DHAMMA PADETHA – 18. GREAT HAPPINESS IF FAULTLESS
DHAMMA PADETHA – GREAT HAPPINESS IF FAULTLESS
One day rich man Anathapindika came to Jetavana monastery, where Lord Buddha was residing. After paying homage, he sat at a suitable place. At that time Lord Buddha said to Anathapindika ‘In this human world there are four kinds of happiness that human beings can attain.
(1) Atthi Sukha — happiness of having wealth
(2) Bhoga Sukha — happiness of using the wealth
(3) Anya Sukha — happiness due to being free from debts
(4) Anavajja Sukha— to be free from faults
These are the four kinds of happiness.
(1) People living in this human abode have to worry when they have no property or wealth for food, clothing and shelter for the present, and also worry for the future. If they should acquire wealth by unlawful means they have to think and worry about the punishment that would befall them.
Those who acquire wealth by lawful means are happy themselves and also make parents, children, workers and friends staying together happy. Because they can give donation to sangha and those who come to ask for donation, they get the benefit of happiness.
That is why Lord Buddha discoursed that those who have acquired wealth lawfully by physical effort and by intellect are happy in this human world.
Motto: Having wealth is one of the causes of happiness.
(2) Those who have not acquired wealth lawfully will be unhappy for want of food, clothing and shelter. They will also make their parents, children, relatives and workers who are their dependants unhappy. They will be unhappy because they cannot donate to those who have come to ask for donation.
Those who have acquired wealth by lawful means, could distribute food, clothing and the like among parents, relatives and workers. They could also divide and donate to monks and those who come and ask for donation.
That is why Lord Buddha preached that to be able to divide things and using them and to be able to donate things are causes of happiness.
Motto: Using things and donating are the cause of happiness.
According to Lord Buddha’s instructions, wealth acquired through lawful means must be divided into four portions. One portion must be used for parents, children, friends and those who ask for donation. Two portions must be used for investment. One portion must be kept by for emergency.
(3) Those who do not acquire wealth lawfully and are poor
(a) to be so poor as to take loan and to be in debt is the cause of unhappiness.
(b) to have to borrow is unhappiness.
(c) to have to promise that one will repay the debt is unhappiness.
(d) to be asked by the lender to repay is unhappiness.
(e) to be chased by the money-lender is unhappiness.
(f) to be imprisoned for not being able to pay back is unhappiness.
In this way, those who are in debt will have to worry and suffer all kinds of misery.
Those who are free from debt because they have acquired wealth by fair means are free from borrowing, from having to promise that they would repay, from being asked to repay, from being chased by money lenders from being imprisoned for not being able to pay back the money. Thus they live happily and peacefully.
That is why Lord Buddha discoursed that to be free from debt is a kind of happiness for people living in this world.
Motto: Free from debt, is one of the causes of happiness.
(4) Happiness due to faultlessness means:
(a) to be free from fault physically
(b) to be free from fault verbally
(c) to be free from fault mentally are all happiness.
(a) To be free from fault physically means:
Physically abstaining from killing, abstaining from stealing, abstaining from sexual misconduct. These are physically free from fault,
Motto: Killing shortens life, abstaining prolongs life. Stealing makes scarcity of things, abstaining have things in abundance.
Sexual misconduct causes hatred, abstaining makes one loved,
As stated above having a long life in the present existence, being free from diseases, being wealthy, being loved and respected by others are benefits which make one happy. In future lives also one will be happy in the noble deva realm etc. with luxuries.
(b) To be free from fault verbally means:
Not telling lies, not to slander so as to cause disharmony, not using abusive and harsh language not having frivolous talk. These are verbally free from fault.
In everyday life, because people have to talk according to circumstances it is more difficult to be free from fault verbally than physically. Sometimes circumstances lead you to tell lies. Sometimes circumstances lead you to slander. Sometimes circumstances lead you to use harsh language. Sometimes circumstances lead you to frivolous talk. That is why it is more difficult to stay verbally free from fault.
Families, teachers and pupils, living together should be specially careful not to use harsh language. Sometimes because parents and teachers wish to make their children and pupils become good they have to use harsh language. But this does not amount to harsh language. Only if they have intentions it becomes a harsh language.
However if words are sweet but the intention is harsh it amounts to harsh language.
Once, a ruler of a country, a king while having audience with princes and ministers, the news that a notorious rebel was caught was reported. The king, not wishing to use harsh language in the presence of honourable audience, said ‘take the rebel into the jungle and let him sleep.’ Though the words were sweet his intention was death and it amounted to harsh language.
Though harsh words are used, if the intention is not harsh it is free from the fault of using harsh language.
Long ago, a mother and son lived together in the same house. Since they did not think alike they quarrelled now and again. The son said ‘I can no more live together with such a rough and harsh mother. I shall leave this house and go and live elsewhere.’ So saying he left the house.
The mother, not wishing him to leave, cursed him ‘if you go, may you be gored to death by a wild female buffalo in the jungle, on your way.’
The son refused to listen and left through the jungle. Just as the mother had said a female wild buffalo came charging with great speed and came close. Knowing that be could not escape he prayed and made a vow, ‘if what mother said was unintentional, may the buffalo not gore, if it was intentional let the buffalo gore me’. The female buffalo, as though she did not see the boy whom she would gore, went away.
Like the words of the mother, though they were rough, the intention not being harsh it did not amount to harsh speech or language.
Those who wish to be faultless in their speech there are five factors to fulfil.
(1) speaking at a proper time
(2) speaking the truth, without lies
(3) speaking with gentle words
(4) speaking that is beneficial
(5) speaking with metta, loving kindness
If the speech is complete with these five qualities it is faultless and gain merit as well as happiness.(Am 2/213)
Those who are faultless in speech and have good morality or sila:
(1) acquire wealth or property easily;
(2) have good reputation;
(3) can enter functions with all kinds of audience
(4) seeing good signs at the time of death and dying peacefully; and
(5) they can reach celestial realms in future lives, and they are also happy in this life. (Am 2/221)
(c) Mentally faultless means.
(1) Not planning to get other people’s property by unfair means with lobha.
(2) Not planning with dosa for other people to deteriorate and die.
(3) Restraining from thinking wrongly that there is no good or bad kamma.
These are mentally faultless.
Motto: Physically, verbally and mentally faultless is a way of happiness.
To be faultless mentally is more difficult than to be free from fault physically and verbally. The mind that has been unruly for many lives is difficult to defeat. It changes very rapidly and tends to dwell on bad sense object. If it is purified and becomes faultless one will realise nibbana and the door of apaya will be closed. That is why it is of vital importance to purify the mind and be faultless.
To purify the mind and become faultless one has to practise satipatthana vipassana. For yogis who practise satipatthana vipassana, two things are accomplished by every noting. On one side lobha, dosa, moha, ditthi, the impurities of the mind are eliminated. On the other side, to get to the ultimate goal nibbana, concentration nana becomes strengthened and mature, When vipassana insight is complete and reaches magga nana the impurities of the mind are entirely eliminated and reach the noblest nibbana.
Atthi Sukha — happiness of having wealth
Bhoga Sukha — happiness of using wealth
Anya Sukha — happiness due to being free from debts.
All these happiness do not even amount to one sixteenth part of the happiness of being faultless in body, speech and mind. Lord Buddha had discoursed that to be faultless physically, verbally and mentally is many many times happier.
