Paṭisota

Idha, byagghapajja, kulaputto  Pāṇātipātā paṭivirato hoti. Adinnādānā paṭivirato hoti. Kāmesu micchācārā paṭivirato hoti. Musāvādā paṭivirato hoti. Surāmerayamajjapamādaṭṭhānā paṭivirato hoti. Ayaṃ vuccati, byagghapajja, sīlasampadā. It is when a gentleman or lady refrains from killing living beings, stealing, engaging in sexual misconduct, lying, or consuming intoxicants that cloud the mind. This is the accomplishment of discipline. 1. Not Killing ( pāṇātipātā veramaṇī ) Respecting life is more urgent than ever in an age of ecological collapse, industrial farming, global violence and ego. To not kill is to affirm the sanctity of life and resist cultures of disposability. Modern Challenges: Industrial food systems normalize mass slaughter. Industrial harm (deforestation, factory farming) Insect issues (skillful non-lethal methods: catch-and-release, nets) Lab Experimentations Abortion (sexual conduct, situations such as rape) Euthanasia (active and passive) War Technology distances...

Important Observations about Citta the Householder ( Citta Gahapati ) Stream-entry through Mahānāma’s teaching Citta attained sotāpatti (stream-entry) after listening to a Dhamma discourse by Arahant Mahānāma, one of the group of five ascetics who first practiced with the Asectic Siddh ā rtha before his awakening. Donor of Ambātakavana He offered his mango grove ( Ambātakavana ) at Macchikāsaṇḍa to the Saṅgha, which became a residence and teaching place for many monks. Attainment of non-returnership Later, after receiving profound teachings from Arahant Sāriputta and Arahant Moggallāna, Citta attained the stage of anāgāmī (non-returner). Foremost lay Dhamma Speaker (male) The Buddha himself declared Citta the householder to be the foremost layman in expounding the Dhamma. Teachings preserved in the Citta Saṃyutta His discourses, questions, and dialogues are collected in the Citta Saṃyutta (SN 41.1–10) , which records his role as a wise interlocutor even with monks and wandering ascet...

                            Dhammapda 73-74 (Sayings of the Dhamma) B āla (Unwise) 73.   Asantaṃ bhāvana miccheyya, He/she would wish to cultivate what is not (truly) existent, Purekkhārañ ca bhikkhusu; And seek precedence among the monks/nuns; āvāsesu ca issariyaṃ, And leadership in the temples (monasteries/ vihāras ), pūj ā  parakulesu ca. And honour (respect) in other households (lay families). 74.   Mameva kata maññantu, “Let them think it was done only by me, Gihī pabbajitā ubho; —both householders (lay people) and the renunciates (monastics). Mameva ativasā assu, Let them be under my control alone Kiccākiccesu kismici ; In matters, great or small, whatever they may be.” Iti bālassa saṅkappo, Such is the thought of an unwise, Icchā māno ca vaḍḍhati. And so (unwholesome) desire and conceit only grow. Full Translation: The unwise one wishes to cultivate what is not truly real (exisiting). He/she seek...

                      You can find the text and translation of the Dīghajāṇu Sutta (AN 8.54) at the following link. Click here A Holistic Buddhist Vision of Lay Life Based on the Dīghajāṇu Sutta (AN 8.54) and Related Discourses 1. Wealth, Living, and Financial Responsibility In the Dīghajāṇu Sutta , the Buddha outlines energetic striving, protection, noble friendship, and balanced finances as foundations for lay success. This harmonizes with: Sigālovāda Sutta (DN 31) : The Buddha calls it “the layperson’s code of discipline,” where he explains how wealth should be acquired lawfully, protected, shared with family and friends, and offered in generosity. He also warns against the six ways of squandering wealth—addiction to drink, frequenting the streets at improper times, addiction to shows and entertainment, gambling, bad company, and laziness. Ādiya Sutta (AN 5.41 ): The Buddha highlights five reasons for having wealth: suppor...

                               1. Skill ( sippa ) Without Wisdom Leads to Self-Destruction The man learned the same art as the cripple, but lacking wisdom, he used it recklessly. In today’s world, one may obtain technical knowledge—medicine, law, engineering, or digital tools—but if misapplied (e.g., medical fraud, cybercrime, manipulative marketing), it harms both self and society. Wisdom ( paññā ) must guide skill. 2. Do Not Imitate Blindly Without Understanding Context The man saw the cripple gain prosperity and imitated him without realizing the conditions that made it possible. Modern parallels include copying careers, investments, or lifestyles without knowing the deeper effort or ethics behind them. Learning is good, but imitation without insight (this is the function of wisdom) can end in failure. 3. Exploitation of the Vulnerable Has Heavy Consequences The man targeted the solitary ( pacceka ) Buddh...

