Friday, May 14, 2010

7 Types of Wives

One day after a meal, as the Buddha was giving a discourse, much shouting and yelling was heard in the house as Sujata was again scolding the servants. The Enlightened One interrupted his discourse and asked Anathapindika what kind of a commotion this was, that sounded like the noisy shouts of fisher folk. The householder answered that it was his own daughter-in-law, who did not behave properly towards her husband or his parents, who did not give alms, who was faithless and unbelieving, and who was forever causing conflict.
Then an unusual thing happened: the Buddha asked that she be called. When she appeared before him, he asked her which of the seven types of wives she wanted to be. She replied that she did not understand the meaning of this, and asked for more explanation. So the Enlightened One described the seven kinds of wives to her in verse:
1. Who, with mind corrupted, is unfeelingLoves other men but her husband despises,He who with wealth has gained herShe even seeks to kill — a Slayer is such a wife.
2. Whatever her husband gets for her by trade,By skilled profession or a farmer's work,She tries to filch a little just for herself.Such a wife may well be called a Thief.
3. The slothful glutton, bent on idling,A woman rude and fierce with coarse speech,He who supports her, she dominates.Such a wife a Tyrant must be called.
4. She who always for her husband caresWith sympathy, like a mother for her son,Who carefully guards his stored-up wealth,Such a wife may Motherly be called.
5. She who holds her husband in the same regardAs younger sister holds the elder born,Who humbly serves her husband's every wish,As Sisterly is such a wife known.
6. She whom her husband's sight will always please,Like friends who see each other after long a time,Who nobly bred and virtuous, devoted to her husband,A Friend is she as well as wife.
7. From anger free, afraid of punishment,Who bears with her husband with patient heart,And without grudge obeys his every wish,A Handmaid is she and a wife.
Who is called a Slayer, a Tyrant, or a Thief,Who is rude, unvirtuous, and disrespectful,Such kinds of wives will on their deathTo hellish worlds of misery depart.
But wives like Mother, Sister, Friend and Handmaid,Firm in virtue, imbued with long termed self-control,Such kinds of wives will on their deathTo happy destinies depart.
"These, Sujata, are the seven kinds of wives a man may have," said the Blessed One, "and which of them are you?"
Deeply moved, Sujata replied that from then on she would strive to be a handmaid to her husband. The words of the Enlightened One had shown her how to conduct herself as a wife. Later she became a faithful disciple of the Buddha, to whom she was ever grateful for her salvation. (AN 7:59)

Reference: The Siddhattha Gotama Buddha Sasana Network (Facebook)

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Thursday, February 5, 2009

Wisdom Of The Buddha - Best Quotations Of Buddha

Thursday, January 22, 2009

The End Of The World In Buddhism

Introduction

by Jayaram V

Many religions predict the end of the world. According to Hinduism, at the end of each cycle of creation. which spans billions of years, Brahman in his aspect as Rudra will destroy the worlds and withdraws them into himself. According to Christianity the world will come to an end through a series of cataclysmic events followed by resurrection of departed souls and judgment day. According to Vedic tradition, Aditi is mother of eight Adityas or solar deities (suns). At the end of creation these eight suns will shine together in the skies. In the following sermon, the Buddha speaks of how seven suns will appear in the sky and how the planet earth will eventually be destroyed, after many hundreds and thousands of years, through a series of cataclysmic events which are described below.

1. The earth will suffer from a severe drought due to lack of rains. All vegetation and life forms will disappear and vanish from the planet.

2. A second sun will appear in the horizon, resulting in the evaporation of many streams and ponds.

3. A third sun will appear resulting in the evaporation of many great rivers like the Ganges.

4. After a long lapse of time, a fourth sun will appear in the sky resulting in the evaporation of great lakes.

5. After another long lapse of time, a fifth sun will appear and the oceans will dry up slowly till they will become a finger deep.

