I was hearing in one talk by a lay teacher, that there is a sutta (or other buddhist text at least) that lists what kind of deeds are most important in determining future rebirth. As far as I can remember, the most important thing was “the strongest deed”, then “amount of good and bad deeds” and then 2 more or something. I don’t know but I think sutta was mentioning cows.
I tried to find it on sutta central search and on readingfaithfully but so far I couldn’t find it.
It’s not these suttas though. The one I’m referring to supposedly compares what is more weighty in determining rebirth, strength of certain deed, or amount of deeds made etc. I will try to find the talk where I heard it. Also I browse through entire Anguttara fours to try to find it.
Thank you Sabbamitta. I think it’s not this sutta though.
I think I’ve heard it in one of Beth Upton talks. I listened now to around 10 of her vidoes, but can’t find this moment when she spoke about it yet. I might try more in the upcoming days.
Either my memory is playing with me… but if I remember correctly, she said in one of the talk, that there are 4 factors that determine future rebirth… and that strength of deed and amount is one of these things… I hope I will find the video eventually so we will have more reliable source to base our search.
26:20
“I already gave you this simile of the cows. So the cows live in a cow pen, which kamma wins, is it a strong one, or most likely one, or is it something we do near the death time…”
I already gave you - perhaps it happens earlier in the video, I’ll check that out. But we have more trail now, there is also element of “something we do near the death time”.
I did it just a moment ago. I think she’s very busy so I didn’t want to disturb her. But after 3 hours of search I thought writing a message won’t hurt.
“Pretty easy to reach” does not mean not super busy. I wouldn’t underestimate amount of work lay teachers put into their work. So I would not disturb them unless necessary IMHO.
I’m going to bet that this isn’t in the suttas at all. Not only does it sound unfamiliar, but it’s not in the CIPS under cows, and more importantly she said something about proximity to time of death. The last one is the biggest clue. Suttas, as far as I know, give very little if any importance on the closeness to death of an action.
I did a search for “cow” and for “pen” in the Visuddhimagga and didn’t find anything that looked like what she describes, but someone else ought to check.
It’s also possible that it’s a modern simile made by her or her teachers.
I agree. I tried searching it everywhere and it’s most likely not in the suttas. I too guess it could be simile of one of her teachers or herself.
I remember I was surprised when I first heard it in her talk, and my reaction was like “how could I have not seen that before in the suttas?” But now it seems it’s just not EBT thing.
If she or her assistant (Hello @Aminah) replies, I will let you know where it comes from.
The “order of ripening of kammas” at the time of death is a commentarial doctrine, most commonly learned from chapter 5 of the Abhidhammatthasaṅgaha and its commentaries.
Some of its details may perhaps be inferable from the suttas. For example, the claim that garuka-kammas take precedence over kammas of every other kind is supported by the sutta teaching on the inevitability of purgatorial rebirth for those who commit an anantariyaka kamma.
,