                            Dhammapda 72 (Sayings of the Dhamma) B āla (Unwise) 72.   Yāvadeva anatthāya, Only (just) for harm, Ñattaṃ bālassa jāyati; knowledge/understanding arises for the unwise, Hanti bālassa sukkaṃsaṃ, it destroys his/her happiness, Muddhamassa vipātayaṃ. (like) striking down his head, bringing about his ruin. Full Translation: Whatever knowledge arises for an unwise person, it serves only for his/her own harm. It destroys his/her happiness, as if smashing his very head. Story:   Saṭṭhi Kūṭa   Peta  Vatthu

  Day 84 Text & Translation: Cunda Sutta  (AN 10.176)  Day 85 The Three Acts that Purify the Body Day 86 The Four Acts that Purify the Speech Day 87 The Three Thoughts that Purify the Mind Day 88 Final Review

1. Katamā ca, Byagghapajja, samajīvikatā? And what, Byagghapajja, is  balanced living (balanced finances) ? 2. Idha, Byagghapajja, kulaputto āyañca bhogānaṃ viditvā, vayañca bhogānaṃ viditvā, samaṃ jīvikaṃ kappeti nāccogāl̤haṃ nātihīnaṃ: ‘evaṃ me āyo vayaṃ pariyādāya ṭhassati, na ca me vayo āyaṃ pariyādāya ṭhassatī’ti. Here, Byagghapajja, a gentleman, knowing his income ( āya ) and knowing his expenses ( vaya ), maintains a balanced living (balanced finances)—neither overspending nor underspending—thinking: “ In this way, my income will stand having exceeded my expenses, and my expenses will not stand having exceeded my income .” 3. Seyyathāpi, Byagghapajja, tulādhāro vā tulādhārantevāsī vā tulaṃ paggahetvā jānāti: ‘ettakena vā onataṃ, ettakena vā unnatan’ti; Just as, Byagghapajja, an appraiser ( tulādhāra ) or their apprentice, when holding up a scale, knows: “ By this much it is low; by this much it is high ”; 4. Evamevaṃ kho, Byagghapajja, kulaputto āyañca bhogānaṃ viditvā, vay...

1. The Delayed Ripening of Kamma Sentient beings are generally conditioned in everyday life to associate reciprocal events with their corresponding actions, which often go hand-in-hand. But kamma, says the Buddha, is not always immediate physical cause-and-effect. When milk is fresh, it tastes sweet, but when it becomes sour, you can feel the sensation of such tasting. This delay can lead people to mistakenly believe that they " got away " with something. Karmic seeds are not activated until the conditions mature, as the Dhamma teaches us. And doing so can have interminable consequences and even extend into lives yet to come. This verse tears down our unwise perception that we can get away with bad karma because there is no immediate, physical punishment for it. 2. The Snake-Ghost ( ahi peta ) as a Symbol of Lingering Kamma The snake-ghost ( ahi peta )—twenty-five leagues long ( one league is   about 3 miles (≈ 4.8 kilometres ) , crowned with a human head and snake body encir...

                         Dhammapda 71 (Sayings of the Dhamma) B āla (Unwise) 71.   Na hi pāpaṃ kataṃ kammaṃ An evil deed that has been committed, Sajju khīraṃ va muccati   ; does not vanish as quickly as fresh milk turns sour; Ḍahan taṃ bālamanveti   , It follows the unwise, burning (tormenting) him/her; bhasmacchanno'va pāvako. like a fire smouldering under ashes. Full Translation: An evil deed that has been committed does not vanish as quickly as fresh milk turns sour; it follows the unwise, burning him/her, like a fire smouldering under ashes. Story:   Ahi Peta  Vatthu

katamā ca, byagghapajja, kalyāṇamittatā? And what, Byagghapajja, is spiritual (noble) friendship? idha, byagghapajja, kulaputto yasmiṃ gāme vā nigame vā paṭivasati, Here, Byagghapajja, a son/daughter of a good family—wherever he/she lives, whether in a village or a town— tattha ye te honti—gahapatī vā gahapatiputtā vā daharā vā vuddhasīlino, there, those who are householders or sons/daughters of householders, young but mature in virtue, vuddhā vā vuddhasīlino, or elderly and mature in virtue, saddhāsampannā, sīlasampannā, cāgasampannā, paññāsampannā— endowed with trust, endowed with virtue, endowed with generosity, endowed with wisdom— tehi saddhiṃ santiṭṭhati he/she associates with them, sallapati converses with them, sākacchaṃ samāpajjati; and engages in discussion with them. yathārūpānaṃ saddhāsampannānaṃ saddhāsampadaṃ anusikkhati, He/she learns the accomplishment of trust from those who are accomplished in trust, yathārūpānaṃ sīlasampannānaṃ sīlasampadaṃ anusikkhati, he/s...

1. Strange Karmic Consequences These strange behaviours of Jambuka are not some random, unconventional acts, but rather result from his own evil deeds in his past life, which are now returning to him as Karma. Acts of intention are seen in Early Buddhist thought as the karmic cause of intentions and tendencies in your next life. Those strange tendencies tell you a lot already about how the psychological and physical deformities result from previous moral failures. It asks us to comprehend pain not merely in terms of biology or psychology but also karmically — as determined by a moral cause. 2. Rejected Even by Extreme Ascetics Jambuka was expelled from the ājivakas , a sect known for its extreme practices of nakedness and fatalism. In the same community, a self-proclaimed as  Jambuka  is contradicted by other ascetics, This inversion reveals that even amidst communities of extreme renunciation, there are limits of tolerability. It underscores that real in spirituality is more ...