How to Live a Household life
Question:
The householder’s life is also mentioned in the Sigalaka Sutta of the Digha Nikaya. With little modification, the advice given by the Buddha 2,500 years ago is still applicable in today’s society.
Response:
___===This is an extract taken from a Dhamma Talk held in Malaysia by a Mahasi Meditation Teacher.===___ Living world or non-living world has the nature of arising and passing away. So all worlds are unsatisfactory. Our Supreme Buddha realised the worlds as they really are. His teachings is mostly related to the freedom of the worlds. But sometimes he had to teach Dhamma on a social basis according to the listeners’ wishes. Once, the Buddha with many monks were going on a Dhamma tour in the Kosala region. One day, he arrived at a village known as Veludwara. Most of the villagers were not Buddhist. But all the villagers held a meeting. They had a discussion regarding the arrival of the Buddha and subsequently, they agreed to go and meet the Buddha. When they got there, most of them did not pay respect to the Buddha. But they told their names to him. They spoke to the Buddha as follows: "Monk Gotama, we have different wishes. But we all wish to live a household life. We wish to enjoy sensual pleasures in this life. After death, we wish to be reborn in the Deva world. Please teach us the Dhamma in which we can live a household life enjoying sensual pleasures and yet can be reborn in the Deva world." According to their wish, The Enlightened One taught them the following Dhamma:- "Householders, if you wish to enjoy sensual pleasures in this life and to be reborn in the Deva world after death, avoid seven Dhammas and have firm faith in the Three-Jewels. Here are the seven Dhammas which the Buddha explained to the villagers:- (1) Householders, you don’t like to be ill treated and killed. Ohers also do not like it. So avoid ill-treating or killing living beings. (2) Householders, you do not like your properties to be stolen or taken away by force. Others also do not like it. So avoid stealing or taking other’s properties by force. (3) Householders, you do not like others to commit adultery with your wife, daughters, sisters and kinswomen. Others also do not like it. So avoid committing adultery. (4) Householders, you do not like to be told lies. Others also do not like it. So avoid telling lies to the detriment of others interest. (5) Householders, you do not like to be back-bitten. Others also do not like it. So avoid back-biting. (6) Householders, You do not like harsh speech. Others also do not like it. So avoid making harsh speech. (7) Householders, you do not like to be told frivolous or vain talk. Others also do not like it. So avoid making frivolous or vain talk. After explaining to them the above seven Dhammas, the Buddha told them to have firm faith in The Three-Jewels. Here the Three Jewels mean the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha. As a traditional Buddhist, perhaps you will think,’I have firm faith in the Three Jewels.’ But as long as we are unable to gain Sotapanna-hood, it is impossible to have firm faith in the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha. Perhaps we may have faith in them in this lifetime, but it will not be strong enough to be carried over to the next life. So by telling the villagers to have firm faith in the Three Jewels, the Buddha taught them indirectly to practice insight meditation till they gained Sotapanna stage at least. In this sutta or discourse, surameraya (taking of intoxicant) is not directly described. Whenever it is not described it must be included in kamesu-micchacara(committing adultery). Committing adultery is enjoying unlawful sensual objects. Surameraya is also enjoying false taste. So they are the same, in the sense that both involve enjoying sensual pleasures. Many Westerners, they come and they go, practising meditation. Some of them developed faith in the Dhamma and some of them don’t. To those who did, they asked the Teacher what they should do when they returned home. To this, the teacher always give them this sutta in brief. ==End== — SJ-Dhamapala-my
