THE TWO BROTHERS

The Pali Texts give an example of how the thought one has when accomplishing kamma may account for one’s character when that kamma produces rebirth: it is The Buddha’s account of one Jotika’s past lives.

Once, in the very distant past, there were two brothers. They owned a large field of sugar-cane. One day, the younger brother offered some sugar-cane juice to a Pacceka-Buddha. After he had offered the juice, he aspired for three things: that his offering would result in his enjoying
glory in the human world, that it would result in his enjoying glory in the deva world, and that it would eventually be a supporting cause for him to attain Arahantship. Afterwards, on behalf of his elder brother, he offered some more sugar-cane juice to the Pacceka-Buddha, which the Pacceka- Buddha took back to his dwelling, to share with other Pacceka-Buddhas. When the younger brother told his elder brother about his offering, the elder brother was filled with great joy, and made an aspiration. But he did not aspire for three things. He aspired for only one thing: Arahantship. When the two brothers passed away, they were reborn in the deva world. Then, at the time of Buddha Vipassi, they were again reborn as brothers in a good family. When they attained to manhood, they married, established a family, and lived as householders. Then, one day, they heard that a Buddha had appeared in the world. Together with many other householders, they went to see The Buddha, to make offerings, and to listen to the Dhamma. As The Buddha was teaching the Dhamma, the elder brother developed a very strong desire to renounce the household life and become a bhikkhu: he was the one who had aspired for only Arahantship. His desire was so powerful that he gave over all his property to his younger brother, ordained as a bhikkhu, and soon put an end to suffering with Arahantship. But his younger brother could not give up the household life: he was still too attached to sensual pleasures, and so could not put an end to suffering. Instead, the younger brother made
great offerings of requisites to The Buddha and Sa]gha: he offered even
a magnificent dwelling for The Buddha.
The elder brother had in that life put an end to rebirth, but his younger brother continued in the round of rebirth from The Buddha Vipassi’s time till our Buddha Gotama’s time. For many, many aeons, he continued being reborn. Owing to the many wholesome kammas he had accomplished, he was reborn now in the deva world, now in the human
world. Only at our Buddha’s time, as the treasurer Jotika, was he finally
able to renounce sensual pleasures, and become a bhikkhu. Only in that
life was he finally able to put an end to suffering, by becoming an Arahant.
When He had explained how the two brothers had fared differently because
of their different thoughts when accomplishing wholesome kamma, The Buddha uttered the following verse:

Whoever, craving (taha) having given up, a wandering homeless one,
with craving and existence consumed, such a one do I call a Brahman.
Craving and existence consumed is the same as to say that the clogbound
dog has severed the rope binding it to the strong post or pillar.
And it has managed to throw off the clog that was bound to its neck.

That is, with attainment of the Noble Path, and eventually Arahantship, the uneducated, ordinary person has severed the rope of craving (taha), has managed to throw off the clog of identity view (sakkaya di;;hi), has got released from the strong post of the five clinging-aggregates (pañc·upadana·kkhandha): she or he has escaped from the round of rebirth
(samsara).