Part 3 - Bondage due to the formation of fluid body

Q. 323. Bhante! How many types are tie bondage due to the formation of a fluid body?

A. 323. Gautama! Two types, viz., bondage due to the formation of a fluid body with a single organ of sense and another with five organs of sense.

Q. 324. Bhante! As to the bondage due to the formation of a fluid body with a single organ of sense, is it relevant of the air bodies, or of species other than the air bodies?

A. 324. Gautama! On this, refer to Prajñāpaṇā Sūtra (Pada 21) on fluid body, till the bondage of the fluid body of the Sarvartha-siddha Anuttaraupapātika gods living beyond the kalpas, having five organs of sense and endowed with full attainments, and also similar gods who are not endowed with full attainments.

Q. 325. Bhante! What karma gives rise to the bondage due to the formation of a fluid body?

A. 325. Gautama! Karma giving rise to it are energy, activity of the mind, objects like atoms, till life-span and ocult [occult?] power, and due to the rise of karma giving a name to a fluid body.

Q. 326. Bhante! What karma gives rise to the bondage due to the formation of a fluid air body with one organ of sense?

A. 326. Gautama! Karma giving rise to it are energy, activity of the mind, objects like atoms, till lifespan and occult power, and the rise of karma giving a name to a fluid air body with one organ of sense.

Q. 327. Bhante! What karma gives rise to the bondage due to the formation of a fluid body in the case of the inhabitants of the Ratnaprabhā hell with five organs of sense?

A. 327. Gautama! Karma giving rise to it are energy, activity of the mind, objects like atoms, till life-span in the case of the Ratnaprabhā hell, till bondage, till the seventh hell underneath.

Q. 328. And what about [the?] five-organ sub-human beings who acquire the bondage due to the formation of a fluid body?

A. 328. Gautama! They are energy, etc., as in the case of the air bodies, and this also holds of the formation of the fluid body of five-organ human beings. The Asurakumāras who live in the bhavanas are similar to the inhabitants of the Ratnaprabhā hell, till the Stanitakumāras: so also the Vāṇavyantaras, Jyotiṣkas, Vaimānikas residing in the Saudharmakalpa, till Acyutakalpa, gods living beyond the kalpas in the Graiveyaka vimāṇas [vimānas], and also the Anuttaraupapātika Vaimāṇikas living beyond the kalpas.

Q. 329. Bhante! Is the bondage due to the formation of a fluid body a bondage of a part or of the whole?

A. 329. Gautama! It may be a bondage of a part, and a bondage of the whole. This holds good of the air bodies, till the Anuttaraupapātika gods.

Q. 330. Bhante! How long does this bondage due to then formation of a fluid body last?

A. 330. Gautama! For the bondage of the whole, the minimum is a unit of countable time and the maximum is two units of such time. For the bondage of a part, the minimum is one unit of countable time and the maximum is 33 sāgaropamas less a unit such of time.

Q. 331. Bhante! How long does the bondage due to the formation of a fluid body last in the case of air bodies with a single sense organ?

A. 331. Gautama! The bondage of the whole lasts for a unit of countable time. And so far as the bondage of a part is concerned, the minimum is a unit of countable time and the maximum is less than a muhūrta.

Q. 332. Bhante! How long dees the bondage due to the formation of a fluid body in the case of a resident of the Ratnaprabhā hell last?

A. 332. Gautama! The bondage of the whole lasts for a unit of countable time. For the bondage of a part, the minimum is 10,000 years less three units of time and the maximum is one sāgaropama less a unit of time. This is to be repeated for all the hells underneath except that the minimum for the bondage of a part is the minimum for that hell less three units of time, and so also the maximum for that hell less a unit of time. Five-organ animals and human beings are like air bodies. The Asurakumāras, Nāgakumāras, till the Anuttaraupapātika gods are similar to the residents of the hells, except that account is to be taken of the respective stay in each case, till in the case of the Anuttaraupapātika gods, the bondage of the whole lasts for a unit of time and for the bondage of a part, the minimum is 31 sāgaropamas less three units of time and the maximum is 33 sāgaropamas less a unit of time.

