333 LESSON 03 08 2011 Upaddha Sutta Half of the Holy Life FREE ONLINE eNālandā Research and Practice UNIVERSITY and
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Upaddha Sutta: Half (of the Holy Life)
translated from the Pali by
Thanissaro Bhikkhu
I have
heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was living among the Sakyans.
Now there is a Sakyan town named Sakkara. There Ven. Ananda went to the Blessed One and, on arrival, having
bowed down to the Blessed One, sat to one side. As he was sitting there, Ven.
Ananda said to the Blessed One, “This is half of the holy life, lord:
admirable friendship, admirable companionship, admirable camaraderie.”[1]
“Don’t
say that, Ananda. Don’t say that. Admirable friendship, admirable
companionship, admirable camaraderie is actually the whole of the holy life.
When a monk has admirable people as friends, companions, & comrades, he can
be expected to develop & pursue the noble eightfold path.
“And how does a monk who has admirable people as friends,
companions, & comrades, develop & pursue the noble eightfold path?
There is the case where a monk develops right view dependent on seclusion,
dependent on dispassion, dependent on cessation, resulting in relinquishment.
He develops right resolve … right speech … right action … right
livelihood … right effort … right mindfulness … right concentration
dependent on seclusion, dependent on dispassion, dependent on cessation,
resulting in relinquishment. This is how a monk who has admirable people as
friends, companions, & colleagues, develops & pursues the noble
eightfold path.
“And
through this line of reasoning one may know how admirable friendship, admirable
companionship, admirable camaraderie is actually the whole of the holy life: It
is in dependence on me as an admirable friend that beings subject to birth have
gained release from birth, that beings subject to aging have gained release
from aging, that beings subject to death have gained release from death, that
beings subject to sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair have
gained release from sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair. It is
through this line of reasoning that one may know how admirable friendship,
admirable companionship, admirable camaraderie is actually the whole of the
holy life.”
332 LESSON 02 08 2011 Dighajanu Vyagghapajja Sutta To
Dighajanu FREE
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Dighajanu (Vyagghapajja) Sutta: To Dighajanu
translated from the Pali by
Thanissaro Bhikkhu
Alternate translation: Narada
I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed
One was dwelling among the Koliyans. Now the Koliyans have
a town named Kakkarapatta. There Dighajanu[1]
the Koliyan went to the Blessed One and, on arrival, having bowed down to the
Blessed One, sat to one side. As he was sitting there he said to the Blessed
One, “We are lay people enjoying sensuality; living crowded with spouses
& children; using Kasi fabrics & sandalwood; wearing garlands, scents,
& creams; handling gold & silver. May the Blessed One teach the Dhamma
for those like us, for our happiness & well-being in this life, for our
happiness & well-being in lives to come.”
[The Blessed One said:] “There are these
four qualities, TigerPaw, that lead to a lay person’s happiness and well-being
in this life. Which four? Being consummate in initiative, being consummate in
vigilance, admirable friendship, and maintaining one’s livelihood in tune.
“And what does it mean to be consummate
in initiative? There is the case where a lay person, by whatever occupation he
makes his living — whether by farming or trading or cattle tending or archery
or as a king’s man or by any other craft — is clever and untiring at it,
endowed with discrimination in its techniques, enough to arrange and carry it
out. This is called being consummate in initiative.
“And what does it mean to be consummate
in vigilance? There is the case when a lay person has righteous wealth —
righteously gained, coming from his initiative, his striving, his making an
effort, gathered by the strength of his arm, earned by his sweat — he manages
to protect it through vigilance [with the thought], ‘How shall neither kings
nor thieves make off with this property of mine, nor fire burn it, nor water
sweep it away, nor hateful heirs make off with it?’ This is called being
consummate in vigilance.
“And what is meant by admirable
friendship? There is the case where a lay person, in whatever town or village
he may dwell, spends time with householders or householders’ sons, young or
old, who are advanced in virtue. He talks with them, engages them in
discussions. He emulates consummate conviction in those who are consummate in
conviction, consummate virtue in those who are consummate in virtue, consummate
generosity in those who are consummate in generosity, and consummate
discernment in those who are consummate in discernment. This is called
admirable friendship.
