English
like Dūsimāra, Kalābu, and other kings, is called 'death by cutting off'. Indeed, for all those who die here, the kamma that generated that particular existence is certainly exhausted. Then why are the others also mentioned? It is said: Here, 'kamma-exhaustion' is indeed intended to mean the exhaustion of kamma's potency in its natural course. However, there are seasons and foods, arising internally and externally for beings, common to all people in each respective group of beings, which determine various lifespans, such as ten years, twenty years, up to immeasurable years. These are of three kinds: those that maintain, those that increase, and those that decrease the lifespan of that particular age. Therein, when unwholesome roots increase, the decreasing factors increase. When wholesome roots increase, the increasing factors increase. When both roots remain equal, the maintaining factors operate equally. According to these, the lifespan of beings is sometimes always a maintaining portion. Sometimes, at times, a decreasing portion, at times an increasing portion. And all three of these, the maintaining factors and so on, pervading their respective groups of beings, operate by determining the lifespan. Thus, kamma that leads to immeasurable lifespan and kamma that leads to the attainment of a universal monarch, when ripening in a ten-year period, gives corresponding enjoyment and sovereignty, and is exhausted in a ten-fold manner. Beings included in those respective groups of beings, and material phenomena forming their continuums, even those forming the aggregates' continuum of Omniscient Buddhas, become of that nature, follow that course, and thus transform, except Indeed, by those skilled in the method of elixirs, made of psychic power, made of knowledge, the life-formations are known. This has been said in the commentary to the Mahāpadāna Sutta: All omniscient Buddhas have immeasurable lifespan. Why did they not remain for countless aeons? Due to the deterioration of season and food. Indeed, by means of season and food, life decreases and also increases. Therefore, when the material phenomena, arising from two causes, which are the primary supporting factors, change and decay according to each lifespan-period, even a very great karma perishes, due to the absence of its own basis for fruition. And that decay does not happen by itself, but it happens indeed by the deterioration of life-formations. Here, the decrease of life is taken separately. This principle should also be applied to untimely death. There, untimely death is called 'death by cutting off'. And that, when occurring, occurs either by a cutting-off karma, or by many thousands of other causes. But those, in the Pāli texts, summarized from their root distinctions, are said to be of eight kinds. And what are those? There are diseases arising from wind. There are those arising from bile. There are those arising from phlegm. There are those arising from a combination. There are those arising from season. There are those born of improper care. There are those caused by external attack. There are diseases born of karma's fruition. Among those born of karma's fruition, some are born of karma that oppresses, some are born of karma that cuts off. But since wind, when agitated, is agitated by ten causes, such as cold and heat. And among those, only one is born of karma's fruition. But the rest are not born of karma's fruition. This has been said in the Milinda Pañha. And since diseases born of karma's fruition, when arising, do not arise without the agitation of wind, etc., therefore, it should be understood that some of those arising from wind, etc., are also indeed born of karma's fruition. There, 'those arising from a combination' are those occurring by the combination of two or three of wind, etc. But those in the world, free from the efforts of beings, spontaneously arisen, various fears and calamities, it should be understood that these are included among those arising from season. 'Those born of improper care' are of those who act without proper consideration, in various improper ways of misfortune, themselves... of those who apply (poisons), from here and there, or here and there, by way of falling, slipping, etc., they arise. Calamities are those arising from actions made by oneself, or by others, by kings, thieves, enemies, or by non-humans, wild beasts, yakkhas, devas, or by wild animals, etc. Indeed, enraged devas an entire kingdom, or a country, or an island, with a single blow, completely destroy it, like in the countries of Daṇḍaka, Majjha, Kaliṅga, and Mātaṅga. Or they release many thousands of fierce yakkhas, like in Vesālī. Or they release rakkhasas, like in Suvaṇṇabhūmi. This is stated in the Aṅguttara: "Yakkhas release fierce non-humans. Thereby, many people die." In the Commentary, too, "Yakkhas" means "chiefs of yakkhas." "They release fierce non-humans" means "they release fierce yakkhas onto human