54(4)Dīghajānu
On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling among the Koliyans near the Koliyan town named Kakkarapatta.
There the young Koliyan Dighajānu approached the Blessed One,
paid homage to him,sat down to one side,
and said to him:
"Bhante,we are laymen enjoying sensual pleasures,living at home in a house full of children.We use sandalwood from Kasi;we wear garlands,scents,and unguerits;we receive gold and silver.
Let the Blessed One teach us the Dhamma in a way that will lead to our welfare and happiness in this present life and in future lives."
"There are,Byagghapajja,
Though Ce spells the name"Vyagghapajja,"I use this spelling to be consistent with the spelling of the name at 4:194.This must have been his clan name,Dighajānu his personal name.these four things that lead to the welfare and happiness of a clansman in this present life.
What four?
Accomplishment in initiative,accomplishment in protection,good friendship,and balanced living.
(1)"And what is accomplishment in initiative?
Here;whatever may be the means by which a clansman earns his living whether by farming,trade,raising cattle,archery,government
service,or some other craft—he is skillful and diligent;he possesses sound judgment about it in order to carry out and arrange it properly.
This is called accomplishment in initiative.
(2)"And what is accomplishment in protection?
Here,a clansman sets up protection and guard over the wealth he has[282]acquired by initiative and energy,amassed by the strength of his arms,earned by the sweat of his brow,righteous wealth righteously gained,
thinking:
'How can I prevent kings and thieves from taking it,fire from burning it,floods from sweeping it off,and displeasing heirs from taking it?'
This is called accomplishment in protection.
(3)"And what is good friendship?
Here,in whatever village or town a clansman lives,he associates with householders or their sons-—whether young but of mature virtue,or old and of mature virtue——who are accomplished in faith,virtuous behavior,generosity,and wisdom;he converses with them and engages in discussions with them.
Insofar as they are accomplished in faith,he emulates them with respect to their accomplishment in faith;insofar as they are accomplished in virtuous behavior,he emulates them with respect to their accomplishment in virtuous behavior;insofar as they are accomplished in generosity,he emulates them with respect to their accomplishment in generosity;insofar as they are accomplished in wisdom,he emulates them with respect to their accomplishment in wisdom.
This is called good friendship.
(4)"And what is balanced living?
Here,a clansman knows his income and expenditures and leads a balanced life,neither too extravagant nor too frugal,[aware]:
In this way my income will exceed my expenditures rather than the reverse.'
Just as an appraiser or his apprentice,holding up a scale,knows:
'By so much it has dipped down,by so much it has gone up,'
so a clansman knows his income and expenditures and leads a balanced life,neither too extravagant nor too frugal,[aware]:
'In this way my income will exceed niy expenditures [283]rather than the reverse.'
"If this clansman has a small income but lives luxuriously,others would say of him:
'This clansman eats his wealth just like an eater of figs.'
Ce and Ee udumbarakhadikam va;Be udumbarakhadivayam.The intended meaning is obscure.Mp explains:"One wishing to eat figs might shake a ripe fig tree and with one effort knock down many fruits.He would eat the ripe fruits and depart,leaving behind the rest;just so,one who spends the greater part of his earnings enjoys his wealth by dissipating it,so it is said:'This clansman eats his wealth just like an eater of figs.'"A Chinese parallel,SA91(TI23a22-C17),reads atTII23b17:人皆名為優层钵果， 無有種子。愚凝食欲。不顧其後;"Everyone calls him a fig without seeds.The foolish man,a prey to craving,does not consider those who come after."But if he has a large income but lives sparingly,others would say of him:
"This clansman may even starve himself.'
Ce and Ee ajaddhumarikam;Be ajetthamaranam.DOP relates the compound to Skt jagdhva,"having eaten,"and defines ajaddhumarika as"death by starvation."See PED sv jaddhu,said to occur only as negative ajaddhu,"not eating,abstaining from food."Mp(Ce) glosses with anathamaranam,"death without a protector,"Mp(Be) anayakamaranam,"death without a leader."It Seems Mp(Ce) is glossing the reading found in Be.The Chinese at TIⅡ23b19-20 has傍人皆言是愚癡人如餓死狗，“Other people will all say that foolish man is like a dog starving to death."But it is called balanced living when a clansman knows his income and expenditures and leads a balanced life,neither too extravagant nor too frugal,[aware]:
'In this way my income will exceed my expenditures rather than the reverse.'
This is called balanced living.
"The wealth thus amassed has four sources of dissipation:womanizing,drunkenness,gambling,and bad friendship,bad companionship,bad comradeship.
Just as if there were a large reservoir with four inlets and four outlets,
and a man would close the inlets and open the outlets,
and sufficient rain does not fall,
one could expect the water in the reservoir to decrease rather than increase;
so the wealth thus amassed has four sources of dissipation:womanizing...bad comradeship.
"The wealth thus amassed has four sources of accretion:one avoids womanizing,drunkenness,and [284]gambling,and cultivates good friendship,good companionship,good comradeship.
Just as if there were a large reservoir with four inlets and four outlets,
and a man would open the inlets and closethe outlets,
and sufficient rain falls;
one could expect the water in the reservoir to increase rather than decrease,
so the wealth amassed has four sources of accretion:one avoids womanizing...and cultivates good friendship.
"These are the four things that lead to the welfare and happiness of a clansman in this very life.
"There are,Byagghapajja,these four [other]things that lead to a clansman's welfare and happiness in future lives.
What four?
Accomplishment in faith,accomplishment in virtuous behavior,accomplishment in generosity,and accomplishment in wisdom.
(5)"And what is accomplishment in faith?
Here,a clansmanis endowed with faith.He places faith in the enlightenment of the Tathāgata thus:
"The Blessed One is an arahant...teacher of devas and humans,the Enlightened One,the Blessed One.'
This is called accomplislment in faith.
(6)"And what is accomplishment in virtuous behavior?
Here,a clansman abstains from the destruction of life,from taking what is not given,from sexual misconduct,from false speech,and from liquor,wine,and intoxicants,the basis for heedlessness.
This is called accomplishment in virtuous behavior.
(7)"And what is accomplishment in generosity?
Here,a clansman dwells at home with a heart devoid of the stain of miserliness,freely generous,open handed,delighting in relinquishment,one devoted to charity,delighting in giving and sharing.
This is called accomplishment in generosity.
(8)"And what is accomplishment in wisdom?
[285]Here,a clansman is wise;he possesses the wisdom that discerns arising and passing away,which is noble and penetrative and leads to the complete destruction of suffering.
This is called accomplishment in wisdom.
"These are the four [other]things that lead to the welfare and happiness of a clansman in future lives."
Enterprising in his occupations,heedful in his arrangements,
balanced in his way of living,he safeguards the wealth he earns.
Endowed with faith,accomplished in virtue,charitable and devoid of miserliness,
he constantly purifies the path that leads to safety in future lives.
Thus these eight qualities
of the faithful seeker of the household life
are said by the one who is truly named
Akkhata saccanamena.The one"truly named"is the Buddha,since the name"Buddha"corresponds to his real stature as an enlightened one.See too p.1757,note 1320. to lead to happiness in both states:to good and welfare in this very life,and to happiness in future lives.
Thus for those dwelling at home,their generosity and merit increase.