Viyahapannatti 9.32.458

9.32.458

"Venerable Sir, do inhabitants of hell take birth at intervals, or do inhabitants of hell take birth continuously? Do Asurakumāras take birth at intervals, or do Asurakumāras take birth continuously, up to do Vaimānikas take birth at intervals, or do Vaimānikas take birth continuously?
Do inhabitants of hell emerge [upon death] at intervals, or do inhabitants of hell emerge continuously, up to do Vāṇamantaras emerge at intervals, or do Vāṇamantaras emerge continuously? Do Jyotiṣkas pass away at intervals, or do Jyotiṣkas pass away continuously? Do Vaimānikas pass away at intervals, or do Vaimānikas pass away continuously?"
"Gāṅgeya! Inhabitants of hell take birth at intervals and also take birth continuously, up to Stanitakumāras take birth at intervals and also take birth continuously. Earth-bodied beings do not take birth at intervals; they take birth continuously—thus up to plant-bodied beings. The rest are like inhabitants of hell, up to Vaimānikas take birth at intervals and also take birth continuously.
Inhabitants of hell emerge at intervals and also emerge continuously—thus up to Stanitakumāras. Earth-bodied beings do not emerge at intervals; they emerge continuously—thus up to plant-bodied beings. The rest are like inhabitants of hell, with this distinction: the expression for Jyotiṣkas and Vaimānikas is 'pass away', up to Vaimānikas pass away at intervals and also pass away continuously."
"Venerable Sir, do inhabitants of hell take birth as existent [entities] or do inhabitants of hell take birth as non-existent [entities]? Do Asurakumāras take birth as existent entities, up to do Vaimānikas take birth as existent entities or do Vaimānikas take birth as non-existent entities? Do inhabitants of hell emerge as existent entities or do inhabitants of hell emerge as non-existent entities? Do Asurakumāras emerge as existent entities, up to do Vaimānikas pass away as existent entities or do Vaimānikas pass away as non-existent entities?"
"Gāṅgeya! Inhabitants of hell take birth as existent entities, not as non-existent entities. Asurakumāras take birth as existent entities, not as non-existent entities, up to Vaimānikas take birth as existent entities, not as non-existent entities. Inhabitants of hell emerge as existent entities, not as non-existent entities, up to Vaimānikas pass away as existent entities, not as non-existent entities."
"For what reason, Venerable Sir, is it said: 'Inhabitants of hell take birth as existent entities, not as non-existent entities, up to Vaimānikas pass away as existent entities, not as non-existent entities'?"
"Indeed, Gāṅgeya, by Pārśva, the Arhat, the foremost of men, the world has been declared to be eternal, without beginning, without end, finite, enclosed, wide below, contracted in the middle, broad above; shaped like a cane-seat below, shaped like a noble vajra in the middle, shaped like an upright mṛdaṅga-drum above. And in that eternal, beginningless, endless, finite, enclosed world—wide below, contracted in the middle, broad above, shaped like a cane-seat below, shaped like a noble vajra in the middle, shaped like an upright mṛdaṅga-drum above—infinite soul-masses, having originated again and again, pass away; finite soul-masses, having originated again and again, pass away.
It has been, originated, ceased, and transformed; it is seen and perceived by means of non-soul [entities]; that which is seen is the world. For that reason, Gāṅgeya, it is said: '...up to Vaimānikas pass away as existent entities, not as non-existent entities.'"
"Venerable Sir, do you know this by yourself, or not by yourself? Do you know this without hearing, or having heard: 'Inhabitants of hell take birth as existent entities, not as non-existent entities, up to Vaimānikas pass away as existent entities, not as non-existent entities'?"
"Gāṅgeya! I know this by myself, not not-by-myself; I know this without hearing, not having heard: 'Inhabitants of hell take birth as existent entities, not as non-existent entities, up to Vaimānikas pass away as existent entities, not as non-existent entities.'"
