Some friends save, others destroy us

• Some friends save us, others destroy us | Buddhism with Venerable Gotami
• The Buddha's Guide for Lay Buddhists (Sigalovada Sutta)
• Wisdom Quarterly: The Buddha on toxic relationships

Meditation shack, solitude shed (sutra)

Householder can dream of futuristic designs harnessing cosmic energy, but a treehouse is easier

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Caution: DIY shacks may lead to mixed results

Sometimes, we just need a little time alone. This time of year can get stressful due to the political climate, holiday plans, visitors, work, and travel to visit others, so when we can get a bit of peace and quiet, it goes a long way.

If we’re ready to build our don't bother me sanctuary, Costco has it covered with its surprisingly chic line of "solitude sheds."

Palisade Storage Shed Palisade Storage Shed © amazon.com $2454.00

For $2,454, I got a VW van, a mattress, and a bucket. I love it and so does Rocky!

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Can I add a full bathroom?

What are solitude sheds? They’re essentially outfitted annexes to a home. The Studio Shed line takes what one gets from a normal storage shed up a notch in comfort.

Every model includes installation, shipping, a finished interior with drywall and insulation and, perhaps most impressive, a full electrical and lighting package! It can all be customized, everything about it, online -- from the flooring to the siding color.

Portable do-it-yourself model on wheels

All these extra elements take the shed from a simple shack or backyard storage space to an area a person actually wants to chill in. More:

• Costco is selling solitude shed that comes with drywall, electricity, and more!
• studio-shed.com/home-office-spaces

Building a backyard studio from Costco

What is there to do in a shed?

SUTRA: Wisdom

Bhikkhu Bodhi (trans), Paññā Sutta (AN 8.2) edited by Dhr. Seven, Wisdom Quarterly

What the Buddha taught still leads to awakening

“Meditators, there are eight causes and conditions that lead to gaining wisdom fundamental to the spiritual life when it has not yet been gained and furthermore to its increase, maturation, and consummation (fulfillment) by development after it has been gained. What are the eight?

I can do this, too!

(1) “Here, a meditator lives depending on the Teacher or on a certain monastic in the position of a teacher, toward whom one has set up a keen sense of moral shame and moral dread, affection and reverence. This is the first cause and condition that leads to gaining wisdom fundamental to the spiritual life when it has not yet been gained and furthermore to its increase, maturation, and consummation by development after it has been gained.

(2) “As one is living dependent on the Teacher or on a certain monastic in the position of a teacher, toward whom one has set up a keen sense of moral shame and moral dread, affection and reverence, one approaches that teacher from time to time and inquires: ‘How is this, venerable? What is the meaning of that?’ That venerable one then discloses what has not been disclosed, clears up what is obscure, and dispels perplexity about numerous perplexing points. This is the second cause and condition….

Solitude is of two kinds, physical and mental

(3) “Having heard that Teaching (Dhamma), one resorts to two kinds of withdrawal -- withdrawal of the body and withdrawal of the mind. This is the third cause and condition that leads to gaining the wisdom fundamental to the spiritual life….

(4) “One is virtuous; one dwells restrained by the [precepts or Pātimokkha], possessed of good conduct and resort, seeing danger in the smallest faults. Having undertaken the training rules, one trains in them. This is the fourth cause and condition that leads to gaining wisdom fundamental to the spiritual life….

(5) “One has learned much, remembers what one has learned, and accumulates what one has learned. Those teachings that are good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end, with the right meaning and phrasing, which proclaim the perfectly complete and pure spiritual life — such teachings as these one has learned much of, retained in mind, recited verbally, mentally investigated, and penetrated well by view. This is the fifth cause and condition that leads to gaining wisdom fundamental to the spiritual life….

What a mystery it is to "go within"

(6) “One has aroused energy for abandoning unwholesome qualities and acquiring wholesome qualities; one is strong, firm in exertion, not casting off the duty of cultivating wholesome qualities. This is the sixth cause and condition that leads to gaining wisdom fundamental to the spiritual life….

(7) “In the midst of the spiritual community (Saṅgha), one does not engage in rambling and pointless talk. Either one speaks on the Dhamma, or one requests someone else to do so, or one adopts noble silence. This is the seventh cause and condition that leads to gaining the wisdom fundamental to the spiritual life….

(8) “One dwells contemplating arising and vanishing in the Five Aggregates clung to as self:

1. ‘Such is form, such its origin, such its passing away;
2. such is feeling…
3. such is perception…
4. such are volitional activities (mental formations)…
5. such is consciousness, such its origin, such its passing away.’

“This is the eighth cause and condition that leads to gaining wisdom fundamental to the spiritual life when it has not yet been gained and to its increase, maturation, and fulfillment by development after it has been gained.

Knowing and seeing

(1) “One's fellows esteem one [for these eight qualities and say]... This [meditator] surely knows and sees.’ This quality leads to affection, respect, esteem, accord, and unity....

(8) “‘This [meditator] dwells contemplating the arising and vanishing of the Five Aggregates clung to as self…. This [meditator] surely knows and sees.’ This quality, too, leads to affection, respect, esteem, accord, and unity.

“These, meditators, are the eight causes and conditions that lead to gaining wisdom fundamental to the spiritual life when it has not yet been gained and to its increase, maturation, and consummation by development after it has been gained.”

