The heat of the moment

by Sandra S. Murray

Some scholars say that Buddhism deals with the utter negation of life. They say so only referring to the Buddha’s teaching of three-fold characteristics (thilakkana) in the Theravada school and the teaching of absolutism in the Mahayana school. In dukka sacca the Buddha has emphasized the importance of the panca upadanakkanda. Only paying their attention to those teachings they say that Buddhism shows a negative attitude towards the way of life. When we consider Buddhism as a whole it is clear that the Buddha has presented the reality of life and the process of the world.

In the sutta pitaka we find the Buddha’s prescription of suttas for the lay life as well as the monastic life. Pattakamma sutta in Anguttara nikaya is one of the best examples which deals with happiness in the household life.

In this sutta the Buddha describes the four achievements that the householder hopes to achieve during his lifetime to live happily but it is difficult for householders to fulfil those four objectives. The four objectives which bring happiness to the householder are as follows: To be a wealthy person, being a wealthy person to have number of fellow men and fellow women to live happily with them, to live long as the wealthy person having many companions, to be born in heaven after death.

The Buddha has emphasized that if any householder had succeeded in achieving the four objectives he would have been happy in his lifetime.

In pattakamma sutta the Buddha shows that there are two principles of four fold activities to be performed by the householder during his former births to achieve the four objectives which bring happiness to his household life.

The first principle of activities have been known as saddha, sila, caga, panna. Sadda is one of the meritorious volitions that the householder develops his confidence towards the nine special qualities (nava arahadi buduguna) of the Buddha.

The householder must develop his assurance and belief towards the Buddha to overcome his ever lasting sansara. Sila is the discipline of the person who develops his bodily action and speech in the light of dhamma and to avoid from committing wrong actions with body and speech. Caga is the donation. The householder must develop his donation practically. Donation makes his life happy and reduces craving in the consciousness of the person.

Panna is developing the knowledge in Dhamma. The well developed wisdom can be known as vidarsana panna. The other principle of activities deals with consuming of the property which the householder owns produced with his own labour.

The first activity is that the householder earns a lot of money using reliable ways and means. The second condition is that he uses his money for his own facility as well as the welfare of his family members. Thirdly, he uses his money for performing five-fold sacrifices. nathibali, pubbapetabali, atathi bali, devata bali, rajabali.

In nathi bali the householder serves his relatives by spending his own money happily. In pubbapeta bali he performs alms giving to the mahasangha to invoke merits to his dead relatives by using his own money.

In atathi bali he spends his own money to serve visitors being hospitable. In devata bali he takes interest in offering devapuja to the gods traditionally recognised who are in charge of the area where the householder and his relatives live. In anana sutta the Buddha has pointed out another four conditions which lead the householder towards happiness.

These four conditions have been known as attisukha, anna sukha, bogha sukha and anavajja sukha. Having pleasure from these four conditions depends on his functions towards his economy.

If the householder owns property and enough money to foster his family he will be happy by thinking of his own wealth. If the householder has not got into debt he is free from problems and can have pleasure in his living career.

When the householder has produced or has bought a collection of grains of various kinds he can have pleasure by thinking of what he has already got. When the householder continues his way of life without committing sins and not going against the law and order of the country he can live with no fear and it is his pleasure.We can find several other teachings of the Buddha on happiness of the lay life. There is no negative attitude of the Buddha’s teaching but the reality of the beings and the universe. So, it is clear that people go into mental conflicts and into other problems in their domestic life as a result of getting away from the Buddhist practical way of living..