paths." These, having found an opportunity, it is said, cause the destruction of life for many people. Here, "they release" means seeing people full of unrighteous conduct, the yakkha commanders, whose faith is broken, do not take up protection for humans as before. And in countries, cities, towns, and villages, and for individual persons, there is nothing to be said (it is obvious). Those mentioned in the Aṅguttara, the ages of weapons, famine, and disease, are also to be spoken of here. "Born of kamma-result" means it is the meaning that diseases arise by way of the ripening of kamma that is oppressive and destructive. Thus, untimely death by destructive kamma, or by other many thousands of causes, it occurs. By whatever means are seen in the world. Life-takers, destroyers of life, or various diseases, or various afflictions, or various fears, or various punishments, or various dangers and calamities. All of these arise from one's own kamma. It is not that they are common to oneself (only). Even those arising from others' kamma are common to oneself. Even those arising from one's own kamma are common to others. Without kamma, even those arising from anywhere, for oneself or for others, are common. In those arising from kamma common to all, there is nothing to be said. As it is said in the Visuddhimagga: Just as a (stone) placed at a crossroads l On the axle, from all directions, arrows, spears, javelins, stones, and so on fall. Thus, on the body too, all dangers fall. And in those in kingdoms, states, and so on, they arise. There, those people are not skilled in means. Nor skilled in counteraction. Nor skilled in avoidance. And whose kamma is weak. Or the arisen misfortune is strong. Those people are not freed from it, even without destructive kamma. They attain death, or suffering equivalent to death. Indeed, even good kamma, when a stronger (thing) arises from anywhere, be it sickness, or affliction, or fear, or punishment, or danger, or misfortune, cannot ward it off. Sicknesses and so on, indeed, proceed by destroying it. Just as water cannot ward off fire that is stronger than itself. Fire indeed proceeds by destroying it. Thus, this comparison should be seen. And the natural weakness of kamma for these beings, in the Great Niddesa, by the Niddesa of the Jarā Sutta, and in the Visuddhimagga, in the Niddesa of death mindfulness, in the Niddesa of the phrase "life is weak," should not be explained. As it is said – This life, indeed, is weak, feeble. For thus, the life of beings is dependent on in-breaths and out-breaths, and dependent on postures, and dependent on cold and heat, and dependent on the great elements, and dependent on food, and so on. Thus, also by the explanation of these words "common to many bodies" and "signless," it is evident. Indeed, regarding the extreme weakness of life produced by kamma, like a dewdrop on a blade of grass, and what is said in the Pāli and commentaries, the extreme weakness of kamma is also thus established. And this should be accepted. Otherwise, everything would be the view of "all is due to past kamma." As it is said – Here, some ascetic or brahmin holds such a view, speaks thus: Whatever this person experiences, be it pleasure, or pain, or neither-pain-nor-pleasure, all that is due to past kamma. And this meaning has come extensively in three places in the Milindapañha. But by the many (reasons) as stated... Even death occurring due to laughter, by the generality of untimely death, is here included in cutting-off death. This should be understood. Elucidation: "But this does not occur for those in hell, for the inhabitants of Uttarakuru, and for some deities," it was said. Just as in the Great Commentary, for some departed spirits, who, having rejoiced in the transfer of merit given by relatives from here, immediately passed away and were reborn in a good destination, their wholesome cutting-off (death) was spoken of. Similarly, for some beings in hell, at the time of questioning by King Yama, or at other times, having recollected the merit they had made, and immediately passing away to be reborn in a good destination, it cannot be said that such a cutting-off death does not occur. And for some deities in Tāvatiṃsa and so on, that cutting-off death certainly occurs. Thus, in the commentary to the Subrahmādevaputta Saṃyutta, it is said that "then, having climbed a tree, by way of cutting-off kamma and so on, they died in a single instant and were reborn in Avīci." There, "tree" means the Pāricchattaka tree in Tāvatiṃsa. "Having climbed" means five hundred celestial nymphs had climbed. The death of deities who are corrupted in mind or corrupted by play; the death of Great Bodhisattas who are reborn in long-lived deva worlds or brahmā worlds, their death by resolve; and the death of those who attain final Nibbāna by taking their own lives, like Venerable Channa and Venerable Godhika— all these are included here. This should be understood.