• Source: Paññā Sutta (unabbreviated, AN 8.2, suttacentral.net)

Building backyard Studio Shed

(Calirado Kid) With home prices going absolutely bonkers in California, we decided to install a Studio Shed from Costco in the backyard. This decision saves thousands of dollars by not going with a traditional home remodel. We landed on the 10x12 foot Pagoda Signature Series Shed because we really loved the design but also wanted to reduce the amount of light coming in, hence the single door. This gives greater control of the lighting when we start doing more inside. The Studio Shed will act as an office and production room. We added several options onto the standard build, including electrical and lighting, split system for heating and A/C, and additional power outlets. We'll be setting up the Studio Shed for many uses to make it a fully functional space. People ask about the total cost of the project, which depends on who installs it. Questions? Feel free to message via IG or email at thecaliradokid@gmail.com. #studioshed #backyardoffice #costco

• Studio Shed Pagoda Model with full Costco installation: $29,038 in July 2021
• Add-ons (may differ with local contractors): Interior electrical install including canned LED lighting, outlets, and exterior lights: $1,800. Electrical to main breaker, including trenching: $1,575. Cat 6 run and termination: $500. Wooden floor frame (insulated): $1,750
• Be sure to follow me on Instagram: instagram.com/caliradokid...
• Check out Studio-Shed's amazing products: studio-shed.com

• Janae McKenzie, Good Housekeeping (via MSN), 11/13/24; Bhikkhu Bodhi (trans.), Panna Sutta (AN 8.2), suttacentral.net; edited and abbreviated by Dhr. Seven (ed.), Pfc. Sandoval, Wisdom Quarterly

How to build a house: 'Dangers' (sutra)

With instructions, I can practice DIY at home ? - Yes, you can do it with these instructions.

90 days to build a wooden house: One woman's admirable build from start to finish

(Wild Novels) Summer 2024: I am a nature lover who loves to experience, venture into, and explore unspoiled forests. That is my great passion.

My videos cover camping, bushcraft, survival skills, building log cabins, going off grid, primitive technology, wilderness survival and outdoor skills, bush gear like backpacks, axes, knives, saws, clothing systems, shelters, and cooking gear. 

• 00:00 Part 1: Making a concrete base off grid
• 07:01 Part 2: Wood planing and cleaning process
• 10:25 Part 3: How to assemble and build a wooden cabin frame by yourself
• 17:52 Part 4: Start tiling the roof to completion
• 24:27 Part 5: Process of smoothing wood planks - finishing exterior walls
• 33:56 Part 6: How to make the doors by yourself off grid
• 45:03 Part 7: DIY concrete steps, plant bonsai, and garden planning

Hope everyone will support and subscribe to the "Wild Novels" channel, share videos, and contribute comments. Thanks! ☞ Please help in reaching 100,000 subscribers: @wildnovels. ☞ Copyright by Wild Novels. #WildNovels

Neighbors laughed at the innovative building of our small house, but then they were amazed

(CREATIVE COUPLE) This is a short version of the complete construction of a simple affordable home.

• Full video: Neighbors laughed at building our cheap...

We built this small house for elderly parents. By design the house is simple and consists of light blocks called autoclaved aerated concrete. The total area of the house is 640 square feet, and the exterior dimensions are 18 by 22 feet.

We built it without loans on a small budget of $17,000. This price included the purchase of the land for $2,000. The total budget did not include the cost of labor because we did all the work ourselves.

ABOUT: We are a happy couple, Hena and Vita. We like to create with our own hands, which is how we find ourselves. We love making videos and try to make them useful. This is how we develop ourselves and continue to build the channel. We have many more DIY projects that we will definitely surprise viewers. If you support family values and love to create with your own hands, welcome to our family "CREATIVE COUPLE."

A sutra for householders: "Dangers"

Ven. Sujato (trans.), "Dangers" (AN 10.92) or (Numbered Discourses 10.92) 10. "With Upāli"), suttacentral.org; edited, expanded, and explained by Dhr. Seven, Wisdom Quarterly

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Then the householder Anāthapiṇḍika [Sudatta, the generous multimillionaire donor to the needy who was already a stream enterer] went to the Buddha, bowed, and sat respectfully to one side. The Buddha said:

“Householder, when a noble [Arya = enlightened] disciple has quelled five dangers and threats, has the four factors of stream entry, and has clearly seen and comprehended the noble system with wisdom, that person may, if one wishes, declare of oneself: ‘I’ve made an end of rebirth in hells, the animal realm, and the ghost realm.

“‘I’ve made an end of [all rebirth in] places of loss, unfortunate destinations, subhuman worlds. I am a stream-enterer! I’m no longer liable to be reborn in the downfall and am bound for full awakening.’

The dangers

“What are the five dangers and threats such a person has quelled?

One can live at home practicing the Path.

1. Anyone who kills living creatures creates dangers and threats both in this present life and in lives to come and experiences mental pain and sadness. Anyone who refrains from killing living creatures creates no dangers and threats either in the present life or in lives to come and doesn’t experience mental pain and sadness. So that danger and threat is quelled for anyone who refrains from killing living creatures.
2. Anyone who steals…
3. Anyone who engages in sexual misconduct…
4. Anyone who lies [engages in wrong speech, which is more than lying]…
5. Anyone who consumes beer, wine, liquor, and intoxicants [that occasion heedlessness] creates dangers and threats both in the present life and in lives to come and experiences mental pain and sadness. Anyone who refrains from consuming beer, wine, liquor, and intoxicants creates no dangers and threats either in the present life or in lives to come and avoids experiencing mental pain and sadness. So that danger and threat is quelled for anyone who refrains from consuming beer, wine, liquor, and intoxicants.

“These are the five dangers and threats one has quelled.

