SA 1233（一二三三） 命终

Thus have I heard:

At one time the Buddha was staying at Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park in the Jeta Grove near Śrāvastī.

At that time, in Śrāvastī there was an elder named Mahānāma who had passed away without any sons or heirs. The wealth of the king Prasenajit, which had no sons or relatives, all entered the royal household. The king Prasenajit, who was daily inspecting the wealth and covered in dust, came to where the Buddha was, bowed his head at the Buddha's feet, and sat to one side.

At that time, the World-Honored One said to King Prasenajit, "Great King! Where have you come from? Your body is covered in dust, as if you are tired."

King Prasenajit said to the Buddha, "World-Honored One! The elder Mahānāma of this country has passed away without any sons. All his wealth without sons or relatives has entered the royal household. Supervising and managing it has caused fatigue, and dust has covered my body. I have come from his house."

The Buddha asked King Prasenajit, "Was the elder Mahānāma very wealthy and had many possessions?"

King Prasenajit said to the Buddha, "Very wealthy, World-Honored One! He had many hundreds of thousands of gold coins and treasures, not to mention other wealth. World-Honored One! When Mahānāma was alive, he wore coarse clothes and ate poor food..." and so on, as explained above.

The Buddha told King Prasenajit, "In the past, Mahānāma encountered the pratyekabuddha Takkarakassapa and offered him a meal. He did not offer it with pure faith, nor did he offer it respectfully or with his own hands. After offering it, he regretted it, saying, 'This meal could have been used to feed my servants. It is unjust to give it to a śramaṇa!' Because of this merit from giving, he was reborn in the Heaven of the Thirty-three times seven times, and seven times he was reborn in the most distinguished and wealthy families in Śrāvastī. Because he offered to the pratyekabuddha with impure faith, did not offer with his own hands, did not offer respectfully, and regretted it after offering, wherever he was reborn, although he obtained wealth, he still had to use coarse clothes, coarse food, coarse bedding, houses, and vehicles. He never experienced the best colors, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures to comfort his body.

"Furthermore, Your Majesty! At that time, the elder Mahānāma killed his half-brother and took his wealth. Because of this crime, he fell into hell for hundreds of thousands of years. The remaining karmic retribution caused him to be reborn in Śrāvastī seven times, always without children, and his wealth was confiscated by the king. Your Majesty! The elder Mahānāma has now ended his life. The past merit from giving is exhausted. In this life, because of his stinginess and carelessness with wealth, he committed offenses. After ending this life, he will fall into hell and experience extreme suffering!"

King Prasenajit asked the Buddha, "World-Honored One! After the elder Mahānāma's life ends, will he enter hell and experience suffering?"

The Buddha said, "Yes, Your Majesty! He has already entered hell!"

At that time, King Prasenajit, thinking of his grief and tears, wiped his tears with his robe and spoke a verse:

Wealth, real gold and jewels, elephants, horses, and ornaments, slaves
servants, and all kinds of fields and houses - all
are abandoned. Naked, the spirit wanders alone. The number of
blessings is exhausted, forever leaving the human body. What does
he have now? What does he hold to go? What
does he not abandon, like a shadow following a form?

At that time, the World-Honored One spoke a verse in reply:

Only the karma of sin and merit, if a person has already
done it, is then his own, and he always holds it to
go. Birth and death have never been abandoned, like a shadow following
a form. It is like a person with little provisions, traveling far
and encountering hardships. Those who do not cultivate merit will definitely experience
the suffering of the evil paths. It is like a person with
abundant provisions, traveling far with ease. Those who cultivate merit and are
sincere will enjoy long-lasting happiness in the good realms. It is like
a person traveling far, returning home after many years in peace. Relatives
and good friends gather joyfully in a meeting. Those who cultivate merit
well will be reborn in other worlds after death. Those relatives and
family members will be delighted to see them. Therefore, one should cultivate
merit, accumulating it for a long time. Merit can establish happiness in
other worlds for people. Merit is praised by the gods, because they
practice correctly. In this life, people do not slander them, and in
the end, they are reborn in heaven.

Having spoken this sutra, King Prasenajit, having heard the Buddha's words, was delighted and followed the teachings. He bowed and departed.