This guide may serve as an expansion on the previous guides. It contains more of the Buddha’s teachings on how lay practitioners (those that are not living as monks or nuns) might structure their lives to better live in accord with Dharma.
First, in the Anguttara Nikaya we find this set of encouragement of the following behaviors:
- When lay followers are accomplished in faith and also encourage others to accomplish faith
- When they are accomplished in virtuous behavior and also encourage others to accomplish virtuous behavior
- When they are accomplished in generosity and also encourage others to accomplish generosity
- When they want to see monastics and also encourage others to see monastics
- When they want to hear the good Dhamma and also encourage others to hear the good Dhamma
- When they retain in mind the teachings they have heard and also encourage others to retain the teachings in mind
- When they examine the meaning of the teachings that have been retained in mind and also encourage others to examine their meaning
- When they understand the meaning and the Dhamma and then practice in accordance with the Dhamma, and also encourages others to practice in accordance with the Dhamma
In the Sigālaka sutta the Buddha offers this quite expansive collection of guidance and advice for lay practitioners:
- Not doing (or praising):
- Killing
- Stealing
- Telling lies
- Committing adultery
- Not being prejudiced by:
- Favoritism
- Hostility
- Stupidity
- Cowardice
- Not habitually engaging in:
- Consuming beer, wine, and liquor intoxicants which can result in:
- Loss of wealth
- Increase of quarrels
- Susceptibility to disease
- Earning an evil reputation
- Shameless exposure of body
- Weakening of intellect
- Roaming the streets at night which can result in:
- Being unprotected and unguarded
- One’s partner and children being left unprotected and unguarded
- Leaving one’s property unprotected and unguarded
- One being suspected of evil deeds
- One being subject to false rumours
- One meeting with many troubles
- Frequenting festivals and shows which can result in constantly thinking:
- Where is there dancing?
- Where is there singing?
- Where is there music?
- Where is there recitation?
- Where is there playing with cymbals?
- Where is there pot-blowing?
- Gambling which results in these consequences:
- The winner begets hate
- The loser grieves for lost wealth
- Loss of wealth
- One’s word is not relied upon in a court of law
- One is despised by friends and associates
- One is not sought after for matrimony; for people would say one is a gambler and is not fit to look after a partner
- Laziness resulting in not following through on what one should, saying:
- That it is extremely cold
- That it is extremely hot
- That it is too late in the evening
- That it is too early in the morning
- That one is extremely hungry
- That one is too full
- Recognizing these four unhealthy types of friends:
- Takers
- Appropriates their friend’s wealth
- Gives little and asks much
- Does their duty out of fear
- Associates for their own advantage
- Talkers
- Make friendly profession as regards the past
- Make friendly profession as regards the future
- Try to gain one’s favor by empty words
- When opportunity for service has arisen, they express their inability
- Flatterers
- They approve of their friend’s evil deeds
- They disapprove their friend’s good deeds
- They praises one while in one’s presence, yet they speak ill of one in one’s absence
- Spenders
- Companions in indulging in intoxicants that cause infatuation and heedlessness
- Companions in sauntering in streets at unseemly hours
- Companions in frequenting theatrical shows
- Companions in indulging in gambling which causes heedlessness
- Takers
- Consuming beer, wine, and liquor intoxicants which can result in:
- Recognizing these four good-hearted friends:
- Helpers
- Guard the heedless
- Protect the wealth of the heedless
- Become a refuge when you are in danger
- When there are commitments they provide you with double the supply needed
- Friends in good times and bad
- Reveal their secrets
- Conceals your secrets
- In misfortune does not forsake one
- Their life even they sacrifice for one’s sake
- Counselors
- Restrain one from doing evil
- Encourage one to do good
- Inform one of what is unknown to oneself
- Points out the path to the divine
- Ones who are sympathetic
- Do not rejoice in one’s misfortune
- Rejoice in one’s prosperity
- Restrain others speaking ill of you
- Praise those who speak well of you
- Helpers
- Encouraging the following:
- Children serving parents with these intentions:
- Having supported me I shall support them
- I shall do their duties
- I shall keep the family tradition
- I shall make myself worthy of my inheritance
- I shall offer alms in honor of my departed relatives
- Parent serving their children with these intentions:
- They restrain them from evil
- They encourage them to do good
They train them for a profession - They help with a suitable marriage
- At the proper time they hand over their inheritance to them
- Students serving teachers:
- By rising from the seat in salutation
- By attending on them
- By eagerness to learn
- By personal service
- By respectful attention while receiving instructions
- Teachers serving students:
- They train them in the best discipline
- They see that they grasp their lessons well
- They instruct them in the arts and sciences
- They introduce them to their friends and associates
- They provide for their safety in every quarter
- Life partners serving each other
- By being courteous
- By not despising
- By being faithful
- By handing over authority
- By providing them with adornments.
- By performing duties well
- By being hospitable to relations and attendants
- Protects what is brought
- Being skilled and industrious in discharging their duties
- Serving friends and colleagues:
- By liberality
- By courteous speech
- By being helpful
- By being impartial
- By sincerity
- Friends and colleagues:
- Protect one when one is heedless
- Protect one’s property when one is heedless
- Become a refuge when one is in danger
- They do not forsake one in one’s troubles
- They show consideration for one’s family
- Supporters serving spiritual aspirants
- By lovable deeds
By lovable words - By lovable thoughts
- By keeping open house to them
- By supplying their material needs
- By lovable deeds
- Spiritual aspirants serving their supporters:
- They restrain them from evil
- They persuade them to do good
- They love them with a kind heart
- They make them hear what one has not heard
- They clarify what one has already heard
- They point out the path to the divine
- Bosses serving their workers:
- By assigning them work according to their ability
- By supplying them with food and with wages
- By tending them in sickness
- By sharing with them any delicacies
- By granting them leave at times
- Servants serving their charges:
- They are willing to rise before them
- They go to sleep after them
- They take only what is given
- They perform their duties well
- They uphold one’s good name and fame
- Children serving parents with these intentions: