Singalovada Sutta Continue....

Western Quarter- wife and husband

Five Kinds of Duty for a Husband

1) A husband must be kind to and adore his wife

2) He must not treat his wife in an insolent manner.

3) He must not engage in sexual misconduct with other women.

4) He must give her control and authority over domestic matter.

5) He must provide his wife with garments and ornaments.

Five Kinds of Duty for a Wife

1) A wife must arrange chores of the household well and run it smoothly.

2) She must distribute gifts fairly between her relatives and her husband's relatives.

3) She must not engage in sexual misconduct wife other men.

4) She must keep and maintain all things orderly that are handed over by her husband.

5) She must be skillful and diligent in all her house works.

Singalovada Sutta Continue....

Southern quarter pupils and teachers

Five Kinds of Student's Duty for a Pupil

1) He must stand up and welcome his teacher when he sees the teacher coming.

2) He must attend and wait upon his teacher.

3) He must obey the words of the teacher with confidence and devotion.

4) He must serve his teacher and supply his needs

5) He must learn carefully and respectfully what is taught or instructed by his teacher.

Five Kinds of Teacher's Duty for a Teacher

1) A teacher must teach his pupils good behaviors.

2) He must impart knowledge to him in such a manner that the pupil may thoroughly grasp the subject.

3) He must train his pupil without any discrimination.

4) He must speak well of his pupil's virtues and attainments to his friends.

5) He must prevent his pupils from danger.

Singalovada Sutta Continue....

Eastern quarter- Children and Parents

Five Kinds of Family Duty for Sons and Daughters

1) Sons and daughters must attend caringly to their parents so as to provide them with all the requisites in life.

2) They must carry out the family affairs, such as the business matters of their parents.

3) They must maintain their parents' properties, their parents' clan name, their parents' religious duties, to try and straighten their parents' religious view if they have a wrong view. They must also maintain the good name of their parents and their lineage.

4) They must obey their parents and make themselves worthy of the parents' heritage.

5) On their parents' death they should do good deeds in dedication to them and share the merits with them.

Five Kinds of Family Duty for Parents

1) Parents must prevent their sons and daughters from misconduct.

2) They must show their sons and daughters the way to good conduct.

3) They must make their sons and daughters learn the arts and sciences.

4) They must give them in marriage to suitable persons.

5) They must give them their inheritance at the proper time.

Singalovada Sutta

The Buddha preached many other teachings for lay life apart from five precepts. Singalovada Sutta is one good guideline for the betterment of the family, society, community and the whole world.

The Buddha preached this sermon to a householder named Singalaka, who had been worshiping six quarters blindly on an advice by his father. In Singalovada Sutta, the Buddha enriched these six quarters for a meaningful worship.

Singalovada Sutta contains six perils: addiction to intoxicants, frequenting streets at unseemly hours, haunting the fairs, getting involved with gambling, associating evil companions and the habit of idleness.

The Sutta further explains five types of bad friends and five types of good friends found in daily life. Most importantly it gives a detailed explanation on duties towards various human relationships in the society: briefly, children and parents as eastern quarter, pupils and teachers as southern quarter, wife and husband as western quarter, clansman and friends as northern quarter, master and servant (employees) as nadir quarter, and finally clansman and monk or clergy as zenith quarter.

Singalovada Sutta's duties are very simple and practicable even in today's context. It contains best of the advice on leading a simple and successful lay life with all the happiness.

Similarly, there is a sufficient amount of teachings in Buddhism, which makes your life happy and successful. It's a matter of following them.

When you know how to lead a successful lay life, you would be qualified to select the other alternative path towards Nibbana at any stage of life. A lay person, who lives according to the way Buddha has preached, will never find it difficult to understand the so called intricacy of doctrine.

Rules

One day, Load Buddha places a new rule forbidding something to monks. Already there were thousand of rules for them. One monk got so angry with it, stood up and said

"Sir, Already there are thousand of rules for us not to break. Still you add new rules day by day"
"It is so difficult to be mindful on all of them at all the time"
"I can't bare them any more. Today I am going to leave the temple !"

Hearing these words Load Buddha smiled.
Then he asked,

"Monk…, then will you be able to keep only 3 rules?"

Monk was so happy and said
"Yes Sir, I can"

Then Load Buddha said,
"Keep you body controlled and behave only in merit"
"Keep your speech controlled and keep it only for merit"
"Keep your mind controlled and only allow it for merit"
"All these thousand of rules (vinaya) describe only these 3! ! ! ! !!"

Therefore don't get fed up if you feel it theoretical when you read them. Once understood perfectly, it is a little thing.

What we know..............

Once Load Buddha stayed in a wood called Sinhapa. This wood filled with "Atteria" trees. It is a kind of tree which is having very small leaves.

One day, Load Buddha asked his followers showing a handful of leaves,

"Monks, what do you think more in numbers ....
The amounts of leaves are in my hand? Or the amounts of leaves are in this wood?"

Monks replied.
"Reverend Sir, Amount of leaves in this wood is very much higher."

Then Load Buddha said.
" Monks, What I saw in this universe is like the amount of leaves in this wood. What I taught you is like the amount of leaves in my hand.
Many things were not told to you. Why????
They are not related to your spiritual success. They don't help to your enlightenment!!!"

The Diamond Sutra

The Diamond Sutra is the world's earliest dated printed book.

It is an important Buddhist text that has a long and profound history.

Learn more about The Diamond Sutra....... http://www.diamond-sutra.com/

What Buddha Said...,

Don't hold on to a belief because of the tradition,
Don't hold on to a belief because it is mentioned in great books,
Don't hold on to a belief because it is suit to our present belief,
Don't hold on to a belief because it is said by a great person,
Don't hold on to a belief because it is said by your teacher,
Suspect it,
Question it,
Investigate it,
Think logically yourself,
When you understand yourself it is true, correct and good - Accept it
When you understand yourself it is false, incorrect and not good - Leave it !

"Kalama Suthra"

Nobody can show such a thinking freedom given in other religions. Not only regarding his teachings, asked his followers to investigate on Load Buddha's life too. He said, that kind of searching gives the perfect opinion whether Load Buddha is enlightened or not. Load Buddha had powers to perform great miracles. But he always said miracles have lower values. Because those powers doesn't mean he is enlightened. He said, people should look at Load Buddha's wisdom, teachings, behavior and his perfection to use as measures of his enlightenment.

According to Buddhism misgiving is not a failing. But need to search and get rid of the suspicion rather than standing on it. Therefore Buddhism is not based on faith. It allows its followers to question. It accepts the devotion comes through the understanding. But it is not like the blind faith.