“And what does it mean to maintain one’s
livelihood in tune? There is the case where a lay person, knowing the income
and outflow of his wealth, maintains a livelihood in tune, neither a
spendthrift nor a penny-pincher, [thinking], ‘Thus will my income exceed my
outflow, and my outflow will not exceed my income.’ Just as
when a weigher or his apprentice, when holding the scales, knows, ‘It has
tipped down so much or has tipped up so much,’ in the same way, the lay person,
knowing the income and outflow of his wealth, maintains a livelihood in tune,
neither a spendthrift nor a penny-pincher, [thinking], ‘Thus will my income
exceed my outflow, and my outflow will not exceed my income.’ If a lay person
has a small income but maintains a grand livelihood, it will be rumored of him,
‘This clansman devours his wealth like a fruit-tree eater.’[2]
If a lay person has a large income but maintains a miserable livelihood, it
will be rumored of him, ‘This clansman will die of starvation.’ But when a lay
person, knowing the income and outflow of his wealth, maintains a livelihood in
tune, neither a spendthrift nor a penny-pincher, [thinking], ‘Thus will my
income exceed my outflow, and my outflow will not exceed my income,’ this is
called maintaining one’s livelihood in tune.
“These are the four drains on one’s store
of wealth: debauchery in sex; debauchery in drink; debauchery in gambling; and
evil friendship, evil companionship, evil camaraderie. Just
as if there were a great reservoir with four inlets and four drains, and a man
were to close the inlets and open the drains, and the sky were not to pour down
proper showers, the depletion of that great reservoir could be expected, not
its increase. In the same way, these are the four drains on one’s store of
wealth: debauchery in sex; debauchery in drink; debauchery in gambling; and
evil friendship, evil companionship, evil camaraderie.
These are the four inlets to one’s store of
wealth: no debauchery in sex; no debauchery in drink; no debauchery in
gambling; and admirable friendship, admirable companionship, admirable
camaraderie. Just as if there were a great reservoir with four inlets and four
drains, and a man were to open the inlets and close the drains, and the sky
were to pour down proper showers, the increase of that great reservoir could be
expected, not its depletion. In the same way, these are the four inlets to
one’s store of wealth: no debauchery in sex; no debauchery in drink; no
debauchery in gambling; and admirable friendship, admirable companionship,
admirable camaraderie.
“These, TigerPaw, are the four qualities
that lead to a lay person’s happiness and well-being in this life.
“There are these four qualities that lead
to a lay person’s happiness and well-being in lives to come. Which four? Being
consummate in conviction, being consummate in virtue, being consummate in
generosity, being consummate in discernment.
“And what does it mean to be consummate
in conviction? There is the case where a disciple of the noble ones has
conviction, is convinced of the Tathagata’s Awakening: ‘Indeed, the Blessed One
is worthy and rightly self-awakened, consummate in knowledge and conduct,
well-gone, an expert with regard to the world, unexcelled as a trainer for
those people fit to be tamed, the Teacher of divine and human beings, awakened,
blessed.’ This is called being consummate in conviction.
“And what does it mean to be consummate
in virtue? There is the case where a disciple of the noble ones abstains from
taking life, abstains from stealing, abstains from illicit sexual conduct,
abstains from lying, abstains from taking intoxicants that cause heedlessness.
This is called being consummate in virtue.
“And what does it mean to be consummate
in generosity? There is the case of a disciple of the noble ones, his awareness
cleansed of the stain of miserliness, living at home, freely generous,
openhanded, delighting in being magnanimous, responsive to requests, delighting
in the distribution of alms. This is called being consummate in generosity.
“And what does it mean to be consummate
in discernment? There is the case where a disciple of the noble ones is
discerning, endowed with discernment of arising and passing away — noble,
penetrating, leading to the right ending of stress. This is called being
consummate in discernment.
“These, TigerPaw, are the four qualities
that lead to a lay person’s happiness and well-being in lives to come.”
Heedful at administering or working at one’s occupation,
maintaining one’s life in tune, one protects one’s store of wealth. A person of
conviction, consummate in virtue, magnanimous, free of selfishness, constantly
clears the path to security in the lives to come. Thus for one who seeks the
household life, these eight qualities, leading to welfare & happiness both
in this life & in lives to come, have been declared by the one whose name
is truth. And this is how, for householders, generosity & merit increase.
Press Information Bureau
(C.M. Information Campus)
Information & Public Relations Department,
U.P.
C.M. calls on Governor
Lucknow :: 01 August 2011
The Hon’ble Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Ms.
Mayawati Ji visited Raj Bhawan today to meet
Governor
of the State Mr. B.L. Joshi following the
tradition of
meeting before the Assembly Session beginning from
05 August, 2011.
During her meeting with Governor, the Hon’ble
Chief Minister ji apprised him about different
legislative
works to be presented in coming session and other
issues.