6. After another long lapse of time, a sixth sun will appear. The earth crust and core will heat up to intense temperatures resulting in many volcanic explosions, scorched earth and smoke filled skies.

7. After another vast interval, a seventh sun will appear. The earth will become a fiery ball of flame and expand. Its flames will spread far and wide. Finally it will explode and disappear altogether.

The manner in which the Buddha predicted the end of the earth sounds very much like a modern scientific theory on the destruction of planets and the entire solar system. The Buddha also clearly mentions that all life forms will vanish before the appearance of the second sun. Thereafter the earth will be a dead planet ready for its eventual destruction. The seven suns mentioned in the discourse probably are various planets of the solar system that would become hot and shine like stars due to some changes in the activity of the sun or its gravitational force. The manner in which the drying up of the planet earth is described reminds one of the greenhouse effect and the events that might have happened on planets like Mars which had once oceans and rivers and probably life forms. The Buddha delivered this sermon to remind his disciples of the impermanent nature of the world and of our existence, which is subject to decay and renewal and from which even a god like Brahma is not free unless he overcomes it by practicing Dhamma and following the eight-fold path.

The Sermon Of The Seven Suns ( Translation by Albert J. Edmunds )

Thus have I heard. At one season the Blessed One was staying at Vesâli, in Ambapâli's grove. And the Blessed One addressed the monks, saying: "Monks!" "Lord!" answered those monks, in reply to him. The Blessed One spake thus:

"Impermanent, O monks, are the constituents of existence, unstable, non-eternal: so much so, that this alone is enough to weary and disgust one with all constituent things, and emancipate therefrom. Sineru, monks, the monarch of mountains, is eighty-four thousand leagues in length and breadth; eighty-four thousand leagues deep in the great ocean, and eighty-four thousand above it.

Now there comes, O monks, a season when, after many years, many hundreds and thousands and hundreds of thousands of years, it does not rain; and while it rains not, all seedlings and vegetation, all plants, grasses, and trees dry up, wither away and cease to be. Thus, monks, constituent things are impermanent, unstable, non-eternal: so much so, that this alone is enough to weary and disgust one therewith and emancipate there from.

And, monks, there comes a season, at vast intervals in the lapse of time, when a second sun appears.

After the appearance of the second sun, monks, the brooks and ponds dry up, vanish away and cease to be. So impermanent are constituent things! And then, monks, there comes a season, at vast intervals in the lapse of time, when a third sun appears; and thereupon the great rivers: to wit, the Ganges, the Jamna, the Rapti, the Gogra, the Mahî,--dry up, vanish away and cease to be.

At length, after another vast period, a fourth sun appears, and thereupon the great lakes, whence those rivers had their rise: namely, Anotatto,Lion-leap, Chariot-maker, Keel-bare, Cuckoo, Six-bayed, and Slow-flow, dry up, vanish away, and cease to be.

Again, monks, when, after another long lapse, a fifth sun appears, the waters in the great ocean go down for an hundred leagues; then for two hundred, three hundred, and even unto seven hundred leagues, until the water stands only seven fan-palms' deep, and so on unto one fan-palm; then seven fathoms' deep, and so on unto one fathom, half a fathom; waist-deep, knee-deep, ankle-deep. Even, O monks, as in the fall season, when it rains in large drops, the waters in some places are standing around the feet of the kine; even so, monks, the waters in the great ocean in some places are standing to the depth of kine-feet. After the appearance of the fifth sun, monks, the water in the great ocean is not the measure of a finger-joint. Then at last, after another lapse of time, a sixth sun appears; whereupon this great earth and Sineru, the monarch of mountains, reek and fume and send forth clouds of smoke. Even as a potter's baking, when first besmeared, doth reek and fume and smoke, such is the smoke of earth and mountains when the sixth sun appears.