The Four Factors of Stream-Entry.

Why leave household life to practice? No distractions.

“What are the Four Factors of Stream-Entry that one has?

“A noble disciple has experiential confidence [proven conviction, confirmed faith] in the Teacher (the Buddha): ‘This Blessed One is indeed perfected, a supremely enlightened teacher, accomplished in knowledge and conduct, full of integrity, a knower of worlds, a supreme guide for those wishing to train, a teacher of devas and human beings, awakened, blessed.’

“One has experiential confidence in the Teaching (Dharma): ‘The teaching is well explained by the Buddha — apparent here and now in the present life, immediately effective, inviting investigation, relevant, so that sensible people can know it for themselves.’

“One has experiential confidence in the Taught (the Noble Saṅgha, the successfully taught): ‘The Saṅgha of the Buddha’s disciples [the spiritual community of accomplished practitioners, people at the first level of awakening called stream-entry up to full enlightenment or arhatship, which is a category of beings in no way limited to ordained monastics] is practicing the way that is skillful, direct, systematic, and beneficial.

“This community consists of the four pairs, the eight individuals. This is the Saṅgha of the Buddha’s disciples that is worthy of offerings (gifts) dedicated to the devas, worthy of hospitality, worthy of religious donations, worthy of greetings with joined palms (anjali mudra), and serves as the supreme field of merit for the world.’

“And a noble disciple’s virtue and ethical conduct is loved by the noble ones, unbroken, impeccable, spotless, and unmarred, liberating, praised by the wise (sensible people), unmistaken, and leading to absorption (meditative immersion).

“These are the Four Factors of Stream-Entry that one has.

The Enlightening System

"There's a systematic way to let go and be free," asked Imogen. The Buddha is full of surprises.

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“And what is the noble [enlightening] system that one has clearly seen and comprehended with wisdom? A noble disciple reflects:

“‘When this exists, that is; due to the arising of this, that arises. When this does not exist, that is not; due to the cessation of this, that ceases. [This is called knowledge of how all things arise: they are "dependently originated," and here is an explanation of how suffering (dukkha, disappointment, ill, woe) comes to be and how to end it completely.] That is:

1. Ignorance is a condition for karmas.
2. Karmas (actions) are a condition for consciousness.
3. Consciousness is a condition for name and form.
4. Name and form are conditions for the six sense fields.
5. The six sense fields are conditions for contact.
6. Contact is a condition for feeling [sensation].
7. Feeling is a condition for craving [lust, thirst, craving].
8. Craving is a condition for grasping.
9. Grasping is a condition for continued becoming.
10. Continued becoming is a condition for rebirth.
11. Rebirth is a condition for old age and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress to come into being.
12. That is how this entire mass of suffering originates.

[What is Dependent Origination?]

1. “When ignorance fades away and ceases without remainder, karmas cease.
2. When karmas cease, [the impersonal process of] consciousness ceases.
3. When consciousness ceases, name and form cease.
4. When name and form cease, the six sense fields cease.
5. When the six sense fields cease, contact ceases.
6. When contact ceases, feeling ceases.
7. When feeling ceases, craving ceases.
8. When craving ceases, grasping ceases.
9. When grasping ceases, continued rebirth ceases.
10. When continued becoming ceases, rebirth ceases.
11. When rebirth ceases, old age and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress cease.
12. That is how this entire mass of suffering ceases.’

I can go home and know-and-see this DIY? - Not DIY

“This is the noble system that one has clearly seen and comprehended with wisdom.

“When a noble disciple has quelled five dangers and threats, has the Four Factors of Stream-Entry, and has clearly seen and comprehended the noble cycle with wisdom [Dependent Origination], one may, if one wishes, declare of oneself:

“‘I’ve made an end of [any possibility of] rebirth in hells, the animal realm, and the ghost realm. I’ve made an end of rebirth in all places of loss, unfortunate destinations, subhuman worlds. I am a stream-enterer. I’m no longer liable to be reborn in the downfall and am bound for full awakening.’” Source: suttacentral.net

• Wild Novels, June 26, 2024; Creative Couple, Aug. 25, 2022; Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation), Pfc. Sandoval, Jen B., Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Tiny home of our own: Ajahn Chah Teachings

An A-frame solution full of light and two floors

What can be done to secure a spot, a quiet place to practice the Dharma, what the Buddha taught?

Having acquired the floorspace, by loan or lease, squatting or deed, it's time to set up a structure, a shelter from the elements and creeping things, nuisances and dangers.

The yurt, a Central and North Asian hut that can be carried about while being very environment-friendly, is a good option. But any hut will do, even a tent of saffron robes. Why won't Amazon, Temu, eBay, or Alibaba carry something like that. (Oh, they do?)

• Yes, this A-frame tiny house is for sale on Amazon for less than $15,000 (MSN)

Avoid covered wagons pulled by slave sheep.

Level some land. Sweep away rocks or add sand. Use a vehicle as a base. That's an option. It's stable and movable. It makes a good meditation kuti to expand the mind as the heart softens and stabilizes. And now for bhavana (bringing into being, self-development, cultivation of the good).

The Teachings of Ajahn Chah

Edited by Dhr. Seven, inspired by Sayalay Aloka. This selection taken from pp. 311-316

RIGHT PRACTICE – STEADY PRACTICE

The Teachings of Ajahn Chah

AJAHN CHAH: There was a time in my practice, after I had been practicing about five years, when I felt that living with others was a hindrance. I would sit in my kuti (hut) and try to meditate.

