Happily Ever After into the afterlife (sutra)

American scholar-monk Bhikkhu Bodhi

Happily ever after, and even after that!

At Sunday Sangha last week (July 2018) we got into a discussion about the fact that of course we “cling” to our loved ones (spouses, children, parents, friends).

Then Brian mentioned that at a recent retreat, American Theravada monk Bhikkhu Bodhi pointed out that while many of the Buddha’s teachings were given to monastics, many [possibly most] of them were not. They were given to “regular people,” who were married and had children, and so on.

It’s important to know who the Buddha was talking to when we try to understand these teachings. This brought to mind a sutra wherein the Buddha tells Nakula-pita and his wife Nakula-mata how they could remain together and in love with each other as long as they lived and on into future lives as well!

“This discourse also shows that far from demanding that his lay disciples spurn the desires of the world, the Buddha was ready to show those still under the sway of worldly desire how to obtain the objects of their desire. The one requirement he laid down was that the fulfillment of desire be regulated by ethical principles” (Bhikkhu Bodhi’s In the Buddha’s Words). Here’s what it says in the text:

SUTRA: "To Nakula's Father"

In the Buddha’s Words

(AN 4:55) One morning the Blessed One (the Buddha) dressed, took his upper robe and bowl, and went to the household of Nakulapita. Having arrived, he sat down on the seat specially prepared for him.

Then the householders, husband and wife Nakulapita and Nakulamata, approached him and, after paying homage, sat respectfully to one side. So seated, the householder Nakulapita said to the Blessed One:

“Venerable sir, ever since the young housewife Nakulamata was brought home to me [for an arranged marriage], when I was young, I am unaware of having wronged her even in my thoughts, still less in my deeds. Our wish is to be in one another’s sight so long as this life lasts and in the future life as well.

“Then Nakulamata the housewife addressed the Blessed One: 'Venerable sir, ever since I was taken to the home of my young husband Nakulapita, when I was a young girl, I am unaware of having wronged him even in my thoughts, still less in my deeds.

Householder stream enterers are well on The Way

“Our wish is to be in one another’s sight so long as this life lasts and in the future as well.

“Then the Blessed One said: 'If, householders, both wife and husband wish to be in one another’s sights so long as this life lasts and in the future as well, they should have:

• the same faith (saddha, confidence) [in this case having toether entered the first stage of enlightenment],
• the same moral discipline (sila),
• the same generosity (dana),
• the same wisdom (panna).

“Then they will be in one another’s sight so long as this life lasts and in the future life as well” (AN 4:55).

How sweet is that? Happily Ever After, and Even After That!

• Jan Rosamond, Dharma Town Times (dharmatown.org, July 26, 2018); Ashley Wells, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

These Buddha quotes are life changing

Quotes (Dec. 15, 2021), Pat Macpherson, Ashley Wells (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

These Buddha quotes are life changing

(Quotes) The Buddha was a wandering ascetic (shramana), a spiritual leader and teacher who lived in ancient Gandhara (Central Asia) and India (South Asia).

The Buddha is regarded as the founder of the world religion of Buddhism and revered by Buddhists and others as an awakened (enlightened) being, who rediscovered an ancient path to freedom from suffering, craving, aversion, and ignorance, the otherwise endless cycle of rebirth and suffering.

Here are a few sayings of the Buddha, mixed in with a few fake Buddha quotes (like the last two). The best quotes and aphorisms of the Buddha make us pause and think about many things in life. The words of the Buddha are definitely worth our time.

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Bhikkhu Bodhi message: the lesson of corona

Bhikkhu Bodhi (BAUS, Bodhi Monastery); Ellie Askew, Dhr. Seven (ed.), Wisdom Quarterly

Theravada scholar-monk Bhikkhu Bodhi

...In the long run, this epidemic may be teaching us a powerful lesson about the imperative of fundamental social transformation, pushing us to lay the foundations for a more equitable society and a more sustainable world.

It is unconscionable that here, in the most affluent nation on earth, the least among us languish in their time of urgent need. The time is ripe for us to see that everyone’s basic human needs are met.

Above all, we must replace a profit-driven healthcare system with an alternative system built on the premise that health care is a fundamental human right, something to which every person is entitled by reason of his or her humanity regardless of income and social status.

To bring about the change we need requires concerted action from all of us, beginning with the simple task of contacting our congressional representatives and asking them to support such policies as the “moral agenda” proposed by the Poor People’s Campaign.

Anthology: In the Buddha's Words (Ven. Bodhi)

The Buddha said that the truly great person lives for his or her own welfare, for the welfare of others, and for the welfare of the whole world.

This is one of those special times when we are being given the chance to meet this call to greatness, when we are being asked to act for the welfare of the world.

The Numerical Discourses

To act in such a way, we do not have to perform extraordinary deeds of self-sacrifice or unparalleled feats of creative innovation; we don’t have to be the ones who discover a vaccine for the coronavirus.

The requirement, rather, is very simple: to adhere faithfully to the guidelines of social responsibility and to heed the call of social justice. By acting responsibly, even with our own best interest as our motivation, we will be putting compassion into action.

We’ll be promoting the good of our loved ones, neighbors, community and nation, and ultimately the good of the world. More

Bhikkhu Bodhi (Jeffrey Block) is the famous American author of many English translations.