Sucaritasutta

Sāvatthinidānaṁ. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho so bhikkhu bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: “ko nu kho, bhante, hetu, ko paccayo, yena midhekacco kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā valāhakakāyikānaṁ devānaṁ sahabyataṁ upapajjatī”ti? “Idha, bhikkhu, ekacco kāyena sucaritaṁ carati, vācāya sucaritaṁ carati, manasā sucaritaṁ carati. Tassa sutaṁ hoti: ‘valāhakakāyikā devā dīghāyukā vaṇṇavanto sukhabahulā’ti. Tassa evaṁ hoti: ‘aho vatāhaṁ kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā valāhakakāyikānaṁ devānaṁ sahabyataṁ upapajjeyyan’ti. So kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā valāhakakāyikānaṁ devānaṁ sahabyataṁ upapajjati. Ayaṁ kho, bhikkhu, hetu, ayaṁ paccayo, yena midhekacco kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā valāhakakāyikānaṁ devānaṁ sahabyataṁ upapajjatī”ti. Dutiyaṁ.

At 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 gods of the thundercloud host?” “Mendicant, it’s when someone does good things by way of body, speech, and mind. And they’ve heard: ‘The gods of the thundercloud host are long-lived, beautiful, and very happy.’ They think: ‘If only, when my body breaks up, after death, I would be reborn in the company of the gods of the thundercloud host!’ When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in the company of the gods of the thundercloud host. This is the cause, this is the reason why someone, when their body breaks up, after death, is reborn in the company of the gods of the thundercloud host.”