Petavatthu

Petavatthu - Ghost Stories

Composed of 51 verse narratives describing specifically how the effects of bad acts can lead to rebirth into the unhappy world of petas (ghosts). It also details how meritorious actions by the living can benefit such suffering beings.

The text is divided into 4 sections:

The Snake (verses 1 - 12)

Queen Ubbari (verses 13 - 25)

The Lesser Chapter (verses 26 - 35)

The Great Chapter (verses 36 - 51)

Emphasis is laid on the beneficial effects of giving, whereas envy, jealousy, miserliness, greed and wrong views are shown to be the causes of one's appearance in the unhappy world of the petas.