Friends:
Few are those beings who are able to Avoid all Evil Action!
The Blessed Gotama Buddha once explained:
Bhikkhus & friends, see this little dust, I have taken up upon the
nail of
my little-finger, what do you think is most: This tiny dust or
this great
planet Earth? The Bhikkhus then responded:
Venerable Sir, this great planet Earth is much more, incomparable
more...
The minute speck of dust is trifling, microscopic, negligible in
comparison.
The Blessed Gotama Buddha then succinctly & importantly pointed
out:
Similarly and exactly so too, Bhikkhus & friends, those beings are
few &
quite rare, who are reborn among humans or devas! Beings who are
reborn
elsewhere, lower, as non-humans, in the screaming hell, as scared
animals,
as hungry ghosts or as mad demons are much more numerous &
common...
Why is it so? Because:
Few are those beings who avoid destruction of life, who avoid all
killing...
Few are those beings who avoid mutilating, murder, robbery, &
violence...
Few are those beings who avoid taking what is not given by not
stealing...
Few are those beings who avoid using false weights, metals, &
papers...
Few are those beings who avoid being crooked by bribery, deceit, &
fraud...
Few are those beings who avoid sexual misconduct & all forms of
abuse...
Few are those beings who avoid booze & drugs making careless &
negligent...
Few are those beings who avoid false lying, deceiving and
double-dealing...
Few are those beings who avoid divisive speech, slandering &
defamation...
Few are those beings who avoid harsh & aggressive scolding and
blaming...
Few are those beings who avoid idle chatter, gossip, and empty
hearsay...
Few are those beings who avoid damaging nature, seed and plant
life...
Few are those beings who respect father, mother, elders, and
recluses...
Few are those beings who possess the Noble Eye of Dhamma-Wisdom.
But these beings are much more numerous, who are immersed in
Ignorance!
Why is it so? Because, Bhikkhus, they have not seen the 4 Noble
Truths!
What four?
This is Suffering; Craving is the Cause of Suffering;
No Craving is the End of Suffering; The Noble 8-fold Way Ends all
Suffering,
Therefore, Bhikkhus & friends, exertion should be made Now to
understand:
All This is Suffering; This Greedy Craving is the sole Cause of
all Suffering;
No Craving is the End of Suffering; The Noble 8-fold Way Ends all
Suffering,
Therefore should effort to fathom these 4 Noble Truths be made
NOW!
Source (edited extract):
The Grouped Sayings of the Buddha. Samyutta Nikaya. [V:467-70]
section 56: Saccasamyutta. Thread 63-78: Killing living beings &
etc...
Comments:
The actions that result in rebirth in the five destinations are
described in
detail in the work: Pańcagatidipani. Translated by Ann Appleby
Hazlewood.
in Journal of the Pali Text Society. Vol. XI 1987:
http://www.pariyatti.com/book.cgi?prod_id=132714
Few are Fine!
