Another example is the Venerable Arahant Maha Mogallana, who, in a past life, killed his parents (anantariya Kamma). However, this did not prevent him from becoming one of the main disciples of Lord Buddha Gautama. This act brought consequences in his last life as an arahant; he was beaten to death by bandits. We have all committed anantariya Kamma and other akusalas in the infinite past. While it’s best to avoid such actions, until magga phala is achieved, nothing is certain in this infinite Samsarā. We are fortunate to be born human with all our mental capacities in the Sasana of Lord Gautama. Achieving magga phala is perfectly possible, here and now.
For those interested in learning more about Anantariya Kammas, please read this post:Ānantarika Kamma – Connection to Gandhabba
The Story of Venerable Mahā Moggallāna
The monks asked the Buddha, “But, venerable, what was the deed he committed in a previous state of existence?” In reply, the Buddha related his former deed in detail.
The story goes that once upon a time in the distant past a certain youth of a good family performed with his hand all of the household duties, such as pounding rice and cooking, and took care of his mother and father also. One day his mother and father said to him, “Son, you are wearing yourself out by performing all of the work both in the house and in the forest. We will fetch you home a certain young woman to be your wife.” The son replied, “Dear mother and father, there is no necessity for you to do anything of the sort. So long as you both shall live I will wait upon you with my hand.” Even though he refused to listen to their suggestion, they repeated their request time and again, and finally brought him home a young woman to be his wife.
For a few days only she waited upon his mother and father. After those few days had passed, she was unable even to bear the sight of them and said to her husband with a great show of indignation, “I can’t live any longer in the same house with your mother and father.” But he paid no attention to what she said. So one day, when he was out of the house, she took bits of clay and bark and scum of rice gruel and scattered them here and there about the house. When her husband returned and asked her what it meant, she said, “This is what your blind old parents have done; they go about littering up the entire house; I can’t live in the same place with them any longer.” Thus did she speak again and again. The result was that finally even a being so distinguished as he, a being who had fulfilled the Perfection, broke with his mother and father.
“Never mind,” said the husband, I shall find some way of dealing with them properly.” So when he had given them food, he said to them, “Dear mother and father, in such and such a place live kinsfolk of yours who desire you to visit them; let us go thither.” And assisting them to enter a carriage, he set out with them. When he reached the depths of the forest, he said to his father, “Dear father, hold these reins; the oxen know the track so well that they will go without guidance; this is a place where thieves lie in wait for travellers; I am going to descend from the carriage.” And giving the reins into the hands of his father, he descended from the carriage and made his way into the forest.
As he did so, he began to make a noise, increasing the volume of the noise until it sounded as if a band of thieves were about to make an attack. When his mother and father heard the noise, they thought to themselves, “A band of thieves is about to attack us.” Therefore they said to their son, “Son, we are old people; save yourself, and pay no attention to us.” But even as his mother and father cried out thus, the son, yelling the thieves’ yell, beat them killed them and threw their bodies into the forest. Having so done, he returned home.
When the Buddha had related the foregoing story of Venerable Moggallāna’s misdeed in a previous state of existence, he said, “Monks, because Venerable Moggallāna committed so monstrous a sin, he suffered torment for numberless hundreds of thousands of years in hell; and thereafter, because the fruit of his evil deed was not yet exhausted, in a hundred successive existences he was beaten and pounded to pieces in like manner and so met death. Therefore the manner of death which Venerable Moggallāna suffered was in exact conformity with his misdeed in a previous state of existence. Likewise, the five hundred heretics who with the five hundred thieves offended against my son who had committed no offence against them, suffered precisely that form of death which they deserved. For he that offends against the offenseless, incurs misfortune and loss through ten circumstances.”
The 5 bad Anantariya Kammas are:
1. Killing one’s father
2. Killing one’s mother
3. Killing an arahant
4. Physically injuring a Lord Buddha (A Lord Buddha cannot be killed)
5. Causing division in the community of monks (Sangha)
- There are also good Anantariya Kammas, such as maintaining jhanas or arupavacara samapatti until one’s death and attaining magga phala.