After a last vast interval, a seventh sun appears, and then, monks, this great earth, and Sineru, the monarch of mountains, flare and blaze, and become one mass of flame. And now, from earth and mountains burning and consuming, a spark is carried by the wind and goes as far as the worlds of God; and the peaks of Mount Sineru, burning, consuming, perishing, go down in one vast mass of fire and crumble for an hundred, yea, five hundred leagues. And of this great earth, monks, and Sineru, the monarch of mountains, when consumed and burnt, neither ashes nor soot remains. Just as when ghee or oil is consumed and burnt, monks, neither ashes nor soot remains, so it is with the great earth and Mount Sineru.

Thus, monks, impermanent are the constituents of existence, unstable, non-eternal: so much so, that this alone is enough to weary and disgust one with all constituent things and emancipate there from. Therefore, monks, do those who deliberate and believe say this: 'This earth and Sineru, the monarch of mountains, will be burnt and perish and exist no more,' excepting those who have seen the path.

"In olden times, O monks, there was a religious teacher (or Master) named Sunetto, founder of an order, and free from indulgence in lusts; and he had several hundred disciples. The Master Sunetto preached to his disciples the doctrine of fellowship with the world of God; and those who understood all his religion in every way, when he preached this doctrine, were born again, upon the dissolution of the body after death, to weal in the world of God. Those who did not understand all his religion in every way, were born again, upon the dissolution of the body after death,--some into fellowship with those angels who transmute subjective delights into objective and share them with others;1 some into fellowship with the angels who delight in subjective creations; some into that of the angels of Content (Tusitâ); others with the Yâmâ; others again with the angels of the Thirty-three; others into fellowship with those of the Four Great Kings; and yet others into fellowship with Warrior magnates, Brahmin magnates, householder magnates.

"Now Sunetto the Master, O monks, thought to himself: 'It is not fit that I should allow my disciples to have such destinies as these repeatedly: what now if I practise the Highest Love?' Whereupon, monks, the Master Sunetto practised Benevolence (or, love-meditation) for seven years, and for seven æons of consummation and restoration he did not return to this world. Yea, monks, at the consummation of the world he became an Angel of Splendor, and at the world's restoration he rose again in the empty palace of the Brahmâs. Yea, then, O monks, he was a Brahmâ, the Great Brahmâ (or, God), conquering, unconquered, all-seeing, controlling. And thirty-six times, O monks, was he Sakko, the lord of the angels; many hundreds of times was he a king, a righteous world-ruler and emperor, victorious to the four seas, arrived at the security of his country, and possessed of the seven treasures. Moreover, he had more than a thousand sons, heroes, of mighty frame, crushers of alien armies; he dwelt in this ocean-girt earth, p. 432 overcoming it, staffless and swordless, by righteousness. But even the Master Sunetto, though thus long-lived and long-enduring, was not emancipated from birth, old age, death, grief, lamentations, pains, sorrows, and despairs; I say he was not emancipated from pain. And why? Because of not being awake to four things (dhammâ), and not seeing into them. What four? The Noble Ethics, the Noble Trance (Samâdhi), the Noble Wisdom, and the Noble Release (or Emancipation). When these, O monks, known in their sequence and penetrated into, the craving for existence is annihilated, its renewal is destroyed: one is then reborn no more."

Thus spake the Blessed One, and when the Auspicious One had said this, the Master further said:

"Morality, Trance, Pure Reason, and Supreme Release;

"These things are understood by the celebrated Gotamo,

"Thus enlightened (buddho) by supernal knowledge, he told the doctrine to the monks.

"The Master, who made an end of pain, the Seeing One, hath passed into Nirvâna."


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Saturday, December 27, 2008

How To Avoid Lying?

Once there was a thief,he went to stole at palace and got caught. And the king was going to kill him ... so the thief suddenly remembered the buddha ... thought that " only the buddha can help me now" ... so he said i m buddha's niecethen the king said if it is true then i ll let u go ... if it is not then i ll kill u ...And the king sent his man to see the buddha and asked the buddha ... when they reached there they asked the buddha wheather it is true or not that the thief is his niece?so the buddha thought if i said the truth he will ve to die juz for stoling ...if i dun tell the truth then i m telling lie ... so at last he said to the king's man " who said that he is not my niece " . Then the king let the thief go ...
The thief became one of the monk at the buddha monastry ...


