ལས་ཀྱ་རྣམ་པར་འགྱར་བ་ཞས་བྱ་བའ་ཆས་ཀྱ་གཞང 2

2

Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas!

Thus did I hear at one time:³⁷ The Bhagavān was staying in Śrāvastī, in Prince Jeta’s grove, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park, together with a large assembly of twelve hundred fifty monks.³⁸

On that occasion the brahmin youth Śuka,³⁹ the son of Taudeya, went to where the Bhagavān was staying. Upon his arrival, he exchanged many courteous and amiable pleasantries with the Bhagavān and remained standing to one side.⁴⁰ The brahmin youth Śuka, the son of Taudeya, then addressed the Bhagavān with the following question: “Gautama, if I ask you a small question, will you kindly give an answer?”⁴¹

The Bhagavān replied, “Young brahmin, ask whatever you like! I will answer.”

Then the brahmin youth Śuka, the son of Taudeya, asked the Bhagavān the following question: “Sir⁴² Gautama, there are many types of sentient beings, such as beings who have a short lifespan or a long lifespan, have many illnesses or few illnesses, are ugly or beautiful, have little power or are powerful, are highborn or lowborn, are poor or rich, are ignorant of the Dharma,⁴³ or possess knowledge of the Dharma to a lesser or greater degree, have good or bad fortune, and so forth. How does karmic ripening lead to this diversity of beings?”⁴⁴

The Bhagavān replied, “Young brahmin, listen⁴⁵ and pay careful attention to what I shall explain.⁴⁶ Young brahmin, sentient beings are the owners of their actions committed in former lives;⁴⁷ sentient beings have actions as their heritage, actions as their origin, actions as their individual causes; sentient beings develop through actions, young brahmin.⁴⁸