Q. 333. Bhante! How long is the time gap of one bondage and another due to the formation of a fluid body?

A. 333. Gautama! For the whole, the minimum gap is a unit of time and the maximum is infinite time, infinite in terms of space, till innumerable portions of an āvalikā. Likewise the bondage of a part.

Q. 334. And what is the position (i.e., time gap) in the case of the air bodies due to the formation of a fluid body?

A. 334. Gautama! For the time gap of the bondage of the whole, the minimum is less than a muhūrta and the maximum is innumerable portions of a palyopama. Likewise the bondage of a part.

Q. 335. And what is the position in the case of the five-organ animals due to the formation of a fluid body?

A. 335. Gautama! For the time gap of the bondage of the whole, the minimum is less than a muhūrta and the maximum is two to nine pūrvakoti years. Likewise the bondage of a part. The same holds good of human beings also.

Q. 336. Bhante! From being an air body, one goes to some other species, and then reverts to life as an air body. Then how long will be the gap between one bondage and another due to the formation of a fluid body?

A. 336. Gautama! For the time gap of the bondage of the whole, the minimum is less than a muhūrta and the maximum is an infinite time, vanaspati-kāla so to say, Likewise the time gap of the bondage of a part.

Q. 337. And for a similar situation in the Ratnaprabhā hell, from this tell out and back again, pray?

A. 337. Gautama! For the time gap of the bondage of the whole, the minimim is 10,000 years minus one muhūrta and the maximum is vanaspati-kāla (infinite time). For the time gap of the bondage of a part, the minimum is less than a muhūrta and the maximum is an infinite time, vanaspati-kāla. The same holds of all the hells underneath, except that in the case of the time gap of the bondage of the whole, state the minimum stay in each case minus one muhūrta. The rest as aforesaid. Five-organ animals and human beings are similar to the air bodies. The Asurakumāras, Nāgakumāras, till the residents of the heaven called Sahasrāra are similar to the residents of the Ratnaprabhā hell, except that state the minimum stay in each case minus one muhūrta.

Q. 338. For one lodged in the heaven named Āṇata, going to another species and reverting to Āṇata how long is the time gap, pray?

A. 338. Gautama! For the time gap of the bondage of the whole, the minimum is 18 sāgaropamas plus 2 to 9 years and the maximum is an infinite time, vanaspati-kāla. For the bondage of a part, the minimum time gap is 2 to 9 years and the maximum is an infinite time, vanaspati-kāla. Likewise till the Acyuta, except that state the minimum stay in each case as it may be plus 2 to 9 years. The rest as aforesaid.

Q. 339. Bhante! What about those living in the Graiveyaka vimanas beyond the kalpas?

A. 339 Gautama! In this case, for the bondage of the whole, the minimum is 22 sāgaropamas plus 2 to 9 years and the maximum is an infinite time, vanaspati-kāla so to say. For the bondage of a part, the minimum is 2 to 9 years and the maximum is vanaspati-kāla.

Q. 340. And what about the Aṇuttaraupapātika gods, pray?

A. 340. Gautama! For the whole, the minimum time gap is 31 sāgaropamas plus 2 to 9 years and the maximum is a countable number of sāgaropamas. For a part, the minimum is 2 to 9 years and the maximum is a countable number of sāgaropamas.

Q. 341. Bhante! Of the living beings with a fluid body, between the bondage of the whole, of a part and no bondage, which ones are less, till especially more?

A. 341. Gautama! Smallest in number are those with the bondage of the whole, innumerable times more are those with the bondage of a part, and infinite times more are those with no bondage.

Notes (based on commentary of Abhayadeva Sūri):

(There is no commentary available for this section).