People would keep coming by to chat, disturbing me. I ran off to live by myself. I thought I couldn’t practice with people bothering me. I was fed up, so I went to live in a small, deserted monastery in the forest, near a small village.

I stayed there alone, speaking to no one – because there was nobody else to speak to. After I’d been there about 15 days the thought arose, “Hmm, it would be good to have a novice or pa-kow [1] here with me. He could help me out with some small jobs.”

• [1] Pa-kow: Eight-Preceptor who often lives in training with Buddhist monks (bhikkhus). In addition to his own meditation practice, he also helps with certain services that monks are forbidden from doing by the Buddhist Monastic Disciplinary Code (Vinaya).

I knew this would come up! And sure enough, here it was. So I said to myself, “Hah, you’re a real character! You say you’re fed up with your friends, fed up with your fellow monastics and novices [samanas and samaneras, wandering ascetics and little-wanderering ascetics], and now you want a novice. What’s this?”

“No,” it [my rationalization] says back, “I want a good novice.”

If mind is happy, then you are happy anywhere.

“There! Where are all the good people? Can you find any? Where are you going to find a good person? In the whole monastery there were only no-good people. You must have been the only good person to have run away like this!”

...You have to follow it up like this, follow up the tracks of your thoughts until you see... “Hmm, this is the important one. Where is there a good person to be found? There aren’t any good people. You must find the good person within yourself. If you are good in yourself then wherever you go will be good.

“Whether others criticize or praise you, you are still good. If you aren’t good, then when others criticize you, you get angry. And when they praise you, you get pleased.”

I know you're good, Homer. - STFU, B*tch!

At that time, I reflected on this and have found it to be true from that day up until the present. Goodness must be found within.

As soon as I saw this, that feeling of wanting to run away disappeared. In later times, whenever I had that desire arise, I let it go. Whenever it arose, I was aware of it and kept my awareness on it. Thus, I had a solid foundation.

Wherever I lived, whether people condemned me or whatever they would say, I would reflect that the point is not whether they were good or bad. Good or evil must be seen within ourselves. However other people are, that’s their concern.

Don’t go thinking, “Oh, today is too hot” or “Today is too cold” or “Today is....” Whatever the day is like, that’s just the way it is.

Really we are simply blaming the weather for our own laziness. We must see the Dhamma [the Truth and practices to see it the Buddha taught] within ourselves, then there is a surer kind of peace.

So for all of you who have come to practice here. Even though it’s only for a few days, still many things will arise. Many things may be arising which you’re not even aware of. There is some right thinking, some wrong thinking...many, many things.

So I say this practice is difficult. Even though some of you may experience some peace when you sit in meditation, don’t be in a hurry to congratulate yourselves.

Oh, yes, yes, now it's good and peaceful.

Likewise, if there is some confusion, don’t blame yourselves. If things seem to be good, don’t delight in them, and if they’re not good don’t be averse to them. Just look at it all. Look at what you have. Just look. Don’t bother judging. If it’s good, don’t hold on to it; if it’s bad, don’t cling to it.

Good and bad can both bite, so don’t hold fast to them. The practice is simply to sit, sit and watch it all. Good moods and bad moods come and go as is their nature. Don’t only praise your mind or only condemn it.

Know the right time for these things. When it’s time for congratulations then congratulate it, but just a little. Don’t overdo it. Just like teaching a child, sometimes you may have to spank it a little. In our practice, sometimes we may have to punish ourselves, but don’t punish yourself all the time. If you punish yourself all the time, in a while you’ll just give up the practice.

But then you can’t just give yourself a good time and take it easy either. That’s not the way to practice. We practice according to the Middle Way.

What is the Middle Way? This Middle Way is difficult to follow. You can’t rely on your moods and desires. Don’t think that only sitting with the eyes closed is practice. If you do think this way, then quickly change your thinking!

Steady practice is having the attitude of practice while standing, walking, sitting, and lying down. [This is sati-sampajanna, "mindfulness and clear comprehension."] When coming out of sitting meditation, reflect that you’re simply changing postures. If you reflect in this way, you will have peace.

Wherever you are, you will have this attitude of practice with you constantly. You will have a steady awareness within yourself. Those who, having finished their evening sitting, simply indulge in their moods, spending the whole day letting the mind wander where it wants, will find that the next evening when sitting meditation, all they get is the “backwash” from the day’s aimless thinking. There is no foundation of calm because they have let it go cold all day.

If you practice like this, your mind gets gradually further and further from the practice.

When I ask some of my disciples, “How is your meditation going?” They say, “Oh, it’s all gone now.”

You see? They can keep it up for a month or two, but in a year or two it’s all finished. Why is this? It’s because they don’t take this essential point into their practice. When they’ve finished sitting, they let go of their samadhi [coherence, stillness]. They start to sit for shorter and shorter periods until they reach the point where as soon as they start to sit, they want to finish. Eventually they don’t even sit.

It’s the same with bowing to a Buddha image. At first, they make the effort to bow every night before going to sleep. But after a while, their minds begin to stray. Soon they don’t bother to bow at all. They just nod until eventually it’s all gone. They throw out the practice completely.

Ah, like this, the mind settles quickly. I'm calm.

Therefore, understand the importance of sati [mindfulness, bare awareness, not discursive thinking but being with and accepting what is happening now without abandoning ourselves].

Practice it constantly. Right practice is steady practice. Whether standing, walking, sitting, or reclining, the practice must continue. This means that practice, meditation, is done in the mind, not in the body.

