Having a Good / Bad Existence (Maṅgala Sutta – Protection with Blessing)

revised on 2020-03-24

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By Venerable Uttamo Thera（尊者 鄔達摩 長老）

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Having a good existence:

Human being, deity, and Brahma-god are good existences. When the beings are in these existences, their wholesome kammas have the chances to give the results. Even human world still has some sufferings; the other two are not. With the wholesome kammas have the chances to give the results that a person has the good sense objects as experiences.

Even he has some unwholesome kammas with him; these not have many chances to come in. Even though human existence is not free from sufferings, it is a lot better than the four woeful states (hell, animal, ghost, and tormented spirits of asura).

Therefore, more or less the wholesome kamma has the chance to come in and experience the good sense objects and stay away from the bad ones.

Having a bad existence:

The four woeful states are called gati-vipatti. The unwholesome kammas have the chances for the results when a being is born there. The beings in hells and ghost realms are always in dukkha, torturing and burning with sufferings. Even animals are a little better.

But they still have the chances of unwholesome kammas give the results of starvation, thirst, and encounter with strong heat and rains. And kill with sticks and knives or eaten by others. The small insects are very easily killed by human beings with pesticides or stepping on them, etc. Even they have the past good kammas with them and none of it could save them.

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revised on 2020-03-24; cited from https://oba.org.tw/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=4702&p=36795#p36795 (posted on 2019-09-21)

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• Content of "Maṅgala Sutta – Protection with Blessing"

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• Content of Publications of Ven. Uttamo

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According to the translator— Ven. Uttamo's words, this is strictly for free distribution only, as a gift of Dhamma—Dhamma Dāna. You may re-format, reprint, translate, and redistribute this work in any medium.