Achieving Happiness of Lay Life in This Present Life and Beyond After Life: A Buddhist Perspective | AN 8.54 With Dighajanu

Numbered Discourses 8.54 With Dighajanu

At one time the Buddha was staying in the land of the Koliyans, where they have a town named Kakkarapatta. Then, one of the lay person named Dighajanu the Koliyan went up to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and said to the Buddha:

“Sir, we are laypeople who enjoy sensual pleasures and living at home with our children. We use sandalwood imported from Kasi, we wear garlands, fragrance, and makeup, and we accept gold and currency. May the Buddha please teach us the Dhamma in a way that leads to our welfare and happiness in this present life and in future lives.”

“Byagghapajja, these four skills lead to the welfare and happiness of a gentleman in this present life. What  are the four skills?

Skills in business, preservation, good friendship, and balanced finances. 

And what is the skill in job or business? 

It’s when a gentleman earns a living by means such as farming, trade, raising cattle, archery, government service, business, or one of the professions. He understands how to go about these things in order to complete and organize the job or work. 

This is called skill in job or business.

And what is skill in preservation? 

It’s when a gentleman owns legitimate wealth that he has earned by his own efforts and initiative, built up with his own hands, gathered by the sweat of the brow. He ensures it is guarded and protected, thinking: ‘How can I prevent my wealth from being taken by rulers or bandits, consumed by fire, swept away by flood, or taken by unloved heirs?’ 

This is called skill in preservation.

And what is skill in good friendship?

It’s when a gentleman resides in a town or village. And in that place there are householders or their children who may be young or old, but are mature in conduct, skilled in faith, ethics, generosity, and wisdom. He associates with them, converses and engages in discussion. And he emulates the same kind of skilled in faith, ethics, generosity, and wisdom. 

This is called skill in good friendship.

And what is skill in balanced finances? 

It’s when a gentleman, knowing his income and expenditure, balances his finances, being neither too extravagant nor too frugal. He thinks, ‘In this way my income will exceed my expenditure, not the reverse.’ It’s like an appraiser or their apprentice who, holding up the scales, knows that it’s low by this much or high by this much. In the same way, a gentleman, knowing his income and expenditure, balances his finances, being neither too extravagant nor too frugal. He thinks, ‘In this way my income will exceed my expenditure, not the reverse.’ If a gentleman has little income but an opulent life, people will say: ‘This gentleman eats their wealth like a fig-eater!’ If a gentleman has a large income but a spartan life, people will say: ‘This gentleman is starving themselves to death!’ But a gentleman, knowing his income and expenditure, leads a balanced life, neither too extravagant nor too frugal, thinking, ‘In this way my income will exceed my expenditure, not the reverse.’ 

This is called skill in balanced finances.

There are four drains on wealth that has been gathered in this way. Womanizing, drinking, gambling, and having bad friends, companions or associates. Suppose there was a large reservoir with four inlets and four drains. And someone was to open up the drains and close off the inlets, and the heavens don’t provide enough rain. You’d expect that large reservoir to dwindle, not expand. In the same way, there are four drains on wealth that has been gathered in this way. Womanizing, drinking, gambling, and having bad friends, companions or associates

There are four inlets for wealth that has been gathered in this way. Not womanizing, drinking, or gambling, and having good friends, companions or associates. Suppose there was a large reservoir with four inlets and four drains. And someone was to open up the inlets and close off the drains, and the heavens provide plenty of rain. You’d expect that large reservoir to expand, not dwindle. In the same way, there are four inlets for wealth that has been gathered in this way. Not womanizing, drinking, or gambling, and having good friends, companions or associates.

These are the four skills that lead to the welfare and happiness of a gentleman in this life.

There are these four skills lead to the welfare and happiness of a gentleman in future lives. 

What are the four skills? 

Skills in faith, ethics, generosity, and wisdom.

And what is skill in faith? 

It’s when a gentleman has faith in the Realized One’s awakening: ‘That Blessed One is perfected, a fully awakened Buddha, accomplished in knowledge and conduct, holy, knower of the world, supreme guide for those who wish to train, teacher of gods and humans, awakened, blessed.’ 

This is called skill in faith.

And what is skill in ethics? 

It’s when a gentleman doesn’t kill living creatures, steal, commit abnormal sensual conducts or sexual misconduct, lie, or consume beer, wine, and liquor intoxicants. 

This is called skill in ethics.

And what is skill in generosity? 

It’s when a gentleman lives at home rid of the stain of stinginess, freely generous, open-handed, loving to let go, committed to charity, loving to give and to share. 

This is called skill in generosity.

And what is skill in wisdom? 

It’s when a gentleman is wise. He has the wisdom of arising and passing away which is noble, penetrative, and leads to the complete ending of suffering. 

This is called skill in wisdom.

These are the four skills that lead to the welfare and happiness of a gentleman in future lives.

Buddha also said:

They’re enterprising in the workplace,

diligent in managing their activities,

they balance their finances,

and preserve their wealth.

    Faithful, skilled in ethics,

    bountiful, rid of stinginess,

    they always purify the path

    to well-being in lives to come.

And so these eight skills

of a faithful householder

are declared by the one who is truly named

to lead to happiness in both spheres,

    welfare and benefit in this life,

    and happiness in the future lives.

    This is how, for a householder,

    merit grows by generosity.”