AN 10.60 Girimananda and the Raft 🚣, director’s cut

What AN 4.191 talks about, is what happens to virtuous monastics when they die and are reborn in Deva realms. They get infatuated with the pleasures of the Deva realm, and forget about what they learned and practiced as a human monastic. But because of their good karma and association with virtuous spiritual companions, either powerful human monastics with psychic powers communicate with them, or other Devas in their community who remember the Dharma from their human life jog their memory and help them return to the Dharma path.

In AN 10.60, Girimananda is gravely ill, on his deathbed. The Buddha sends Ananda to talk to him and encourage him with 10 Dharma topics. What happens next, is surely a corruption, brought to you by the same Hollywood executive producers who corrupted

SN 46.14, SN 46.15, and SN 46.16.

But if you study AN 4.191 carefully, you can reconstruct AN 10.60 to get a director's cut, what the original director had intended the sutta to say.

Clearly, if you connect the dots between AN 4.191 and AN 10.60, what the Buddha is actually doing is giving Girimananda a care package, instructions on what to do if he dies from his illness. He's saying, "look, obviously you haven't attained Arahantship in this life, so if you die, don't become infatuated with the Deva Nymphs and Deva pleasures. Memorize these 10 Dharma topics, and finish the job. The job is not finished until you attain Arahantship. Also, it's possible that hearing these 10 awesome Dharma teachings, the rapture and pleasure are so inspiring that it stimulates your immune system and it's possible you recover from the illness. But don't count on it! Assume you're going to die, memorize these 10 dharmas, and when you're reborn in the Deva realm, hit the ground running. Practice these 10 Dharmas and finish the job! a-p-pamāda 🐘🐾‍ sampadetha!"

That's the original Director's cut, before the Hollywood Executive producers stepped in. They said, "We gotta sell tickets! We can't fill seats in the theatre if the hero in the story dies. We have to have a happy ending! Girimanda must have a miraculous recovery and live happily ever after. And people don't want to work hard. They want a quick magic mantra they can chant and get an instant magical cure!"

And so, that is how you end up with corrupted paritta suttas as they are recorded in Theravada canon today. But don't believe the corruptions. Trust your common sense and AN 4.191. There is no free lunch, no short cut,  no magic mantra that cures fatal diseases. Every moment, give the Dharma everything you've got.  Build your  Raft🚣‍ and ride it to the island of Nirvana. Finish the job! a-p-pamāda 🐘🐾‍ sampadetha.