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Practical Guide To True Way Of Living
I - Family Life
1. It is wrong to think that misfortunes come from the east or from the west; they originate within one's own mind. Therefore, it is foolish to guard against misfortunes from the external world and leave the inner mind uncontrolled.
There is a custom that has come down from ancient times that common people still follow. When they get up in the morning, they first wash their face and rinse their mouth, and then they bow in the six directions - to the east, west, south, north, above and below wishing that no misfortune may come to them from any direction and that they may have a peaceful day.
But it is different in the Buddha's teaching. Buddha teaches that we are to pay respect to the six directions of Truth and then that we are to behave wisely and virtuously and thus prevent all misfortunes.
To guard the gates in these six directions, people are to remove the defilement of the "four deeds," control the -four evil minds," and plug the "six holes" which cause the loss of wealth.
By the "four deeds" it is meant killing, stealing, committing adultery and falsehood.
The "four evil minds" are greed, anger, foolishness and fear.
The "six holes" which cause the loss of wealth are desire for intoxicating drinks and behaving foolishly, staying up late at night and losing the mind in frivolity, indulging in musical and theatre entertainments, gambling, associating with evil companions, and neglecting one's duties.
After removing these four defilements, avoiding these four evil states of mind, and plugging these six holes of waste, the disciples of Buddha do reverence to the six directions of Truth.
Now, what are these six directions of Truth? They are east for the way of parents and child, south for the way of teacher and pupil, west for the way of husband and wife, north for the way of a man and his friend, below for the way of master and servant and above for the way of the disciples of Buddha.
A child should honor his parents and do for them all that he is supposed to do. He should serve them, help them at their labor, cherish the family lineage, protect the family property, and hold memorial services after they have passed away.
The parents should do five things for their children: - avoid doing evil, set an example of good deeds, give them an education, arrange for their marriage, and let them inherit the family wealth at a proper time. If the parents and child follow these rules the family will always live in peace.
A pupil should always rise when his teacher enters, wait upon him, follow his instructions well, not neglect an offering for him, and listen respectfully to his teaching.
At the same time, a teacher should act rightly before a pupil and set a good example for him; he should correctly pass on to him the teaching he has learned; he should use good methods and try to prepare the pupil for honors; and he should not forget to protect the pupil from evil in every possible way. If a teacher and his pupil observe these rules, their association will move smoothly.
A husband should treat his wife with respect, courtesy and fidelity. He should leave the housekeeping to her and sometimes provide for her needs, such as accessories. At the same time, a wife should take pains with the housekeeping, manage the servants wisely, maintain her virtue as a good wife should. She should not waste her husband's income, and should manage the house properly and faithfully. If these rules are followed, a happy home will be maintained and there will arise no quarrelling.
The rules of friendship mean there should be mutual sympathy between friends, each supplying what the other lacks and trying to benefit the other, always using friendly and sincere words.
One should keep his friend from falling into evil ways, should protect his property and wealth, and should help him in his troubles. If his friend has some misfortune, he should give him a helping hand, even supporting his family, if necessary. In this way, their friendship will be maintained and they will be increasingly happy together.
A master in his dealings with a servant should observe five things: He should assign work that is suitable for the servant's abilities, give him proper compensation, care for him when he is in ill health, share pleasant things with him, and give him needed rest.
A servant should observe five things: He should get up in the morning before his master and go to bed after him, should always be honest, take pains to do his work well, and try not to bring discredit to his master's name. If these rules are observed, there will be peace and no controversy between master and servant.
A disciple of Buddha should see to it that his family observes the teachings of Buddha. They should cherish respect and consideration for their Buddhist teacher, should treat him with courtesy, attend to and observe his instructions, and always have an offering for him.
Then the teacher of Buddha's teaching should rightly understand the teaching, rejecting wrong interpretations, emphasizing the good, and should seek to lead believers along a smooth path. When a family follows this course, keeping the true teaching as its center, it will thrive happily.
A man who bows in the six directions does not do so in order to escape from external misfortunes. He does it in order to be on his guard to prevent evils from arising within his own mind.
2. A man should recognize among his acquaintances those with whom he should associate and those with whom he should not.
The ones with whom a man should not associate are those who are greedy, clever talkers, flatterers or wasters.
The ones with whom he should associate are those who are helpful, who are willing to share happiness's as well as sufferings, who give good advice and who have a sympathetic heart.
A true friend, the one with whom a man may safely associate, will always stick closely to the right way, will worry secretly about his friend's welfare, will console him, in misfortune, will offer him a helping hand when he needs it, will keep his secrets, and will always give him good advice.
