Sacred Literature of Buddhism

Verse for January 20, 2012

    20.    These ten things nourish the ten things that are desirable, liked, charming and hard to win the world. What ten? Energy and exertion nourish wealth. Finery and adornment nourish beauty. Doing things at the proper time nourishes health. Friendship with the beautiful nourishes virtue. Restraint of the senses nourishes the holy life. Not quarrelling nourishes friendship. Repetition nourishes great knowledge. Lending an ear and asking questions nourishes wisdom. Study and examination nourishes the teachings. And living rightly nourishes rebirth in the heaven world.

Anguttara Nikaya V.136 

Sacred Literature of Buddhism

 Verse for January 18, 2012

    18.One who is wise and disciplined,
        Kindly always and intelligent,
        Humble and free from pride -
        One like this will win respect.

        Rising early and scorning laziness,
        Remaining calm in time of strife,
        Faultless in conduct and clever in actions -
        One like this will win respect.

        Being able to make friends and keep them,
        Welcoming others and sharing with them,
        A guide, philosopher and friend -
        One like this will win respect.

        Being generous and kindly in speech,
        Doing a good turn for others
        And treating all alike -
        One like this will win respect.

Digha Nikaya III.

Verse for January 17, 2012

    17.    There are these four kinds of happiness to be won by a householder who enjoys sense pleasures from time to time and when occasion offers. What four? The happiness of ownership, the happiness of wealth, the happiness of freedom from debt and the happiness of blamelessness.
        
    And what is the happiness of ownership? Concerning this, a householder has wealth acquired by energetic striving, won by strength of arm and sweat of brow, justly and lawfully won. When he thinks of this he feels happiness and satisfaction.
        
    And what is the happiness of wealth? Concerning this, a householder has wealth justly and lawfully won, and with it he does many good deeds. When he thinks of this he feels happiness and satisfaction.
        
    And what is the happiness of freedom from debt? Concerning this, a householder owes no debt large or small to anyone, and when he thinks of this he feels happiness and satisfaction.
        
    And what is the happiness of blamelessness? Concerning this, the noble disciple is blessed with blameless action of body, speech and mind, and when he thinks of this he feels happiness and satisfaction.

Anguttara Nikaya II.68

Verse for January 16, 2012

    16.    Greed is to be slightly blamed but it is slow to change. Hatred is to be greatly blamed but it is quick to change. Delusion is to be greatly blamed and it is slow to change.


Anguttara Nikaya I.199

Sacred Literature of Buddhism

Verse for January 9, 2012

    9.    I will teach you the Noble Eightfold Path; I will analyze it for you. Listen carefully and I will speak. And what is the Noble Eightfold Path? It is Perfect View, Perfect Thought, Perfect Speech, Perfect Action, Perfect Livelihood, Perfect Effort, Perfect Mindfulness and Perfect Concentration.

    And What is Perfect View? It is the knowledge of suffering, the cause of suffering, the overcoming of suffering and the way to the overcoming of suffering.
    And what is Perfect Thought? It is the thought of giving up, the thought of love, and the thought of helpfulness.

    And what is Perfect Speech? It is the avoiding of lying, slanderous speech, harsh speech and idle chatter.
    And what is Perfect Action? It is the avoiding of killing, stealing and sexual misconduct.
    And what is Perfect Livelihood? Concerning this, a noble disciple, by giving up wrong means of livelihood adopts a perfect livelihood.
    And what is Perfect Effort? Concerning this, one puts forth the desire, makes an effort, strives, applies the mind and directs it to prevent the arising of evil unskilled states not yet arisen, to destroy evil unskilled states that have already risen, to arouse skillful states that have not yet arisen, and finally, one puts forth the desire, makes an effort, strives, applies the mind and directs it towards the continuation, the unification, the growth, the development and the fulfillment of skillful states of mind.

    And what is Perfect Mindfulness? Concerning this, one abides contemplating body in body, feeling in feeling, mind in mind and mental states in mental states, ardent, clearly conscious so as to control the attraction and repulsion in the world.
    And what is Perfect Concentration? Concerning this one cultivates the four jhanas.

Samyutta Nikaya V.9

Sacred Literature of Buddhism

Verse for January 7, 2012

    7. To sacred hills, woods and groves,
        To sacred trees and shrines
        Do people go, gripped by fear.

        But they are not safe refuges,
        Not the best refuge.
        Not by going there
        Is one freed from all suffering.

        But whoever takes refuge

        In the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha

        Will understand with wisdom

        The Four Noble Truths:

        Suffering, its cause, its overcoming,

        And the Noble Eightfold Path

        Leading to its overcoming.

        And this is a safe refuge,
        The best refuge.
        Having taken refuge here,
        One is freed from all suffering.

Dhammapada 1

Sacred Literature of Buddhism

Verse for January 5, 2012

    5.    Unsurpassed is the Lord's way of teaching the Dhamma concerning one's proper conduct in virtue.

    One should be honest and faithful, without deception, chatter, hinting or belittling, not always ready to add gain to gain, but with the sense-doors guarded, moderate in food, a maker of peace, observant, active and strenuous in effort, a meditator, mindful, with proper conversation, steady-going, resolute and sensible, not hankering after sense pleasures, but mindful and prudent. This is the unsurpassed teaching concerning a person's proper ethical conduct.

    This the Lord fully comprehends and beyond it nothing lies to be further comprehended. And in such matters there is no other recluse or Brahmin who is greater or more enlightened than the Lord concerning ethical conduct.

Digha Nikaya III.107

Sacred Literature of Buddhism

Verse for January 2, 2012

    2.    "Imagine that the whole earth was covered with water, and a man was to throw a yoke with a hole in it into the water. Blown by the wind, that yoke would drift north, south, east and west. Now, suppose that once in a hundred years a blind turtle would rise to the surface. What do you think? Would that turtle put his head through the hole in the yoke as he rose to the surface once in a hundred years?"

    "It is unlikely, Lord."

    "Well, it is just as unlikely that one will be born as a human being; it is just as unlikely that a Tathagata, a Noble One, a fully enlightened Buddha should arise in the world; and it is just as unlikely that the Dhamma and discipline of the Tathagata should be taught. But now you have been born as a human being, a Tathagata has arisen and the Dhamma has been taught. Therefore, strive to realize the Four Noble Truths."

Samyutta Nikaya V.457

Sacred Literature of Buddhism

Verse for December 25, 2011

    359.    You should train yourselves like this, thinking: "We will be contended with no matter what robes, food, shelter or medicine we get. We will be contented with what we get and do nothing unseemly in order to get such things. If we are not able to get robes, food and so on, we will not perturb, and if we do get them we will use them without clinging and infatuation, doing no wrong in order to get them, seeing the danger in them and being wise to escaping from it." This is how you should train yourselves.

Samyutta Nikaya II.195

Sacred Literature of Buddhism

Verse for December 22, 2011

    356.    There are three urgent duties of a farmer. What three? The farmer gets his fields well ploughed and harrowed very quickly. Then he puts in the seed very quickly. Then he irrigates it very quickly. But the farmer has no magic power or authority to say: "Let my crops spring up today, let them ear tomorrow and on the following day let them ripen." No! In due time this will happen.

    In the same way, there are these three urgent duties of a monk. What three? Undertaking the training in higher virtue, higher thought and higher wisdom. But he has no such magic power or authority to say: "Today, tomorrow or the next day, let my mind be free from the defilements." No! In due time this will happen as he undergoes training in these three things. Therefore you should train yourselves like this: "We shall be keen to undertake the training in these three things."

Anguttara Nikaya I.229