Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c7.s7.t16.4

v1.c7.s7.t16.4

Purana Kassapa denies the theory on punishment and reward. He holds, from good (bad) deeds does not come reward (punishment). As the *Dirghagama-sutra* states in Book 17, “killing, theft, sexual indulgence, nonsense, burglary, arson and blockade are not bad. Neither mass killing on the south of the Ganges is punished, nor mass alms giving on the north of the Ganges is rewarded”. Pali *Samaññaphala Sutta* reports similar in Book 17, Purana Kassapa is said to believe, “If with a razoredged disk one were to turn all the living beings on this earth to a single heap of flesh, a single pile of flesh, there would be no evil from that cause, no coming of evil… through generosity, self-control, restraint, and truthful speech there is no merit from that cause, no coming of merit.” Purana Kassapa’s theory negates that the rewards and punishments can be caused by people’s actions, which directly results a concept of the meaningless of morals.