It is very difficult to find a friend like this, and, therefore, one should try very hard to be a friend like this. As the sun warms the fruitful earth, so a good friend, lines society because of his good deeds.
3. It would be impossible for a son to repay his parents for their gracious kindness, even if he could carry his father on his right shoulder and his mother on his left for one hundred long years.
And even if he could bathe the bodies of his parents an ideal son, gain a throne for them, and give them all the luxuries of the world, still he would not be able to repay them sufficiently for the great indebtedness of gratitude he owes to them.
But if he leads his parents to Buddha and explains the Buddha's teachings to them, and persuades them to give up a wrong course and follow a right one, leading them to give up all greed and enjoy the practice of offering, then he will be more than repaying them.
Buddha's blessing abides in the home where parents are held in respect and esteem.
4. A family is a place where minds come in contact with one another. If these minds love one another, the home will be as beautiful as a flower garden. But if these minds get out of harmony with one another, it is like a storm that plays havoc with the garden.
If discord arises within one's family, one should not blame others but should examine one's own mind and follow a right path.
5. Once there was a man of deep faith. His father died when he was young; he lived happily with his mother, and then he took a wife.
At first, they lived happily together and then, because of a small misunderstanding, the wife and her mother-in-law came to dislike each other. This dislike grew until finally the mother left the young couple to live by herself.
After the mother-in-law left, a son was born to the young couple. A rumor reached the mother-in-law that the young wife had said, "My mother-in-law was always annoying me and as long as she lived with us nothing pleasant ever happened; but as soon as she went we had this happy event."
This rumor angered the mother-in-law who exclaimed, "If the husband's mother is chased away from the house and a happy event takes place, then things have come to a pretty pass. Righteousness must have disappeared from the world."
Then the mother shouted, "Now, we must have a funeral of this `righteousness'." Like a mad woman she went to the cemetery to hold a funeral service.
A god, hearing of this incident, appeared in front of the woman and tried to reason with her, but in vain.
The god then said to her, "if so, I must burn the child and his mother to death. Will that satisfy you?"
Hearing this, the mother-in-law realized her mistake, apologized for her anger, and begged the god to save the lives of the child and his mother. At the same time, the young wife and her husband realized their injustice to the old woman and went to the cemetery to seek her. The god reconciled them and thereafter they lived together as a happy family.
Righteousness is never lost forever unless one casts it away oneself. Righteousness occasionally may seem to disappear but, in fact, it never disappears. When it seems to be disappearing, it is because one is losing the righteousness of one's own mind.
Discordant minds often bring disaster. A trifling misunderstanding may be followed by great misfortune. This is especially to be guarded against in family life.
6. In family life, the question as to how the daily expenses are to be met always requires the utmost care. Every member must work hard like the diligent ants and the busy bees. No one must rely upon the industry of others, or expect their charity.
On the other hand, a man must not consider what he has earned as totally his own. Some of it must be shared with others, some of it must be saved for an emergency, some of it must be set aside for the needs of the community and the nation, and some of it must be devoted to the needs of the religious teachers.
One should always remember that nothing in the world can strictly be called "mine." What comes to a person comes to him because of a combination of causes and conditions; it can be kept by him only temporarily and, therefore, he must not use it selfishly or for unworthy purposes.
7. When Syamavati, the queen-consort of King Udayana, offered Ananda five hundred garments, Ananda received them with great satisfaction.
The King, hearing of it, suspected Ananda of dishonesty, so he went to Ananda and asked what he was going to do with these five hundred garments.
Ananda replied: "Oh, King, many of the brothers are in rags; I am going to distribute the garments among the brothers."
"What will you do with the old garments?" "We will make bed-covers out of them."
"What will you do with the old bed-covers?" "We will make pillow-cases."
"What will you do with the old pillow-cases?" "We will make floor-covers out of them."
"What will you do with the old floor-covers?" "We will use them for foot-towels."
"What will you do with the old foot-towels?" "We will use them for floor-mops."
"What will you do with the old mops?"
"Your Highness, we will tear them into pieces, mix them with mud and use the mud to plaster the house walls."
Every article entrusted to us must be used with good care in some useful way, because it is not "ours" but is only entrusted to us temporarily.
II - The Life Of Women
1. There are four types of women. Of the first type there are those who become angry for slight causes, who have changeable minds, who are greedy and jealous of others' happiness, and who have no sympathy for the needs of others.
Of the second type there are those who grow angry over trifling affairs, who are fickle and greedy, but who do not feel envious of others' happiness and who are sympathetic for the needs of others.
