INTERMEDIATE PAPER 1 : WHAT WE SEEK IN LIFE

MODULE 10: Counting Blessings

1. What is Blessing?

While we tread our life seeking for Happiness, we often forget that one of the real source of happiness is Counting one's own Blessings in Life.

What are Blessings then? Of course blessing is not those showers splashed onto your head and body by means of mantra, baptized or dipping one-self into the river Ganges . Neither does it means wearing of pendants, chanting of protective paritta (charm) or counting how much wealth we have in our $avings.  So are seeing a falling stars or auspicious signs such as pigeon flying into your house, etc.

Once there was a man who approaches a monk in the Temple and requests him to bless the new Buddha Image that he had just bought.  The monk then asked him, “Who is more blessed? The Buddha or me?”

Some tradition also defines what is “Un-blessings” or misfortune such as seeing of a crow or black cat. Even the sight of a beggar or a monk asking for donation is considered as a sign of bad luck instead of a blessing where one has an opportunity to perform charity.

Blessing basically means “Thankfulness” for something that brings happiness, prosperity and joy to oneself and others.

2.  Prospective of Blessings

We need to acknowledge the existence of blessings that one has and also identify what they are.  When right understanding arises, one begins to cherish and appreciate them before it disappears forever.

How many of us count our own Blessings especially when one is down and sad?

We often count others blessings more than ours.  No wonder we are not happy.

Blessings are basically relative.  It depend on the surrounding, environment and most important how we perceived life.  Some time it comes in disguise, for example a person is born a poor man who has little obligation as compare to a king full with responsible and restriction.

3.  What Blessings to count?

Do we need to wait for “Thank Giving Day” to count our blessings?

We should not take for granted all the small blessings such as to be able to speak to a friend or to be born complete and perfect.  Some of us are born with two eyes that are unable to see the Truth and Dhamma.

To have a happy and understanding family; to have a suitable place to stay that is free from calamity, disease and disaster; to have enough to eat; to have a satisfactory career; to be able to give and share; to have plenty of opportunities to learn, practice and realize the Dhamma are some of those blessings that should not be missed in our counting.

In the Dhammapada, the Buddha said, “It is rare to be born as a human.” And yet some of us spend more than one third (1/3) of our life sleeping away while others think that life is boring and some even take their own life when they are depressed.

It will be a greater blessing to be born at the time where the Teachings of the Buddha exist and taught.

The most important blessing in the cause of our life is to have to meet the Right Person who can be our teacher, guide and light.  Who is he?  If you found such a wise person, stick to him like a “Shadow” that never leave his master and pay due respect to him.

4. Mangala Sutta

(Sutta Nipata II.4  & Khuddakapatha 5)

Controversial points were raised and expounded and yet no decision could reach to answer the question of what are the Blessings in Life. From the neighborhood where it was first discussed, news spread far and wide as no satisfactory answer could be obtained.  This debate was then carried to the spiritual realm of gods and Brahmas. After debating for twelve year the deities at the Tuvatimsa Heaven proposed to lay the matter before their King, Sakka Deva Raja.

In which King Sakka answered, “I’m just like the light of the fire-fly, there is a brighter light down there with the Buddha.  Why don’t you ask the Buddha?”

And thus the Buddha expounded the Discourse on the 38 Blessings in Life.

1.    Not to associate with the fools,
Fools or ignorant people not only injure themselves, but also those around them. Constant associating with them will subject or conditioning ourselves to their unwholesome qualities.

2.    To associate with the wise,
A wise man is rich of virtuous and wholesome deeds as well as thoughts. The good friendship not only helps us to elevate our morality but also enhance our character.

3.    To revere those who are worthy of reverence,
revere here include honour, respect and administer to their needs.

4.    To reside in a suitable locality,
in a village, town or country with good and friendly neighbors or citizens.

5.    Merits gained in the past,
accruing merits during previous birth.

6.    To be instated in good pre-requisites,
the good Kamma (from the previous birth) are properly directed to pave the path for future births.

7.    To be well learned,
with broad knowledge from studying will enhanced one’s wisdom in deciding one’s own progress.

8.    To be well instructed in arts,
with practical skills, one’s is liable to fall into the pitfalls of ignorance.

9.    To be well-disciplined behaviour,
character is the very essence of a man. Happy is one who has well controlled over his mind.

10.  To be possessed of pleasant words and speech,
a well-spoken word creates happiness and destroys sorrows in one self and others.

11.  To honour, respect, support and attend on parents,
Ministering to one’s parents is one of the sterling qualities of man. The obligation to repay their love and care ensure the continuity of human parental chain.

12.  To look after, feed and take care of the wife and children,
matrimonial responsibilities include consistently bestowing love, care, respect and trust in tuning a hormonal living with one’s spouse and siblings.

