十二品生死經

Thus indeed have I heard:

At one time, the Buddha was dwelling at the Jeta Grove monastery, in Anāthapiṇḍika's Park, in the country of Śrāvastī. At that time, the Buddha addressed the bhikṣus:

"Now I shall expound a sūtra for you to hear."

The bhikṣus replied:

"Yes, World-Honored One! We vow to follow your instruction."

The Buddha said:

"Concerning the death of human beings, there are twelve kinds. What are the twelve? The first: Death without remainder, meaning the Arhat who is no longer bound by attachment; the second: Death that has crossed over, meaning the Anāgāmin who no longer returns; the third: Death with remainder, meaning the Sakṛdāgāmin who still returns; the fourth: Death of one in training who has crossed over, meaning the Srotāpanna who has seen the truth of the path; the fifth: Death without deception, meaning those of the eighth stage; the sixth: Joyful death, meaning those who practice with single-minded concentration; the seventh: Death again and again, meaning those of evil conduct; the eighth: Death of remorse, meaning the ordinary worldlings;

the ninth: Untimely death, meaning those who suffer through solitude; the tenth: Death bound by attachment, meaning the animals; the eleventh: Death by burning and scorching, meaning the beings in the hells; the twelfth: Death by hunger and thirst, meaning the hungry ghosts.

"O bhikṣus! You must understand this clearly, and so you should train in these matters. Do not be heedless, do not give rise to a mind craving sensual forms; keep far away from all that is wrong, so that the mind becomes pure, and that which has not yet been realized may constantly be brought to fulfillment. Why is this so? Because death again and again is very painful, the death of remorse is also painful, untimely death is also very painful, the death bound by attachment is also full of suffering, the death by burning and scorching is also full of great suffering, and the death by hunger and thirst is also full of suffering.

"Thus, O bhikṣus! You should train in these matters: dwell diligently in secluded places, or beneath the roots of trees, and with a single mind cultivate meditative concentration. Do not be careless or given to amusement, so that afterward you will have no cause for remorse. These are the words taught by the Buddha; these are the precepts of the Buddha."

When the Buddha had spoken thus, the bhikṣus rejoiced and reverently put it into practice; bowing their heads in homage to the Buddha, they withdrew.