Of the third type there are those who are more broad-minded and do not become angry very often, who know how to control a greedy mind but are not able to avoid feelings of jealousy, and who are not sympathetic for the needs of others.
Of the fourth type there are those who are broad-minded, who can restrain feelings of greed and retain calmness of mind, who do not feel envious of others' happiness, and who are sympathetic for the needs of others.
2. When a young woman marries, she should make the following resolutions: "I must honor and serve the parents of my husband. They have given us all the advantages we have and are our wise protectors, so I must serve them with appreciation and be ready to help them whenever I can.
"I must be respectful to my husband's teacher because he has given my husband a sacred teaching and we could not live as human beings without the guidance of these sacred teachings.
"I must cultivate my mind so that I will be able to understand my husband and be able to help him in his work. I must never be indifferent to his interests, thinking they are only his affairs but not mine.
"I must study the nature, ability and taste of each of the servants of our family and look after them kindly. I will conserve the income of my husband and will not waste it for any selfish purpose."
3. The relation of husband and wife was not designed merely for their convenience. It has a deeper significance than the mere association of two physical bodies in one house. Husband and wife should take advantage of the intimacies of their association to help each other in training their minds in the holy teaching.
An old couple, an "ideal couple" as they were called, once came to Buddha and said, "Lord, we were married after we had been acquainted in childhood and there has never been a cloud in our happiness. Please tell us if we can be remarried in the next life."
The Buddha gave them this wise answer: - "If you both have exactly the same faith, if you both received the teaching in exactly the same way, if you perform charity in the same way and if you have the same wisdom, then you will have the same mind in the next birth."
4. Sujata, the young wife of the eldest son of the rich merchant, Anathapindada, was arrogant, did not respect others and did not listen to the instruction of her husband and his parents and, consequently, some discord arose in the family.
One day the Blessed One came to visit Anathapindada and noticed this state of affairs. He called the young wife, Sujata, to Him and spoke to her kindly, saying:
"Sujata, there are seven types of wives. There is a wife who is like a murderer. She has an impure mind, does not honor her husband and, consequently, turns her heart to another man.
"There is a wife who is like a thief. She never understands her husband's labor but thinks only of her desire for luxury. She wastes her husband's income to satisfy her own appetite and, by so doing, steals from him.
"There is a wife who is like a master. She rails at her husband, neglects the housekeeping and always scolds him with rough words.
"There is a wife who is like a mother. She cares for her husband as though he were a child, protects him as a mother does her son, and takes good care of his income.
"There is a wife who is like a sister. She is faithful to her husband and serves him like a sister with modesty and reserve.
"There is a wife who is like a friend. She tries to please her husband as if he were a friend who had just returned from a long absence. She is modest, behaves correctly and treats him with great respect.
"Lastly, there is a wife who is like a maid-servant. She serves her husband well and with fidelity. She respects him, obeys his commands, has no wishes of her own, no ill-feeling, no resentment, and always tries to make him happy."
The Blessed One asked, "Sujata, which type of wife are you like, or would you wish to be like?"
Hearing these words of the Blessed One, she was ashamed of her past conduct and replied that she would wish to be like the one in the last example, the maid-servant. She changed her behavior and became her husband's helper, and together they sought Enlightenment.
5. Amrapali was a wealthy and famous courtesan of Vaisali and kept many young and beautiful prostitutes with her. She called upon the Blessed One and asked Him to give her some good teaching.
The Blessed One said, "Amrapali, the mind of a woman is easily disturbed and misled. She yields to her desires and surrenders to jealousy more easily than a man.
"Therefore, it is more difficult for a woman to follow the Noble Path. This is especially true for a young and beautiful woman. You must step forth toward the Noble Path by overcoming lust and temptation.
"Amrapali, you must remember that youth and beauty do not last but are followed by sickness, old age and suffering. Desires for wealth and love are women's besetting temptations, but, Amrapali, they are not the eternal treasures. Enlightenment is the only treasure that maintains its value. Strength is followed by illness; youth must yield to old age; life gives way to death. One may have to go away from a loved one to live with a hated one; one may not obtain what one wishes for very long. This is the law of life.
"The only thing that protects and brings one to lasting peace is Enlightenment. Amrapali, you should seek Enlightenment at once."
She listened to Him, became His disciple and, as an offering, donated to the Brotherhood her beautiful garden park.
6. There are no distinctions of sex on the path to Enlightenment. If a woman makes up her mind to seek Enlightenment, she will become a heroine of the True Path.
