Part 10 - On duration/stay in the life-cycles

Q. 99. Bhante! How many types have been stated to be the durations in the life-cycles of those assigned in the past (of infernal beings, etc.)?

A. 99. Gautama! The durations in the life-cycles have been stated to be of four types. They are: the duration of the infernal beings, that of the non-human beings, that of the human beings and that of the celestial beings⁶⁵.

Q. 100. Bhante! How many are the durations in the life-cycles of the infernal beings?

A. 100. Gautama! They are said to be three, viz., till the time of total replacement, till the time of total non-replacement and till the time of replacement of all save one⁶⁶.

Q. 101. And, Bhante, how many in the case of the non-human beings...?

A. 101. Gautama! Two, which are, till total non-replacement, and till replacement of all save one.

102. Those of the human beings and celestial beings are similar to those of the infernal beings.

Q. 103. Bhante! Of the three durations of the infernals, viz., till total replacement, till total non-replacement and till the replacement of all save one, which one/ones exceed(s), fall(s) short, is (are) the same, or has (have) some speciality?

A. 103. Gautama! Shortest is the duration of total non-replacement; innumerable times more is the duration of total replacement of all save one; innumerable times more (than the second) is the duration of total replacement⁶⁷.

104. In case of non-human beings, shorter is the duration of total non-replacement, but innumerable times more is the mixed duration (i.e., duration till total replacement of all save one).

105. Of the human beings and celestial beings, (durations in the life-cycles are) the same as those of the infernal beings.

Q. 106. Bhante! Of the durations in the life-cycles of the infernal beings...till those of the celestial beings, which are more, which are less, which are similar, and which are specially characterised?

A. 106. Gautama! The duration in the life-cycles of the human beings is the shortest; that of the infernal beings is many times more; still more by many times is the duration in the life-cycles of the celestial beings; the largest by innumerable times is the duration in the life-cycles of the non-human beings⁶⁸.

Notes (based on commentary of Abhayadeva Sūri):

65. In this answer, the view held by some heretics and nonfollowers, viz., that animals, after death, are born as animals (paśavaḥ paśuttamaśnuvate) is rejected in favour of one which establishes cross-transmigration over a wider field. This is happening from eternal past, a soul taking a body in one or another of the four existences. This cross-transmigration is called duration in life-cycle.

66. Three situations have been distinguished for each existence, viz.,

(i) total replacement, which signifies the end of a whole generation which is instantaneously replaced by a new generation;

(ii) total non-replacement, when there is absolutely no in-coming and out-going; and

(iii) a mixture of the two, with some coming in and others going out, till before the last one moves out and the last one moves in.

Of these, the first one does not apply to non-human beings so that they have two situations only. The remaining three existences have all the three situations each.

As it has been said:

suṇṇāsuṇṇo mīso tiviho saṃsāracīṭṭhaṇākālo
tiriyāṇam suṇṇavajjo sesāṇam hoi tiviho vi

[‘Suṇṇa’, ‘asuṇṇa’ and ‘mīsa’—these three are the durations in life-cycles. Animals take no ‘suṇṇa’; the rest take all three.]

As to ‘asuṇṇa-kāla’:

āiḍḍhasamaiyāṇam ṇeraiyāṇam na jāva ikko vi uvvaṭṭai anno vā uvvajjai so asuṇṇo u

[Of infernal beings with a certain life-span, when not one. moves out, nor one moves in, that is ‘asuṇṇa’.]

As to ‘suṇṇa-kāla’ and mīsa-kāla,

uvvaṭṭe ekkammi vi tā mīso dharai jāva ekko vi ṇilleviehim savvehim va ṭṭamāṇe hi suṇṇo u

[In the process of exit, till even one remains, it is ‘mīsa’; and ‘suṇṇa’ when all of one generation are out without trace, and are replaced by a new generation.]

67. The order of the question is: total replacement, total non-replacement and mixture: the order of the answer is: total non-replacement, mixture and total replacement. This has been done for the sake of convenience, since the other two become more legible in contrast with total non-replacement. Another explanation which may be added is that in the order of time, with a whole generation of beings in one existence, none moving in or out, one should, in appropriateness, start with total replacement. Then, the movement out (as the movement in) commences, till the last one of the out-going generation is to move out and the last one of the in-coming generation is to move in. It is the mixture period. And in the end, there is the total replacement of one whole generation of beings with a given life-span in one particular form of existence by a new generation of beings in that existence, which is total replacement.

The consideration about the period of total non-replacement applies not merely to the present generation of beings who are in infernal life, but it also includes beings who were in the hells in the past, but who migrated to other existences, and have since come back to the hellish life. Unless this is accepted, the explanation that mixed period has a span innumerable times more than that of the period of total non-replacement loses its meaning.

Cf.

eyam puṇa te jīve paḍucca suttam na tabbhavam ceba jai hojja tabbhavam to aṇantakālo ṇa sambhavai

[The Sūtra is relevant not merely of beings sheltered in one particular generation. Had it been relevant of only one generation, then ‘innumerable times more’ would not have become possible.]

The above may be repeated, with suitable modification, of the period of total replacement whose span is innumerable times more than that of the mixed period.

68. The span of total non-replacement for different species is indicated below:

Species: — Span:
Infernal beings —12 muhūrtas (1 muhūrta = 48 minutes),
Non-humans with five senses and mind —12 muhūrtas,
Beings with two, three and four senses and with five senses, but without mind — less than 1 muhūrta,
One-sense static beings — nil,
Human beings — the same as internals,
Celestial beings — the same as infernals

Mixed period is innumerable times more than above. Total replacement period is innumerable times more than mixed period.