"For what reason, Venerable Sir, is it said: 'I know this by myself, not not-by-myself; I know this without hearing, not having heard: Inhabitants of hell take birth as existent entities, not as non-existent entities, up to Vaimānikas pass away as existent entities, not as non-existent entities'?"
"Gāṅgeya! A Kevalin knows both the finite and the infinite in the east; in the south, in the west, in the north, above, and below, he knows both the finite and the infinite.
A Kevalin knows all, a Kevalin sees all;
A Kevalin knows in all respects, a Kevalin sees in all respects;
A Kevalin knows at all times, a Kevalin sees at all times;
A Kevalin knows all states, a Kevalin sees all states.
Infinite is the knowledge of a Kevalin, infinite is the intuition of a Kevalin;
Unobscured is the knowledge of a Kevalin, unobscured is the intuition of a Kevalin. For that reason, Gāṅgeya, it is said: 'I know this by myself, not not-by-myself; I know this without hearing, not having heard: ...the same up to nor do Vaimānikas pass away as non-existent entities.'"
"Venerable Sir, do inhabitants of hell take birth by themselves among inhabitants of hell, or do inhabitants of hell take birth not by themselves among inhabitants of hell?"
"Gāṅgeya! Inhabitants of hell take birth by themselves among inhabitants of hell, not not-by-themselves do inhabitants of hell take birth among inhabitants of hell."
"For what reason, Venerable Sir, is it said: 'Inhabitants of hell take birth by themselves among inhabitants of hell, not not-by-themselves do inhabitants of hell take birth among inhabitants of hell'?"
"Gāṅgeya! Through the fruition of karma, through the heaviness of karma, through the burden of karma, through being heavily burdened with karma; through the fruition of inauspicious karmas, through the ripening of inauspicious karmas, through the fruitful ripening of inauspicious karmas, inhabitants of hell take birth by themselves among inhabitants of hell, not not-by-themselves do inhabitants of hell take birth among inhabitants of hell. For that reason, Gāṅgeya, it is said: 'Inhabitants of hell take birth by themselves among inhabitants of hell, not not-by-themselves do inhabitants of hell take birth among inhabitants of hell.'"
"Venerable Sir, Asurakumāras—[the same question]."
"Gāṅgeya! Asurakumāras take birth by themselves among Asurakumāras, not not-by-themselves do Asurakumāras take birth among Asurakumāras."
"For what reason... the same up to take birth?"
"Gāṅgeya! Through the fruition of karma, through the dissipation of karma, through the purification of karma, through the complete purity of karma; through the fruition of auspicious karmas, through the ripening of auspicious karmas, through the fruitful ripening of auspicious karmas, Asurakumāras take birth by themselves as Asurakumāras, not not-by-themselves do Asurakumāras take birth as Asurakumāras. For that reason, up to take birth. Thus up to Stanitakumāras."
"Venerable Sir, earth-bodied beings—[the same question]."
"Gāṅgeya! Earth-bodied beings take birth by themselves among earth-bodied beings, not not-by-themselves do earth-bodied beings take birth among earth-bodied beings."
"For what reason... up to take birth?"
"Gāṅgeya! Through the fruition of karma, through the heaviness of karma, through the burden of karma, through being heavily burdened with karma; through the fruition of auspicious and inauspicious karmas, through the ripening of auspicious and inauspicious karmas, through the fruitful ripening of auspicious and inauspicious karmas, earth-bodied beings take birth by themselves among earth-bodied beings, not not-by-themselves do earth-bodied beings take birth among earth-bodied beings. For that reason, up to take birth.
Thus up to humans.
Vāṇamantaras, Jyotiṣkas, and Vaimānikas are like Asurakumāras. For that reason, Gāṅgeya, it is said: 'Vaimānikas take birth by themselves among Vaimānikas, not not-by-themselves do Vaimānikas take birth among Vaimānikas.'"