When a person dies, does he immediately take rebirth?

Question (M):  When a person dies, does he immediately take rebirth?

Than Ajahn:  If the person is going to be reborn as a human being, s/he has to wait for a new body. But s/he is automatically becoming whatever being s/he has developed in his/her life. If you are a deva (character), you’ll become a deva. If you are a brahma (character), you will become a brahma. If you are a Sotāpanna, you’ll be a Sotāpanna right away. Your mind takes birth before the body dies.

Question (M):  So, do you mean that it is immediate?

Than Ajahn:  Yes, it’s already taken place right now. If you are a Sotāpanna, you’re a Sotāpanna. If you have an animal mind, you are an animal now, even though your body is a human body. Your mind has already taken the character of an animal. It’s your character that is taking rebirth.

There are different types of characters when you die. You can become a hungry ghost. You can become a hellish being. If you’re constantly angry at people or constantly hating people, then you’ll become a hellish being. If you’re continually being greedy, you’ll become a hungry ghost. It’s your character. Your mind takes birth right away.

So, you might have a human body, but your mind can be an animal mind if you can’t keep the five precepts. That’s why sometimes they (the authority) have to put people who can’t keep the five precepts in the cells, because they are not human. They are animals. Even though the bodies are human bodies but their minds are not human mind anymore. They can hurt other people if you put them outside the cells. So, they have to be locked up.

If you keep the five precepts, they won’t lock you up because you’re a human being. The character of a human being is to be able to keep the five precepts. Keeping the five precept will make you become a human. If you can keep the five precepts and you help other people, if you make other people happy, you become a deva.

Layperson (M):  Do you mean that this present moment is very important?

Than Ajahn:  That’s right. The Buddha said that you have to keep doing good things at the present moment. Don’t do any bad things.

“Dhamma in English, Apr 24, 2018.”

By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto