Tripiṭaka Buddhavagga
Buddha Chapter
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“bhante nāgasena, atthi koci satto yo imamhā kāyā aññaṁ kāyaṁ saṅkamatī”ti?
“Venerable Nāgasena, is there any being at all that transmigrates from this body to another body?”
“Yadi, bhante nāgasena, imamhā kāyā aññaṁ kāyaṁ saṅkamanto natthi, nanu mutto bhavissati pāpakehi kammehī”ti?
“If, venerable sir, there is no transmigrating from this body to another body, is it not then that one would be freed from evil actions?”
“Āma, mahārāja, yadi na paṭisandaheyya, mutto bhavissati pāpakehi kammehīti, yasmā ca kho, mahārāja, paṭisandahati, tasmā na parimutto pāpakehi kammehī”ti.
“Yes, your majesty, if it would not reconnect, then one would be freed from evil actions. But because, your majesty, it does reconnect, one therefore is not freed from evil actions.”
“Yathā, mahārāja, kocideva puriso aññatarassa purisassa ambaṁ avahareyya, kiṁ so daṇḍappatto bhaveyyā”ti?
“Just as, your majesty, some person or other might steal another person’s mangos, would that man deserve punishment?”
“Na kho so, mahārāja, tāni ambāni avahari, yāni tena ropitāni, kasmā daṇḍappatto bhaveyyā”ti?
“But, your majesty, those mangos that were taken are not the same as those that were planted, why would he deserve punishment?”
“Tāni, bhante, ambāni nissāya jātāni, tasmā daṇḍappatto bhaveyyā”ti.
“Those mangos, venerable sir, arose dependent on the others, therefore he would deserve punishment.”
“Evameva kho, mahārāja, iminā nāmarūpena kammaṁ karoti sobhanaṁ vā asobhanaṁ vā, tena kammena aññaṁ nāmarūpaṁ paṭisandahati, tasmā na parimutto pāpakehi kammehī”ti.
“In the same way, your majesty, with this name-and-form one performs a lovely or an evil action, and by this action another name-and-form reconnects. Therefore, one is not freed from evil actions.”