Telling the truth is good but not always ...
If it is good for both party then say it, do it ...
If it is not good for both party dun say it ,do it ...

I heard this story from the monk cuz ppl asked how can we avoid lying ...

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How To Take Insult?

On one occasion, the Buddha was invited by the Brahmin Bharadvaja for alms to his house. As invited, the Buddha visited the house of the Brahmin(ayayghi/poneNa). Instead of entertaining Him, the Brahmin poured forth a torrent of abuse with the filthiest of words. The Buddha politely inquired:
"Do visitors come to your house, good Brahmin?""Yes," he replied."What do yu do when they come?""Oh, we prepare a sumptuous feast.""What do you if they refuse to receive the meal?""Why, we gladly partake of them ourselves.""Well, good Brahmin, you have invited me for alms and entertained me with abuse which I decline to accept. So now it belongs to you."
From the Akkosa Sutta
The Buddha did not retaliate but politely gave back what the Brahmin had given Him. Retaliate not, the Buddha advised.
"Hatred does not cease through hatred but through love alone they cease."

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Monday, December 15, 2008

Buddha Or God ???

I'm Not A God Not I Believe In God. I'm A Perfected Human Being,Who Believes In Man.


Buddha Is Not A God Nor He Believed In God!


What does "buddha" mean?

Buddha is often misunderstood as the name of an historical figure from India; but this is not the case. Buddha is a principle, not a person. Buddha actually means "awake." When asked, "Are you a god?" Gautama, the person who became a buddha way back when in India replied, "No." "Then what are you?" the man asked again. Gautama's answer was, "I am awake."

Nowadays many statues of buddhas are common, and they can easily be mistaken as signs of polytheism. But all these images are not portraits of superheroes each with their own "superpersonality" that exist somewhere out of this atmosphere, deigning to involve themselves selectively in the affairs of this world. Rather, they are symbolic presentations of qualities of "awakeness."

But "awakeness" only means something in relation to its opposite: "asleepness." It seems Gautama was using this analogy as a way to touch upon the experience of knowing what a dream is. When we wake up in the same bed we remember laying down in hours before, we decide that everything previous was a kind of hallucination. This decision actually changes the context of everything that happened to us while we were dreaming, no matter how drastic, dramatic, horrific or beatific. All of a sudden, we somehow discover a kind of perspective.

Here's an example. A woman who has never been pregnant wakes from a dream of giving birth to a stillborn child, and the sorrow she felt all of a sudden changes from being so real to seeming so real. And her recognition is not something someone else decided for her, it is a conclusion based on her own recognizance. This also seems to be another fundamental aspect of what we could describe as "awakeness:" it is not manufactured through effort or through a formula, but through a completely personal and thorough deep inquiry.

If we were to really try and describe "awakeness," how would we start? We might start by describing it in three ways: clarity, luminosity and openness. But within these three aspects there also seems to be an endless flow of nuances to our experience; like a single light that hits a prism to refract into the spectrum of a rainbow. These nuances are the various qualities of our inner world and outer world, our thoughts and sensations as well as the sense objects that we encounter.

Like the rainbow and these nuances, the variety of buddhas appear to us like various reflections we might see in a true mirror, one that is completely clean with us gazing bright and wide eyed. Depending on who we think we are or what is going on with us at the time, we will probably recognize certain qualities in our reflection; we will notice different things about ourselves. After all, there are many to choose from no matter how often we decide to look. This is the principle involved in representations of buddhas: as the human experience is infinitely nuanced, there are numerous images, implements, colors, faces, heads and arms that appear in the iconography. But although the qualities might accentuate different aspects of awakeness, the images are all just that: a variety of expressions of the true nature of every sentient being.

