A Collection of Buddhist Wisdom Verses - Ancient Buddhist Texts

4: Good
Dhp 182 Erakapattanāgarājavatthu
The Rare Things
A monk in the time of Buddha Kassapa dies and
is reborn as a nāga. Eventually he hears that a
new Buddha has arisen in the world, and goes
and asks why he cannot attain rebirth as a human
even after so long a time. This is the Buddha's
reply.
70. Kiccho manussapaṭilābho, kicchaṁ maccāna' jīvitaṁ,
Kicchaṁ Saddhammasavanaṁ, kiccho Buddhānam-uppādo.
It is rare to be born human,
Rare is the life of a mortal,
It is rare to hear the Dhamma,
Rare the arising of Buddhas.
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