[535] Then Sakka, lord of devas, together with eighty thousand devatās, approached the Venerable Mahāmoggallāna; having approached, he paid homage to the Venerable Mahāmoggallāna and stood to one side. As he stood to one side, the Venerable Mahāmoggallāna said this to Sakka, lord of devas:
"It is good, lord of devas, to be possessed of unwavering confidence (aveccappasāda) in the Buddha thus: 'Such indeed is that Blessed One: an arahant, fully self-awakened, perfect in true knowledge (vijjā) and conduct, fortunate, knower of the world, unsurpassed charioteer of persons to be tamed, teacher of devas and humans, awakened, blessed.' Because of being possessed of unwavering confidence in the Buddha, lord of devas, some beings here, with the breaking up of the body, after death, are reborn in a good destination, a heavenly world. They surpass the other devas in ten respects: in divine life-span, divine beauty, divine happiness, divine fame, divine sovereignty, divine forms, divine sounds, divine odors, divine tastes, and divine tangibles.
"It is good, lord of devas, to be possessed of unwavering confidence in the Dhamma thus: 'Well proclaimed by the Blessed One is the Dhamma, directly visible, immediate, inviting one to come and see, applicable, to be personally experienced by the wise.' Because of being possessed of unwavering confidence in the Dhamma, lord of devas, some beings here, with the breaking up of the body, after death, are reborn in a good destination, a heavenly world. They surpass the other devas in ten respects: in divine life-span … and divine tangibles.
"It is good, lord of devas, to be possessed of unwavering confidence in the Saṅgha thus: 'The Saṅgha of the Blessed One's disciples is practicing well; the Saṅgha of the Blessed One's disciples is practicing uprightly; the Saṅgha of the Blessed One's disciples is practicing methodically; the Saṅgha of the Blessed One's disciples is practicing properly — that is, the four pairs of persons, the eight types of individuals; this Saṅgha of the Blessed One's disciples is worthy of gifts, worthy of hospitality, worthy of offerings, worthy of reverential salutation, the unsurpassed field of merit for the world.' Because of being possessed of unwavering confidence in the Saṅgha, lord of devas, some beings here, with the breaking up of the body, after death, are reborn in a good destination, a heavenly world. They surpass the other devas in ten respects: in divine life-span … and divine tangibles.
"It is good, lord of devas, to be possessed of the virtues dear to the noble ones — unbroken, untorn, unblemished, unmottled, liberating, praised by the wise, ungrasped, conducive to concentration (samādhi). Because of being possessed of the virtues dear to the noble ones, lord of devas, some beings here, with the breaking up of the body, after death, are reborn in a good destination, a heavenly world. They surpass the other devas in ten respects: in divine life-span, divine beauty, divine happiness, divine fame, divine sovereignty, divine forms, divine sounds, divine odors, divine tastes, and divine tangibles."
"It is good, dear sir Moggallāna, to be possessed of unwavering confidence in the Buddha thus: 'Such indeed is that Blessed One … teacher of devas and humans, awakened, blessed.' Because of being possessed of unwavering confidence in the Buddha, dear sir Moggallāna, some beings here, with the breaking up of the body, after death, are reborn in a good destination, a heavenly world. They surpass the other devas in ten respects: in divine life-span … and divine tangibles.
"It is good, dear sir Moggallāna, to be possessed of unwavering confidence in the Dhamma thus: 'Well proclaimed by the Blessed One is the Dhamma … to be personally experienced by the wise.' Because of being possessed of unwavering confidence in the Dhamma, dear sir Moggallāna, some beings here, with the breaking up of the body, after death, are reborn in a good destination, a heavenly world. They surpass the other devas in ten respects: in divine life-span … and divine tangibles.
"It is good, dear sir Moggallāna, to be possessed of unwavering confidence in the Saṅgha thus: 'The Saṅgha of the Blessed One's disciples is practicing well … the unsurpassed field of merit for the world.' Because of being possessed of unwavering confidence in the Saṅgha, dear sir Moggallāna, some beings here, with the breaking up of the body, after death, are reborn in a good destination, a heavenly world. They surpass the other devas in ten respects: in divine life-span … and divine tangibles.
"It is good, dear sir Moggallāna, to be possessed of the virtues dear to the noble ones — unbroken … conducive to concentration. Because of being possessed of the virtues dear to the noble ones, dear sir Moggallāna, some beings here, with the breaking up of the body, after death, are reborn in a good destination, a heavenly world. They surpass the other devas in ten respects: in divine life-span, divine beauty, divine happiness, divine fame, divine sovereignty, divine forms, divine sounds, divine odors, divine tastes, and divine tangibles."
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.