Mallika, the daughter of King Prasenajit and the Queen of King Ayodhya, was such a heroine. She had great faith in the teaching of the Blessed One and made in His presence the ten following vows:
"My Lord, until I gain Enlightenment I will not violate the sacred precepts; I will not be arrogant before people who are older than myself; I will not become angry with anyone.
"I will not be jealous of others or envy their possessions; I will not be selfish either in mind or property; I will try to make poor people happy with the things I receive and will not hoard them for myself.
"I will receive all people courteously, give them what they need, and speak kindly to them; consider their circumstances and not my convenience; and try to benefit them without partiality.
"If I see others in solitude, in prison, or suffering from disease or other troubles, I will try to relieve them and make them happy, by explaining the reasons and laws to them.
"If I see others catching living animals and being cruel to them or violating any such precept, I will punish them if they are to be punished, or teach them if they are to be taught, and then I will try to undo what they have done and correct their mistakes, to the best of my ability.
"I will not forget to hear the right teaching, for I know that when one neglects the right teaching one quickly falls away from the truth that abides everywhere, and will fail to reach the shore of Enlightenment."
Then she made the following three wishes to save poor people: "First, I will try to make everyone peaceful. This wish, I believe, in whatever life I may hereafter receive, will be the root of goodness that will grow into the wisdom of good teaching.
"Second, after I have received the wisdom of good teaching, I will untiringly teach all people.
"Third, I will protect the true teaching, even at the sacrifice of my own body, life or property."
The true significance of family life is the opportunity it gives for mutual encouragement and aid on the path to Enlightenment. Even an ordinary woman, if she has the same mind to seek Enlightenment, and makes the same vows and wishes, may become as great a disciple of Buddha as Mallika was.
III - In Service
1. There are seven teachings which lead a country to prosperity: First, people should assemble often to discuss political affairs, and to provide for national defense.
Second, the people of all social classes should meet together in unity to discuss their national affairs.
Third, people should respect old customs and not change them unreasonably, and they should also observe the rules of ceremony and maintain justice.
Fourth, they should recognize the differences of sex and seniority, and maintain the purity of families and communities.
Fifth, they should be filial to their parents and faithful to their teachers and elders.
Sixth, they should honor the ancestors' shrines and keep up the annual rites.
Seventh, they should esteem public morality, honor virtuous conduct, listen to honorable teachers and make offerings to them..
If a country follows these teachings well, it will surely prosper and will be held in respect by all other countries.
2. Once there was a King who was notably successful in ruling his kingdom. Because of his wisdom he was called King Great-Light. He explained the principles of his administration as follows:
The best way for a ruler to reign over his country is first of all to rule himself. A ruler should come before his people with a heart of compassion, and should teach and lead them to remove all impurities from their minds. The happiness that comes from good teachings far exceeds any enjoyment that the material things of the world can offer. Therefore, he could give his people good teaching and keep their minds and bodies tranquil.
When poor people come to him he should open his store-house and let them take what they want, and then he will take advantage of the opportunity to teach them the wisdom of ridding themselves of all greed and evil.
Each man has a different view of things according to the state of his mind. Some people see the city where they live as fine and beautiful, others see it as dirty and dilapidated. It all depends on the state of their minds.
Those who hold good teachings in respect, can see in common trees and stones all the beautiful lights and colors of lapis lazuli, while greedy people, who do not know enough to control their own minds, are blind even to the splendors of a golden palace.
Everything in the nation's daily life is like that. The mind is the source of everything, and, therefore, the ruler should first seek to have his people train their minds.
3. The first principle in wise administration is like the principle of King Great-Light: to lead the people to train their minds.
To train the mind means to seek Enlightenment, and, therefore, the wise ruler must give his first attention to the Buddha's teaching.
If a ruler has faith in Buddha, is devoted to His teachings, appreciates and pays tribute to virtuous and compassionate people, there will be no favoritism toward either friends or enemies and his country will always remain prosperous.
If a country is prosperous, it is not necessary for it to attack any other country and it does not need any weapons of attack.
When people are happy and satisfied, class differences disappear, good deeds are promoted, virtues are increased, and people come to respect one another. Then everyone becomes prosperous; the weather and temperature become normal; the sun and the moon and stars shine naturally; rains and winds come timely; and all natural calamities disappear.
4. The duty of a ruler is to protect his people. He is the parent of his people and he protects them by his laws. He must raise his people like parents raise their children, giving a dry cloth to replace a wet one without waiting for the child to cry. In like manner, the ruler must remove suffering and bestow happiness without waiting for people to complain. Indeed, his ruling is not perfect until his people abide in peace. They are his country's treasure.