13.  To be engaged in undisputed undertaking,
besides seeking for a wholesome occupation of honesty, lawful, rightfully gain and sincere, it also requires one to be consistent and diligent in one’s work.

14.  To practice charity,
poor are those who only receive and not giving.  Generosity is the foundation of our spiritual path.

15.  To behave in accordance with the Dhamma,
righteous livelihood ascertains a true and worthy living that assures real happiness in this life.

16.  To render help to relatives,
charity begins from home.  Our compassion and sympathy should radiate out encompass our relatives as the second group of receiver.

17.  To engage in undertakings of a righteous / blameless action,
sincerity, truthfulness and honesty formed the pillar of confidence, trust and esteem to others who are also seeking their happiness along with us.

18.  To avoid and abstain from evil deeds,
every evil deed will have an evil effect on the performer, which will, hinders him in his spiritual progress and perfection.

19.  To abstain from the indulgence in intoxicants,
a deadly enemy that may take total control on a person causing him to loose his physical possession as well as his integrity and intellect.

20.  To be heedful in virtuous deeds,
“All conditioned things are transient, strive on with diligent” – the last message of the Buddha.  Let us not be a victim of lust, hatred and illusion but earnestly strive towards perfection in our virtuous deeds.

21.  To respect and honour those who deserve them,
besides the Buddha, Pacceka Buddha, arahants, father, mother and the elders, those who energetically work his way to success in spiritual attainment through wholesome action, speech and thought deserved salutation and their path worth to be tracked.

22.  To be submissive,
one must be as humble as a carpet that is always trodden upon, or like a cow with a broken horn, or like a shank without any fangs. Humility is one way to suppress our ego.

23.  To be contented,
a man without much craving experienced worry-free and strong self-esteem.

24.  To be grateful,
the Buddha’s first teaching was gratitude.  Soon after his enlightenment, he pays his gratitude to the Bodhi tree that shaded him from rain and shine during his strives to enlightenment.

25.  To listen and hear the Dhamma at such times in order to check our thoughts,
when our mind become lustful and full of passion, we must re-conditioned them by listening to the Truths so that we may subdue our thoughts.

26.  To observe patience,
with patience, one allows oneself the additional time needed to compare one’s moral principles against the action one’s decided to take. One becomes pro-active. With one’s anger controlled, one enjoys peace of mind.

27.  To be obedience,
a man of gentle characteristics filled with composure acts obediently taking good guidance from their elders and teachers to pave their path to spiritual achievement.

28.  To make the sight of bhikkhus (Sangha, Holy Communities) pleasant,
with the bhikkhus around, means there is an opportunity to learn the Dhamma, practice Dana for them, obtain guidance from them to practice meditation and thus be able to realize the Truth.

29.  To be engaged in religious discussions when one requires checking on thoughts;
doubts need to be clarified, so that one does not track on the wrong path.

30.  To try and arrest passion,
conquering laziness by energetic ways will subdue craving and ignorance that are the cause of suffering.

31.  To practice life of purity / celibacy (Brahmmacariya),
when a person decided to lead a life of purity, be it a layman or a monk, abstaining oneself from associating with the opposite sex, helps in one’s sense-control over the desirous sexual relation that leads to lust and attachment.

32.  To realize the Four Noble Truths,
to be able to comprehend and eradicate the cause of suffering; realize and develop to noble paths that lead to the end of suffering.

33.  To attain Nibbana – realizing the Unbinding,
one who attained Nibbana is free from the fetters that bind him to the round of rebirths, as such he is free from the worldly attachment, sorrow, death, anger, craving, ignorance and etc. He will not be reborn again.

34.  To be well balanced in the 8 worldly conditions,
all condition things are not lasting, as they changes between gain and loss, praise and blame, fame and defame, happiness and sorrow. With a balanced and controlled mind, one’s keep a mental equilibrium in respect of the worldly changes and influences.

35.  Not to feel sorrow,
to be able to understand the cause of sorrow i.e. ignorance that manifested in the form of desire, attachment, craving, temptation, love and etc. which are accompanied or rooted in greed, hatred or/and delusion.

36.  Not to be addicted to lust,
greed, as the root of evil should be suppressed and controlled. Allowing lust to dominate one’s action, speech and thought is to bind oneself in the ocean of Samsara (Suffering World).

37.  Not to be addicted to passion,
hatred, as the other roots of evil, should also be suppressed and guarded. Permitting passion to dictate one’s action, speech and thought is to bind oneself in the ocean of Samsara.

38.  To be calm and quiet in everything,
a serene and peaceful state of mind enable one to be in full control on every aspect of situation. One will not be easily moved by any slight changes that does not benefit to one and others.

1. “It is rare to be born as a human being.”  Which blessing/s describe that birth in the human realm is a blessing?

2. When and what is the best way to count our blessings?