If our mind has zeal, is conscientious and ardent, then there will be awareness [nonabsentmindedness, nonforgetting, presence]. The mind is the important thing. The mind is that which supervises everything we do.

When we understand properly then we practice properly. When we practice properly, we don’t go astray. Even if we only do a little, that is still all right.

For example, when you finish sitting in meditation, remind yourselves that you are not actually finishing meditation. [Mindfulness meditation continues all the time.] You are simply changing postures. Your mind is still composed. Whether standing, walking, sitting, or reclining, you have sati with you.

If you have this kind of awareness, you can maintain your internal practice. In the evening when you sit again, the practice continues uninterrupted. Your effort is unbroken, allowing the mind to attain calm. This is called steady practice.

Whether we are talking or doing other things, we make the practice continuous. If our mind has recollection and self-awareness continuously, our practice will naturally develop. It will gradually come together. The mind will find peace, because it will know what is right and what is wrong. It will see what is happening within us and realize peace.

If we are to develop sila (virtue, moral restraint) or samadhi (firmness of mind), we must first have pañña (wisdom). Some people think that they’ll develop moral restraint one year, samadhi the next, and the year after that they’ll develop wisdom. They think these three things are separate.

They think that this year they will develop, but if the mind is not firm (samadhi), how can they do it? If there is no understanding (pañña), how can they do it? Without samadhi or pañña, sila will be sloppy. 

In fact, these three come together at the same point. When we have sila (restraint), we have calm (samadhi); when we have samadhi, we have understanding (pañña). They are all one like a mango.

Whether it’s small or fully grown, it’s still a mango. When it’s ripe, it’s still the same mango. If we think in simple terms like this, we can see it more easily. We don’t have to learn a lot of things just to know these things, to know our practice.

Don't Look Down on Defilements: They Will
Laugh at You (Ashin Tejaniya)

When it comes to meditation, some people don’t get what they want. So they just give up, saying they don’t yet have the merit to practice meditation. They can do bad things. They have that sort of talent, but they don’t have the talent to do good. They throw in the towel, saying they don’t have a good enough foundation.

This is the way people are. They side with their defilements.

Now that you have this chance to practice, please understand that whether you find it difficult or easy to develop samadhi, is entirely up to you not the samadhi.

If it is difficult, it is because you are practicing wrongly. In our practice we must have “right view” (samma-ditthi).

...If our view is right, then everything else is right:

1. right view,
2. right intention,
3. right speech,
4. right action,
5. right livelihood,
6. right effort,
7. right mindfulness,
8. right stillness – the enlightening Eightfold Path.

When there is right view, all the other factors [of this Eightfold Path] will follow. Whatever happens, keep the mind from straying off the track. Look within and you will see clearly.

For the best practice, as I see it, it isn’t necessary to read many books. Take all the books and lock them away. Just read your own mind.

It's good to read. I like reading. I get lost in books

You have all been burying yourselves in books from the time you entered school. I think that now you have this opportunity and have the time, so take the books, put them in a cupboard, and lock the door.

Just read your mind. Whenever something arises within the mind, whether you like it or not, whether it seems right or wrong, just cut it off with, “This is not a sure thing.”

Whatever arises just cut it down, reminding yourself, “Not sure, not sure.”

With just this single axe, you can cut it all down. It’s all “not sure.”

Sophia (Khema Theri), Goddess of Wisdom

For the duration of this next month that you will be staying in this forest monastery, you should make a lot of headway. You will see the Truth. This “not sure” is really an important one. This one develops wisdom.

The more you look, the more you will see the “not-sure-ness.” After you’ve cut something off with “not sure,” it may come circling round and pop up again.

Yes, it’s truly “not sure.” Whatever pops up, just stick this one label on it all: “not sure.” You stick the sign on, “not sure.” And in a while, when its turn comes, it crops up again. “Ah, not sure.” Dig here! Not sure.

You will see this same old one who’s been fooling you month in month out, year in year out, from the day you were born. There’s only this one who’s been fooling you all along. See this and realize the way things are.

When your practice reaches this point, you won’t cling to sensations, because they are all uncertain.

Have you ever noticed this? Maybe you see a clock and think, “Oh, this is nice!” Buy it and see. In not many days, you’re already bored with it.

“This pen is really beautiful,” so you take the trouble to buy one. In not many months, you tire of it again. This is how it is.

Where is there any certainty? If we see all these things as uncertain, then their value fades away. All things become insignificant. Why should we hold on to things that have no value?

We keep them only as we might keep an old rag to wipe our feet with. We see all sensations as equal in value because they all have the same nature.

When we understand sensations, we understand the world. The world is sensations, and sensations are the world. If we aren’t fooled by sensations, we aren’t fooled by the world. If we aren’t fooled by the world, we aren’t fooled by sensations.

The mind that sees this will have a firm foundation of wisdom. Such a mind will not have many problems. Any problems it does have it can solve. When there are no more problems, there are no more doubts.

Peace arises in their stead. This is called “practice.” If we really practice, it must be like this. More

• Ajahn Chah, The Teachings of Ajahn Chah (pp. 311-316) edited and rearranged by Dhr. Seven, with help from American DRC and Sayalay Aloka (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

The Buddha's advice to laypeople (DN 31)

Ven. Sujato (trans.), Siṅgāla Sutta, "The Buddha's Advice to Laypeople" (DN 31) (suttacentral.net) edited by Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Advice to the young householder

Guidance for Lay Practitioners (Buddha Weekly)

Thus have I heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near Rājagaha, in the Bamboo Grove, in the squirrels’ feeding ground. Now at that time the householder’s son Sigālaka rose early and left Rājagaha (Rajgir, India).

