Reflections on Ethical Life and Conduct by Buddha | The Way to Heavenly Birth and Ethical Purity

Reflections on Ethical Life and Purification of Conducts by Buddha that lead to Heavenly Birth, Linked Discourse 55.7

So I have heard. 

At one time the Buddha was wandering in the land of the Kosalans together with a Sangha, a community of monks, when he arrived at a village of the Kosalan brahmins named Bamboo Gate. The brahmins and householders of Bamboo Gate heard:

“It seems the ascetic Gotama—a Sakyan, gone forth from a Sakyan family—has arrived at Bamboo Gate, together with a large Sangha of monks. He has this good reputation: ‘

There is the Blessed One, Who has broken the bonds, A fully transformed awakened Buddha, Who fully understood behaviors and living according to the knowledge, Who has become good, Knower of the worlds, Supreme guide for those who wish to train, Teacher of gods and humans, Awakened, Blessed.’

He has realized with his own insight this world—with its gods, Maras or Devils, and Brahmas, this population with its ascetics and brahmins, gods and humans—and he makes it known to others. He teaches Dhamma that’s good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end, meaningful and well-phrased. And he reveals a spiritual practice that’s entirely complete and pure. 

It’s good to see such perfected ones.”

Then the brahmins and householders of Bamboo Gate went up to the Buddha. Before sitting down to one side, some bowed, some exchanged greetings and polite conversation, some held up their joined palms toward the Buddha, some announced their name and clan, while some kept silent. Seated to one side they said to the Buddha:

“Master Gotama, these are our wishes, desires, and hopes. We wish to live at home with our children; to use sandalwood imported from Kasi; to wear garlands, perfumes, and makeup; and to accept gold and money. And when our body breaks up, after death, we wish to be reborn in a good place, a heavenly realm. Given that we have such wishes, may the Buddha teach us the Dhamma so that we may achieve them.”

“Householders, I will teach you an explanation of the teaching, Dhamma, that you can practice on your own. Listen and pay close attention, I will speak.”

“Yes, sir,” they replied. The Buddha said this:

“And what is the explanation of the teaching that you can practice on your own?

It’s when a noble disciple reflects: ‘I want to live and don’t want to die; I want to be happy and avoid any pain. Since this is so, if someone were to take my life, I wouldn’t like that. But others also want to live and don’t want to die; they want to be happy and avoid any pain. So if I were to take the life of someone else, they wouldn’t like that either. The thing that is disliked by me, is also disliked by others. Since I dislike this thing, how can I inflict it on someone else?’ 

Reflecting in this way, the person gives up killing living creatures for oneself. And the person encourages others to give up killing living creatures, praising the giving up of killing living creatures. So his bodily behavior is purified in three points.

Furthermore, a noble disciple reflects: ‘If someone were to steal from me, I wouldn’t like that. But if I were to steal from someone else, they wouldn’t like that act of stealing. The thing that is disliked by me, is also disliked by others. Since I dislike this thing, how can I inflict it on someone else?’ 

Reflecting in this way, the person gives up stealing himself. And the person encourages others to give up stealing, praising the giving up of stealing. So his bodily behavior is purified in three points.

Furthermore, a noble disciple reflects: ‘If someone were to have sexual relations with my wives, I wouldn’t like it. But if I were to have sexual relations with someone else’s wives, he wouldn’t like that either. The thing that is disliked by me is also disliked by others. Since I dislike this thing, how can I inflict it on others?’ 

Reflecting in this way, the person gives up sexual misconduct himself. And the person encourages others to give up sexual misconduct, praising the giving up of sexual misconduct. So his bodily behavior is purified in three points.

Furthermore, a noble disciple reflects: ‘If someone were to mislead me by lying, I wouldn’t like it. But if I were to mislead someone else’s by lying, they wouldn’t like it either. The thing that is disliked by me is also disliked by someone else. Since I dislike this thing, how can I inflict it on others?’ 

