.
These, monks, are the eight kinds of rebirth on account of giving.
Numerical Discourses of the Buddha
An anthology of Suttas from the Anguttara Nikāya
Selected and translated from the Pāli by Nyanaponika Thera and Bhikkhu Bodhi
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