• Sigālaka (“little jackal”) only appears in this discourse.

With his clothes and hair wet, he raised his joined palms to revere the various quarters — east, south, west, north, below, and above.

• Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa 5.5.1 recommends offerings to Agni in the east, Indra or Soma in the south, the All-gods in the west, Mitra and Varuṇa in the north, and Bṛhaspati in the middle. The quarters themselves are divine, since one can travel them and never reach the end (Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 4.1.5). In Buddhism, the quarters are said to be inhabited [ruled over] by the respective Four Great Sky Kings as per DN 32.

Then the Buddha put on his robes in the morning and, with bowl and outer cloak, entered Rājagaha for alms. He saw Sigālaka revering the quarters and said to him, “Householder’s son, why are you revering the quarters in this way?”

“Venerable sir, my father on his deathbed said to me: ‘My dear, please revere the quarters.’

• Sigālaka blindly followed this request without considering the real meaning (as urged by Chāndogya Upaniṣad 1.3.11) because his father was a Buddhist and had wanted his son to follow the Buddha, but Sigalaka had no interest in such matters and was only doing this morning ritual because it was a deathbed request.

Honoring, respecting, and venerating my father’s words, I rose early and left Rājagaha and, with my clothes and hair all wet [as a mark of respect in ancient proto-India], raised my joined palms to revere the various quarters — east, south, west, north, below, and above.”

1. The Six Directions

“Householder’s son, that’s not how the six directions should be revered in the training of the noble [the arya or enlightened, awakened] ones.”

• It is unusual to find “six” directions. Normally it is the four quarters, then eight (with intermediate directions), then ten (adding above and below). Praśna Upaniṣad 1.6 lists the six, then the intermediate directions.

“But, venerable sir, how should the six directions be revered in the training of the noble ones? Please teach me this.”

“Well then, householder’s son, listen, apply your mind well, and I will speak.”

“Yes, venerable sir,” replied Sigālaka. The Buddha then said:

“Householder’s son, a noble disciple gives up four corrupt deeds, refrains from bad deeds on four grounds, and avoids six drains on wealth. When one has left these 14 bad things behind, one has protected the six directions.

• The Buddha outlines the contents of the discourse to follow. One is practicing to win in both worlds, to succeed in this world and the next (wherever that may be in any of the 31 Planes of Existence). When one’s body breaks up, after death, one is reborn in a good place, even in one of the many heavenly realms (sagga).

2. Four Corrupt Deeds

What four corrupt deeds has one given up?

• The Buddha’s teaching or Dharma is structured to reinforce memorization. He gives the number of items (twice), so listeners will notice if any are missing: List the items, restate the numbers, then restate the items once more in verse.

(1) Killing living creatures, (2) stealing, (3) sexual misconduct, and (4) false speech: these are corrupt deeds. These are the four corrupt deeds one has given up.”

That is what the Buddha said. Then the Awakened One, the Teacher, went on to say:

“Taking life, taking what is not given,

speaking falsehoods, and sexually

misconducting oneself:

Wise people praise not these things.”

3. Four Grounds

“On what four grounds does one not do bad deeds (unskillful karma)?

• First, we learned what the unskillful deeds were, and now we learn why people do them. One engages in misdeeds prejudiced by favoritism, hostility/cowardice, and stupidity (lobha, dosa, moha or liking, aversion/fear, delusion). When a noble disciple is not prejudiced by favoritism, hostility/cowardice, and stupidity, one does not do bad deeds on these four grounds.”

That is what the Buddha said. Then the Awakened One, the Teacher, went on to say:

“If one acts against the Dharma

out of favoritism, hostility/cowardice, or stupidity,

one’s fame shrinks,

like the moon in the waning half of the month.

If one does not act against the Dharma

out of favoritism, hostility/cowardice, and stupidity,

one’s fame swells,

like the moon in the waxing part of the month.”

• PHOTOS: Sigalovada Sutta PDF | Pali (scribd.com)

4. Six Drains on Wealth

“What six drains on wealth does one avoid?

• “Drains on wealth” is apāyamukha, literally “openings for departure.” This is emphasized here since Sigālaka wants to be a good son and not squander the family fortune for which he is newly responsible.

“Habitually engaging in the following things is a drain on wealth: drinking alcohol; roaming the streets at night; frequenting entertainments; gambling; bad friends; laziness.

5. Six Drawbacks of Drinking

“There are these six drawbacks of habitually drinking alcohol.

• Now each of the six drains on wealth are expanded and explained.

“Immediate loss of wealth, promotion of quarrels, susceptibility to illness, disrepute, indecent exposure, and weakened wisdom as the sixth. These are the six drawbacks of habitually drinking alcohol.

6. Six Drawbacks of Roaming the Streets at Night

“There are these six drawbacks of roaming the streets at night. One, one’s partners, one’s children, and one’s property are all left unguarded. One is suspected of misdeeds (crimes). Untrue rumors spread about one. One is on the receiving end of many things that entail suffering. These are the six drawbacks of roaming the streets at night.

7. Six Drawbacks of Entertainments

“There are these six drawbacks of frequenting entertainments. One is always thinking, ‘Where is there dancing? Where is there singing? Where is there music? Where are there stories? Where is the applause? Where are drums being played?’ These are the six drawbacks of frequenting entertainments.