Therefore, a wise ruler is always thinking of his people and does not forget them even for a moment. He thinks of their hardships and plans for their prosperity. To rule wisely he must be advised about everything about water, about drought, about storm and about rain; he must know about crops, the chances for a good harvest, people's comforts and their sorrows. To be in a position to rightly award, punish or praise, he must be thoroughly informed as to the guilt of bad men and the merits of good men.
A wise ruler gives to his people when they are in need, and collects from them when they are prosperous. He should exercise his correct judgment when collecting taxes and make the levy as light as possible, thus keeping his people consonant.
A wise ruler will protect his people by his power and dignity. One who thus rules one's people is worthy to be called a King.
5. The King of Truth is the King of kings. His ancestry is of the purest and the highest. He not only rules the four quarters of the world, but he is also Lord of Wisdom and Protector of all Virtuous Teachings.
Wherever he goes, fighting ceases and ill-will vanishes. He rules with equity by the power of Truth, and by vanquishing all evil he brings peace to all people.
The King of Truth never slays or steals or commits adultery. He never cheats or abuses or lies or talks idly. His mind is free from all greed, anger and foolishness. He removes these ten evils and in their place establishes the ten virtues.
Because his rule is based upon Truth he is invincible. Wherever Truth appears violence ceases and ill-will vanishes. There is no dissension among his people, and, therefore, they dwell in quietness and safety; his mere presence brings peacefulness and happiness among them. That is why he is called the King of Truth.
Since the King of Truth is the King of kings, all other rulers praise his excellent name and rule their own kingdoms after his example.
Thus the King of Truth is the sovereign over all kings, and under his righteous way they bring safety to their people and fulfil their duties with Dharma.
6. A wise ruler will temper his verdicts with compassion. He will try to consider each case with clear wisdom and then make his verdict in accord with the five principles.
The five principles are:
7. If an important minister of state neglects his duties, works for his own profit or accepts bribes, it will cause a rapid decay of public morals. People will cheat one another, a strong man will attack a weaker one, a noble will mistreat a commoner or a wealthy man will take advantage of the poor, and there will be no justice for anyone; mischief will abound and troubles will multiply.
Under such circumstances, faithful ministers will retire from public service, wise men will keep silent from fear of complications, and only flatterers will hold government positions, and they will use their political power to enrich themselves with no thought for the sufferings of the people.
Under such conditions the power of the government becomes ineffective and its righteous policies fall into ruins.
Such unjust officials are the thieves of people's happiness, yet are worse than thieves because they defraud both ruler and people and are the cause of the nation's troubles. The king should root out such ministers and punish them.
But even in a country which is ruled by a good king and by just laws, there is another form of disloyalty. There are sons who give themselves up to the love of their wives and children and forget the grace of their parents who nursed and. cared for them during many a year. They neglect their parents, rob them of their possessions and neglect their teaching. Such sons are to be counted among the most wicked of men.
And why? It is because they are unfilial to their parents whose long love has been very great, a love that could not be repaid even if the sons honored and treated 'hem kindly throughout their lives. Those who are disloyal to their ruler and unfilial to their parents should be punished as the worst of criminals.
And also, in a country which is ruled by a good king and by just laws, there is still another form of disloyalty. There are people who are entirely forgetting the three treasures, the Buddha, the Dharma and the Samgha. Such people destroy their country's sanctuaries, burn the sacred scriptures, make the teachers of righteousness serve them, and thus violate the sacred teachings of Buddha. They are also among the worst of criminals.
And why? It is because they destroy the spiritual faith of their nation, which is its foundation and the source of its virtues. Such people, by burning the faith of others, are digging their own graves.
All other sins may be regarded as light in comparison with these disloyalties. Such disloyal criminals should be punished most severely.
8. There may be a conspiracy against a good king who is ruling his country according to right teaching, or perhaps foreign enemies may raid the country. In such a case the king should make three decisions.
He should decide: "First, these conspirators or foreign enemies are threatening the good order and welfare of our country; I must protect the people and country even with armed force.
"Second, I will try to find some way of defeating them without resorting to the use of arms.
"Third, I will try to capture them alive, without killing them if possible, and disarm them."
By adopting these three decisions the king will proceed most wisely, after setting necessary posts and giving instructions.
By proceeding in this way, the country and its soldiers will be encouraged by the king's wisdom and dignity and will respect both his firmness and grace. When it is necessary to call upon the soldiers, they will fully understand the reason for war and its nature. Then they will go to the field of battle with courage and loyalty, respecting the king's wise and gracious sovereignty. Such a war will not only bring victory but also add virtue to the country.
