1At Sāvatthī.

Seated to one side, that mendicant said to the Buddha:

“Sir, what is the cause, what is the reason why someone, when their body breaks up, after death, is reborn in the company of the womb-born phoenixes … moisture-born phoenixes … or spontaneously-born phoenixes?”

(All should be told in full.)

1Sāvatthinidānaṁ.

Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho so bhikkhu bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:

"ko nu kho, bhante, hetu, ko paccayo, yena midhekacco kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā jalābujānaṁ supaṇṇānaṁ … pe … saṁsedajānaṁ supaṇṇānaṁ … pe … opapātikānaṁ supaṇṇānaṁ sahabyataṁ upapajjatī"ti?

"Idha, bhikkhu, ekacco kāyena dvayakārī hoti, vācāya dvayakārī, manasā dvayakārī. Tassa sutaṁ hoti: ‘opapātikā supaṇṇā dīghāyukā vaṇṇavanto sukhabahulā’ti. Tassa evaṁ hoti: ‘aho vatāhaṁ kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā opapātikānaṁ supaṇṇānaṁ sahabyataṁ upapajjeyyan’ti. So kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā opapātikānaṁ supaṇṇānaṁ sahabyataṁ upapajjati. Ayaṁ kho, bhikkhu, hetu, ayaṁ paccayo, yena midhekacco kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā opapātikānaṁ supaṇṇānaṁ sahabyataṁ upapajjatī"ti.

Chaṭṭhaṁ.