8. Six Drawbacks of Gambling

“There are these six drawbacks of habitually gambling. Winning breeds enmity. The loser mourns the loss of money. There is immediate loss of wealth (by losing). A gambler’s word carries no weight in public assemblies. Friends and colleagues treat one with contempt. And no one wants to marry a gambler, thinking, ‘This individual is a gambler — unable to support a partner.’ These are the six drawbacks of habitually gambling.

9. Six Drawbacks of Bad Friends

“There are these six drawbacks of bad friends (keeping bad company). One becomes an associate and companion with those who are addicts, carousers, drunkards, frauds, swindlers, and thugs. These are the six drawbacks of bad friends.

10. Six Drawbacks of Laziness

“There are these six drawbacks of habitual laziness. One does not get work done, thinking, ‘It’s too cold! It’s too hot! It’s too late! It’s too early! I’m too hungry! I’m too full!’ By dwelling on so many excuses for not working, one does not make any more money, and the money one already has runs out. These are the six drawbacks of habitual laziness.”

That is what the Buddha said. Then the Awakened One, the Teacher, went on to say:

“Some are just drinking buddies,

Some call you dear, dear friend,

But a true friend is one

Who stands by you through thick and thin.

Sleeping late, sexual misconduct,

Making enemies, doing harm,

Bad friends, and avarice:

these are six grounds for the ruin of a person.

With bad associates, bad companions,

Bad behavior, and bad resort,

One falls to ruin

In this world and the next.

Dice, women, drink, song, and dance,

Sleeping by day and roaming the streets at night,

Bad friends, and avarice:

these six grounds ruin a person.

One plays dice and drinks liquor,

Consorts with women loved by others.

Associating with the worse rather than the better,

One diminishes like the waning moon.

A drunkard, broke, and destitute,

Thirsty, drinking in bars,

Drowning in debt,

One will quickly lose one’s way.

• Kāhiti is third person singular future of karoti.

When one is in the habit of sleeping late,

Seeing night as the time to rise,

And always getting drunk,

One cannot maintain the household life.

‘It’s too cold, too hot,

too late,’ one says.

When the young neglect their work like this,

riches pass them by.

• The subcommentary explains atthā as dhanā (“riches”).

But one who regards heat and cold

as nothing more than a handful of grass —

one does one’s duties well,

and happiness never fails.”

11. Fake Friends

“Householder’s son, recognize these four enemies disguised as friends: the taker, the talker, the flatterer, the spender.

“One can recognize fake friends who are all take on four grounds:

• One’s possessions end up theirs.
• Giving little, they expect much.
• They do their duty out of fear.
• They associate for their own advantage.

“One can recognize fake friends who are all take on these four grounds.

“One can recognize fake friends who are all talk on four grounds. They’re hospitable in the past (speaking of past favors). They’re hospitable in the future (promising future favors). They’re full of meaningless pleasantries. When something needs doing in the present, they point to their own misfortune and inability to do anything to help. One can recognize fake friends who are all talk on these four grounds.

“One can recognize fake friend who are flatterers on four grounds: They support doing bad and doing good. They praise one to one’s face yet put one down behind one’s back. One can recognize fake friends who are flatterers on these four grounds.

“One can recognize fake friends who are spenders (wastrels) on four grounds: They accompany one when drinking, roaming the streets at night, frequenting entertainments, and gambling. One can recognize fake friends who are spenders on these four grounds.”

That is what the Buddha said. Then the Awakened One, the Teacher, went on to say:

“One friend is all take,

another all talk;

one is just a flatterer,

and one is a friend who wastes.

A wise person understands

these four enemies for what they are

and keeps them at a distance,

as one would avoid a risky road.”

12. Good-Hearted Friends

“Householder’s son, recognize these four good-hearted friends: the helper, the friend in good times and bad, the counselor, and the one who is compassionate.

“One can recognize good-hearted friends who are helpers on four grounds: They guard one when one is negligent. They guard one’s property when one is negligent. They keep one safe in times of danger. When something needs doing, they provide one with twice the resources needed. One can recognize good-hearted friends who are helpers on these four grounds.

“One can recognize good-hearted friends who are the same in good times and bad on four grounds: They share their secrets. They keep one’s secrets. They do not abandon one in times of trouble. They would even give their lives for one’s welfare. One can recognize good-hearted friends who are the same in good times and bad on these four grounds.

“One can recognize good-hearted friends who are counselors on four grounds: They keep one from doing bad. They support one in doing good. They teach one what one does not know. They explain the path to rebirth in heavens (sagga). One can recognize good-hearted friends who are counselors on these four grounds.

“One can recognize good-hearted friends who are compassionate on four grounds: They do not delight in one’s misfortune (downfall). They delight in one’s good fortune (success). They keep others from criticizing one. They encourage one’s praise. One can recognize good-hearted friends who are compassionate on these four grounds.”

The Buddha spoke this matter. Then the Awakened One, the Teacher, went on to say:

“A friend who’s a helper,

one the same in both pleasure and pain,

a friend of good counsel,

and one of compassion

A wise person understands

these four friends for what they are

and carefully looks after them,

like a mother nurses her own child.

The wise and virtuous

shine like a burning flame.

They gather riches like bees

roaming around collecting nectar.

And their riches stack up

like a termite mound rising.

Gathering wealth in this way,

a householder has enough for family.

And one holds on to friends

by dividing wealth in four.

One portion one enjoys now,

two parts one invests,

and the fourth one saves

for times of need.”

• The investment is spoken of terms of replenishing inventory for continued success as a merchant.

13. Protecting the Six Directions

“And how, householder’s son, does a noble disciple honor the six directions?

• Having explained the six drains on wealth, the Buddha moves on to the next item in the table of contents.

