Atha kho sikhāmoggallāno brāhmaṇo yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavatā saddhiṁ sammodi. Sammodanīyaṁ kathaṁ sāraṇīyaṁ vītisāretvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho sikhāmoggallāno brāhmaṇo bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:
Then the brahmin Sikhāmoggallāna approached the Blessed One. Having drawn near, he exchanged greetings with the Blessed One. After the exchange of courteous and polite conversation, he sat down to one side. Seated to one side, the brahmin Sikhāmoggallāna said this to the Blessed One:
“Purimāni, bho gotama, divasāni purimatarāni soṇakāyano māṇavo yenāhaṁ tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā maṁ etadavoca: ‘samaṇo gotamo sabbakammānaṁ akiriyaṁ paññapeti, sabbakammānaṁ kho pana akiriyaṁ paññapento ucchedaṁ āha lokassa’— kammasaccāyaṁ, bho, loko kammasamārambhaṭṭhāyī”ti.
“A few days ago, sir Gotama, the student Soṇakāyana came to me and said: ‘The ascetic Gotama prescribes the non-doing of all |deeds::actions, kamma [kammā]|. In prescribing the non-doing of all deeds, he teaches the |annihilation::ending; lit. cutting up [uccheda]| of the world—for this world, sir, is based on the truth of deeds, it persists by undertaking deeds.’”
“Dassanampi kho ahaṁ, brāhmaṇa, soṇakāyanassa māṇavassa nābhijānāmi; kuto panevarūpo kathāsallāpo. Cattārimāni, brāhmaṇa, kammāni mayā sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā paveditāni. Katamāni cattāri?
“I do not even recall seeing the student Soṇakāyana, brahmin; how could there be such a conversation? I have declared these four kinds of deeds, having realized them for myself with |direct knowledge::experiential realization [abhiññā]|. What four?
Atthi, brāhmaṇa, kammaṁ kaṇhaṁ kaṇhavipākaṁ;
atthi, brāhmaṇa, kammaṁ sukkaṁ sukkavipākaṁ;
atthi, brāhmaṇa, kammaṁ kaṇhasukkaṁ kaṇhasukkavipākaṁ;
atthi, brāhmaṇa, kammaṁ akaṇhaasukkaṁ akaṇhaasukkavipākaṁ kammakkhayāya saṁvattati.
1.) There are, brahmin, dark deeds |with dark results::having negative consequences [kaṇhavipāka]|;
2.) there are, brahmin, bright deeds |with bright results::having positive consequences [sukkavipāka]|;
3.) there are, brahmin, dark and bright deeds |with dark and bright results::having both positive and negative consequences [kaṇhasukkavipāka]|;
4.) there are, brahmin, neither dark nor bright deeds |with neither dark nor bright results::having neither positive nor negative consequences [akaṇhasukkavipāka]|, which lead to the |wearing away of deeds::exhaustion of kamma [kammakkhaya]|.
Katamañca, brāhmaṇa, kammaṁ kaṇhaṁ kaṇhavipākaṁ? Idha, brāhmaṇa, ekacco sabyābajjhaṁ kāyasaṅkhāraṁ abhisaṅkharoti, sabyābajjhaṁ vacīsaṅkhāraṁ abhisaṅkharoti, sabyābajjhaṁ manosaṅkhāraṁ abhisaṅkharoti. So sabyābajjhaṁ kāyasaṅkhāraṁ abhisaṅkharitvā, sabyābajjhaṁ vacīsaṅkhāraṁ abhisaṅkharitvā, sabyābajjhaṁ manosaṅkhāraṁ abhisaṅkharitvā sabyābajjhaṁ lokaṁ upapajjati. Tamenaṁ sabyābajjhaṁ lokaṁ upapannaṁ samānaṁ sabyābajjhā phassā phusanti. So sabyābajjhehi phassehi phuṭṭho samāno sabyābajjhaṁ vedanaṁ vediyati ekantadukkhaṁ, seyyathāpi sattā nerayikā. Idaṁ vuccati, brāhmaṇa, kammaṁ kaṇhaṁ kaṇhavipākaṁ.
And what, brahmin, are dark deeds with dark results? Here, brahmin, someone produces an |afflictive::hurtful, harmful [sabyābajjha]| |bodily construct::bodily process associated with breathing, specifically the in-and-out breath. It encompasses the physical movements and sensations that arise from the act of breathing. [kāyasaṅkhāra]|, produces an afflictive |verbal construct::mental speech process, such as internal talk, thought in language, or verbal intention in the mind [vacīsaṅkhāra]|, and produces an afflictive |mental construct::mental activity, thought formation, perception and feeling that initiates or shapes a mental action [manosaṅkhāra]|. Having generated afflictive bodily, verbal, and mental constructs, they are reborn in an afflictive world. When they are reborn in an afflictive world, afflictive |contacts::sense impingements, raw experiences, touches [phassā]| touch them. Touched by afflictive contacts, they experience afflictive feelings that are exclusively painful, just like beings in |hell::a place of intense suffering, lit. no good fortune [niraya]|. These are called, brahmin, dark deeds with dark results.