Reflecting in this way, the person gives up lying himself. And the person encourages others to give up lying, praising the giving up of lying. So his verbal behavior is purified in three points.

Furthermore, a noble disciple reflects: ‘If someone cause a disharmony among myself and my friends by divisive speech, I wouldn’t like it. But if I cause a disharmony among others and their friends by divisive speech, they wouldn’t like it either. The thing that is disliked by me is also disliked by someone else. Since I dislike this thing, how can I inflict it on others?’ 

Reflecting in this way, the person gives up divisive speech himself. And the person encourages others to give up divisive speech, praising the giving up of divisive speech. So his verbal behavior is purified in three points.

Furthermore, a noble disciple reflects: ‘If someone were to scold me with harsh speech, I wouldn’t like it. But if I were to scold someone else with harsh speech, they wouldn’t like it either. The thing that is disliked by me is also disliked by someone else. Since I dislike this thing, how can I inflict it on others?’ 

Reflecting in this way, the person gives up harsh speech himself. And the person encourages others to give up harsh speech, praising the giving up of harsh speech. So his verbal behavior is purified in three points.

Furthermore, a noble disciple reflects: ‘If someone were to irritate me by talking silliness and nonsense, I wouldn’t like it. But if I were to irritate someone else by talking silliness and nonsense, they wouldn’t like it either.’ The thing that is disliked by me is also disliked by another. Since I dislike this thing, how can I inflict it on others?’ 

Reflecting in this way, the person gives up talking nonsense themselves. And the person encourages others to give up talking nonsense, praising the giving up of talking nonsense. So his verbal behavior is purified in three points.

Then , a noble disciple has unshakable faith in the Buddha:

In this way, the Blessed One, Who has broken the bonds, A fully transformed awakened Buddha, Who fully understood behaviors and living according to the knowledge, Who has become good, Knower of the worlds, Supreme guide for those who wish to train, Teacher of gods and humans, Awakened, Blessed.’

The noble disciple has unshakable faith in the Buddha's teaching, Dhamma:

The teaching is clearly explained by the Buddha, can be experienced right now, independent of time, inviting to come and verified personally, leading to insight, so wise people can personally know it for themselves.

The noble disciple has unshakable faith in the Sangha or a Community of Buddha's Disciples:

The Sangha, a community of the Buddha’s disciples has practicing the path well, 

The Sangha, a community of the Buddha’s disciples has practicing the path straightforwardly, 

The Sangha, a community of the Buddha’s disciples has practicing the path step by step, 

The Sangha, a community of the Buddha’s disciples has practicing the path in their daily life, 

That is, the four true pairs, Consist of the eight true persons,

This is one of the Sangha, a community of the Buddha’s disciples.

That is worthy of gifts, Worthy of hospitality, Worthy of offering dedicated to the gods, worthy of greeting with joined palms, and is the supreme field of merit for the world.’  

The noble disciple has the ethical conduct that is loved by the noble ones, unbroken, impeccable, spotless, and unblemished, liberating, praised by wise people, untarnished, and leading to samadhi.

When a noble disciple has developed the 7 good behavior characters and has these four desirable states the person may, if he wish, declare of himself: ‘I’ve finished with birth in hell, the animal realm, and the ghost realm. I’ve finished with all places of loss, bad places, the underworld. I am a stream-enterer! I’m not liable to be born in the underworld, and am bound for awakening.’”

When he had spoken, the brahmins and householders of Bamboo Gate said to the Buddha: 

“Excellent, Master Gotama! As if he were righting the overturned, or revealing the hidden, or pointing out the path to the lost, or lighting a lamp in the dark so people with good eyes can see what’s there, Master Gotama has made the teaching clear in many ways. We go for refuge to Master Gotama, to the teaching, and to the Monk Sangha. From this day forth, may Master Gotama remember us as lay people who have gone for refuge for life.”