“These six directions one recognizes: parents as the east, teachers as the south, partner and children as the west, friends and colleagues as the north, servants and workers as beneath, and ascetics and Brahmins as above.

• Why? The directions are symbolic: Parents are the east because that is where the sun begins as one rises. Teachers are the south (dakkhiṇā) because they are owed an offering (dakkhiṇā). Family (spouse and children) is one’s legacy, so they are the west just as the setting sun. Good friends are the north because they keep one upright and on track on the way up. Servants are below (the earth) because they support one and make life possible. And spiritual teachers are the above (the heavens) because they lead one to transcendence.

“A child supports parents as the eastern quarter in five ways, thinking: ‘I will support those who supported me. I will do my duty (dharma) for them. I will maintain the family lineage (customs, reputation). I will take care of the inheritance. When they have passed away, I will make offerings on their behalf.’

“Parents supported by children in these five ways in turn show compassion to them in five ways: They keep them from doing wrong. They support them in doing good. They train them in a profession (livelihood so they can support themselves independently). They connect them with a suitable partner. They provide an inheritance in due time.

“Parents served by their children in these five ways in turn show compassion to them in these five ways. And that is how the eastern quarter is protected, kept safe and free of peril.

“A student supports teachers as the southern quarter in five ways: by rising for them (as a sign of respect), by serving them, by listening well, by looking after them, and by carefully learning their lessons.

“Teachers supported by students in these five ways in turn show compassion to them in five ways: They make sure they are well educated and well drilled in memorization. They clearly explain all the knowledge of the lesson. They introduce them to their associates and colleagues. They provide for their protection in every place.

• “Protection in every place” (disāsu parittāṇaṁ) refers to when students have completed their studies and gone off to travel, teachers do what they can do to ensure their safety in other regions.

“Teachers supported by their students in these five ways show compassion to them in these five ways. And that’s how the southern quarter is protected, kept safe and free of peril.

“A spouse supports a spouse as the western quarter in five ways: by honoring, by not looking down on, by being faithful, by giving authority to, and by presenting with adornments.

• Marriage is, of course, based on mutual care and respect, not on dominance and obedience.

“The other spouse in turn supports a spouse and shows compassion to him in five ways: One is well-organized in work. One manages the domestic help. One is faithful. One preserves the other’s earnings. One is deft and tireless in performing duties. A spouse served by a spouse in these five ways shows compassion in these five ways. And that is how the western quarter is protected, kept safe and free of peril.

“One supports friends and colleagues as the northern quarter in five ways: giving, kindly words, taking care, impartiality, and not using tricky words. Friends and colleagues served in these five ways show compassion in five ways: They guard one when one is negligent. They guard one’s property when one is negligent. They keep one safe in times of danger. They do not abandon one in times of trouble. They honor one’s descendants.

“Friends and colleagues served by one in these five ways show compassion to one in these five ways. And that is how the northern quarter is protected, kept safe and free of peril.

“One supports servants and workers as the lower quarter in five ways: by organizing work according to ability, by paying food and wages, by nursing them when sick, by sharing special treats, and by giving time off work. 

“Servants and workers supported by one in these five ways shows compassion in five ways: They get up first and go to bed last. They do not steal. They do their work well. And they promote a good reputation. Servants and workers supported in these five ways show compassion in these five ways. And that is how the lower quarter is protected, kept safe and free of peril.

“One supports wandering ascetics and Brahmins as the upper quarter in five ways: by loving deeds of body, speech, and mind, by not turning them away at the gate, and by providing them with material needs. Wandering ascetics and Brahmins served in these five ways show compassion in six ways: They keep one from doing wrong. They support one in doing good. They think of one with kindly thoughts. They teach one what one does not know. They clarify what one has already learned. They explain the path to the heavens.

“Wandering ascetics and Brahmins supported in these five ways show compassion in these six ways. And that is how the upper quarter is protected, kept safe and free of peril.”

The Buddha spoke this matter. Then the Awakened One, the Teacher, went on to say:

“Parents are the east,

teachers the south,

spouses and children the west,

friends and colleagues the north,

Servants and workers below,

Ascetics and Brahmins above.

By honoring these quarters

a householder does enough to be a householder.

The wise and the virtuous,

the gentle and the well-spoken,

the humble and the kind:

they are the ones who win glory.

The diligent, not lazy,

those not disturbed by troubles,

those consistent in conduct, the intelligent:

they are the ones who win glory.

The inclusive, the makers of friends,

the generous, those rid of stinginess,

those who lead, train, and influence:

They are the ones who win glory.

Giving and kindly words,

taking care here,

and treating equally in worldly conditions,

as befits one in each case;

these ways of being in the world

are like an axle pin upon which the world turns.

If there were no such ways of being,

neither mother nor father

would be respected and honored

for what they do for their children.

But since these winning ways do exist,

the wise regard them well

and so achieve greatness

and are praised.”

When this was said, Sigālaka the householder’s son said to the Buddha: “Excellent, sir, excellent! It is as if one were righting what had been overturned, or revealing the hidden, or pointing out the path to the lost, or lighting a lamp in the dark so people with clear eyes were able to see what is there! Just so the Buddha has made the Dhamma clear in many ways. I go for guidance to the Buddha, to the Dhamma, and to the [Noble] Saṅgha. From this day forth, may the Buddha remember me as a lay follower who has gone for guidance for life.”

• How to protect wealth, associate with virtuous friends, and relate to spouse, employer, children: guidance for lay practitioners (Sigalovada Sutta)