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Buddha Thoughtful Or Meaningful Quotes



A dog is not considered a good dog because he is a good barker. A man is not considered a good man because he is a good talker.
All that we are is the result of what we have thought. If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him. If a man speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves him.
All things appear and disappear because of the concurrence of causes and conditions. Nothing ever exists entirely alone; everything is in relation to everything else.

All wrong-doing arises because of mind. If mind is transformed can wrong-doing remain?
Ambition is like love, impatient both of delays and rivals.
An idea that is developed and put into action is more important than an idea that exists only as an idea.
An insincere and evil friend is more to be feared than a wild beast; a wild beast may wound your body, but an evil friend will wound your mind.
Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.
Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.
Chaos is inherent in all compounded things. Strive on with diligence.
Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment. Do not overrate what you have received, nor envy others. He who envies others does not obtain peace of mind.

Ennui has made more gamblers than avarice, more drunkards than thirst, and perhaps as many suicides as despair.
Every human being is the author of his own health or disease.
Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule.
He is able who thinks he is able.
He who experiences the unity of life sees his own Self in all beings, and all beings in his own Self, and looks on everything with an impartial eye.
He who loves 50 people has 50 woes; he who loves no one has no woes.
Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.
Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.

However many holy words you read,However many you speak,What good will they do youIf you do not act on upon them?
I do not believe in a fate that falls on men however they act; but I do believe in a fate that falls on them unless they act.
I never see what has been done; I only see what remains to be done.
In a controversy the instant we feel anger we have already ceased striving for the truth, and have begun striving for ourselves.
In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create distinctions out of their own minds and then beleive them to be true.
It is a man's own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil ways.
It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell.
It is better to travel well than to arrive.
Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life.
Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so virtue appears from good deeds, and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful mind.
To walk safely through the maze of human life, one needs the light of wisdom and the guidance of virtue.
Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful.
On life's journey faith is nourishment, virtuous deeds are a shelter, wisdom is the light by day and right mindfulness is the protection by night.
If a man lives a pure life, nothing can destroy him.
Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.
Teach this triple truth to all: A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity.
The foot feels the foot when it feels the ground.
The only real failure in life is not to be true to the best one knows.
The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, nor to worry about the future, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly.
The tongue like a sharp knife... Kills without drawing blood.
The virtues, like the Muses, are always seen in groups. A good principle was never found solitary in any breast.
The wise ones fashioned speech with their thought, sifting it as grain is sifted through a sieve.
The world, indeed, is like a dream and the treasures of the world are an alluring mirage! Like the apparent distances in a picture, things have no reality in themselves, but they are like heat haze.
There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting.

There is nothing more dreadful than the habit of doubt. Doubt separates people. It is a poison that disintegrates friendships and breaks up pleasant relations. It is a thorn that irritates and hurts; it is a sword that kills.
Those who are free of resentful thoughts surely find peace.
Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.
Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.
To be idle is a short road to death and to be diligent is a way of life; foolish people are idle, wise people are diligent.
To enjoy good health, to bring true happiness to one's family, to bring peace to all, one must first discipline and control one's own mind.
If a man can control his mind he can find the way to Enlightenment, and all wisdom and virtue will naturally come to him.

To live a pure unselfish life, one must count nothing as one's own in the midst of abundance.
Unity can only be manifested by the Binary. Unity itself and the idea of Unity are already two.
Virtue is persecuted more by the wicked than it is loved by the good.
We are formed and molded by our thoughts. Those whose minds are shaped by selfless thoughts give joy when they speak or act. Joy follows them like a shadow that never leaves them.
We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.
What is the appropriate behavior for a man or a woman in the midst of this world, where each person is clinging to his piece of debris? What's the proper salutation between people as they pass each other in this flood?
What we think, we become.
Whatever words we utter should be chosen with care for people will hear them and be influenced by them for good or ill.
When one has the feeling of dislike for evil, when one feels tranquil, one finds pleasure in listening to good teachings; when one has these feelings and appreciates them, one is free of fear.

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