Katamañca, brāhmaṇa, kammaṁ sukkaṁ sukkavipākaṁ? Idha, brāhmaṇa, ekacco abyābajjhaṁ kāyasaṅkhāraṁ abhisaṅkharoti, abyābajjhaṁ vacīsaṅkhāraṁ abhisaṅkharoti, abyābajjhaṁ manosaṅkhāraṁ abhisaṅkharoti. So abyābajjhaṁ kāyasaṅkhāraṁ abhisaṅkharitvā, abyābajjhaṁ vacīsaṅkhāraṁ abhisaṅkharitvā, abyābajjhaṁ manosaṅkhāraṁ abhisaṅkharitvā abyābajjhaṁ lokaṁ upapajjati. Tamenaṁ abyābajjhaṁ lokaṁ upapannaṁ samānaṁ abyābajjhā phassā phusanti. So abyābajjhehi phassehi phuṭṭho samāno abyābajjhaṁ vedanaṁ vediyati ekantasukhaṁ, seyyathāpi devā subhakiṇhā. Idaṁ vuccati, brāhmaṇa, kammaṁ sukkaṁ sukkavipākaṁ.
And what, brahmin, are bright deeds with bright results? Here, brahmin, someone produces a bodily construct that is |non-afflictive::not harmful, without suffering [abyābajjha]|, produces a verbal construct that is non-afflictive, and produces a mental construct that is non-afflictive. Having generated bodily, verbal, and mental constructs non-afflictive, they are reborn in a world free from affliction. When they are reborn in a world free from affliction, non-afflictive contacts touch them. Touched by non-afflictive contacts, they experience non-afflictive feelings that are exclusively pleasant, just like the |gods of Refulgent Glory::MA: By mentioning these, all beings occupying the plane of the third jhāna — the gods of Limited Glory and the gods of Immeasurable Glory — should be included [subhakiṇha + devā]|. These are called, brahmin, bright deeds with bright results.
Katamañca, brāhmaṇa, kammaṁ kaṇhasukkaṁ kaṇhasukkavipākaṁ? Idha, brāhmaṇa, ekacco sabyābajjhampi abyābajjhampi kāyasaṅkhāraṁ abhisaṅkharoti, sabyābajjhampi abyābajjhampi vacīsaṅkhāraṁ abhisaṅkharoti, sabyābajjhampi abyābajjhampi manosaṅkhāraṁ abhisaṅkharoti. So sabyābajjhampi abyābajjhampi kāyasaṅkhāraṁ abhisaṅkharitvā, sabyābajjhampi abyābajjhampi vacīsaṅkhāraṁ abhisaṅkharitvā, sabyābajjhampi abyābajjhampi manosaṅkhāraṁ abhisaṅkharitvā sabyābajjhampi abyābajjhampi lokaṁ upapajjati. Tamenaṁ sabyābajjhampi abyābajjhampi lokaṁ upapannaṁ samānaṁ sabyābajjhāpi abyābajjhāpi phassā phusanti. So sabyābajjhehipi abyābajjhehipi phassehi phuṭṭho samāno sabyābajjhampi abyābajjhampi vedanaṁ vediyati vokiṇṇasukhadukkhaṁ, seyyathāpi manussā ekacce ca devā ekacce ca vinipātikā. Idaṁ vuccati, brāhmaṇa, kammaṁ kaṇhasukkaṁ kaṇhasukkavipākaṁ.
And what, brahmin, are dark and bright deeds with dark and bright results? Here, brahmin, someone produces a bodily construct that is both afflictive and non-afflictive, produces a verbal construct that is both afflictive and non-afflictive, and produces a mental construct that is both afflictive and non-afflictive. Having generated bodily, verbal, and mental constructs that are both afflictive and non-afflictive, they are reborn in a world that is both afflictive and non-afflictive. When they are reborn in a world that is both afflictive and non-afflictive, contacts that are both afflictive and non-afflictive touch them. Touched by contacts that are both afflictive and non-afflictive, they experience feelings that are both afflictive and non-afflictive, a mixture of pleasure and pain, just like human beings, some gods, and some beings in the lower realms. These are called, brahmin, dark and bright deeds with dark and bright results.
Katamañca, brāhmaṇa, kammaṁ akaṇhaasukkaṁ akaṇhaasukkavipākaṁ kammakkhayāya saṁvattati? Tatra, brāhmaṇa, yamidaṁ kammaṁ kaṇhaṁ kaṇhavipākaṁ tassa pahānāya yā cetanā, yamidaṁ kammaṁ sukkaṁ sukkavipākaṁ tassa pahānāya yā cetanā, yamidaṁ kammaṁ kaṇhasukkaṁ kaṇhasukkavipākaṁ tassa pahānāya yā cetanā— idaṁ vuccati, brāhmaṇa, kammaṁ akaṇhaasukkaṁ akaṇhaasukkavipākaṁ kammakkhayāya saṁvattati.
And what, brahmin, are neither dark nor bright deeds with neither dark nor bright results, which lead to the wearing away of deeds? Therein, brahmin, the |intention::volition, will; the active mental force that organizes and directs associated mental states toward an object. [cetanā]| to abandon dark deeds with dark results, the intention to abandon bright deeds with bright results, and the intention to abandon dark and bright deeds with dark and bright results—these are called, brahmin, neither dark nor bright deeds with neither dark nor bright results, which lead to the wearing away of deeds.
Imāni kho, brāhmaṇa, cattāri kammāni mayā sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā paveditānī”ti.
These, brahmin, are the four kinds of deeds that I have declared, having realized them for myself with direct knowledge.”