At that time Citta the householder was a sick man, suffering from a serious illness. Then a number of devas that dwell in gardens, forests and trees, the devas of healing herbs and of great trees in the forest, gathered together and said to Citta the householder:(1) “Make a resolve, householder: 'In some future time may I be a king, a world-ruler!'”(2)

To this Citta replied… “That is something impermanent, something to be rejected and passed over.”

Now Citta's friends, colleagues and blood-relations heard him say this, and they said to him: “Sir!(3) Set up mindfulness, don't ramble!”

“What have I said that makes you tell me to set up mindfulness and not to ramble?”

“Why, sir, you just said: 'That is something impermanent, something to be rejected and passed over.'”

“Yes, but I said that to the devas who dwell in gardens… who bade me make a resolve that in some future time I might be a king, a world-ruler.”

“Sir, what purpose did those devas have in mind in urging you to make such a resolve?”

“This is what those devas thought: 'This householder Citta is a virtuous man, of noble disposition. If he makes a resolve that in some future time he may be a king, a world-ruler, this will be profitable to that virtuous man, having made such a resolve with a pure heart, and will bring the just man a just and great reward…' So then I said, 'That is something impermanent, something to be rejected and passed over.'”

[Citta then instructs them to have perfect faith in the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha, and passes away.]

Notes