Series: A Lay Person’s Life, Balanced and Successful
Dighajanu Sutta (AN 8:54)
SECTION ONE
16 September 2020 – The Pali League
A Lay Person’s Life: Knowing the Final Truth – “diṭṭhadhammahitāya”
- KEY PALI WORD
- “diṭṭhadhamma”: one who realizes the final truth or correct dhamma
- “hitāya”: benefit, blessing, welfare, reward, a friend
- KEY SUTTA STANZA
- “May the Buddha please teach us the Dhamma in a way that leads to our welfare (diṭṭhadhammahitāya) and happiness in this life and in future lives.”
- Dīghajāṇu Sutta AN 8.54 https://suttacentral.net/an8.54/en/sujato
- PALI TEXT OF SUTTA STANZA
- “Tesaṃ no, bhante, bhagavā amhākaṃ tathā dhammaṃ desetu ye amhākaṃ assu dhammā diṭṭhadhammahitāya diṭṭhadhammasukhāya, samparāyahitāya samparāyasukhāyā ti.”
- Dīghajāṇu Sutta AN 8.54 https://suttacentral.net/an8.54/pli/ms
- LESSON ONE – LAYPERSONS NEED TO KNOW CORRECT DHAMMA
- The Buddha recognized that laypersons are blinded by ignorance (avijja) and world of sensual pleasures (kamabhava).
- He understood that laypersons needed a way out of ignorance, sensual cravings, and dukkha suffering.
- He fully believed that laypersons could escape from ignorance, cravings, and dukkha.
SECTION TWO
- LESSON TWO – LAYPERSONS CAN LIVE BLESSED FROM CORRECT DHAMMA
- In this sutta we will learn the ways that The Buddha says a layperson must live to be blessed in this life and the next.
- The layperson, Dīghajāṇu, seems to indicate that laypersons needed to know correct dhamma in order to be happy and successful in this life.
- Welfare, happiness, and success are connected directly to following ‘correct dhamma’ (diṭṭhadhamma)
- The Buddha also uses the same Pali word for welfare and happiness when he gives his teaching to Dighajanu. Happiness and welfare is directly linked or connected to the correct views and correct dhamma.
