Jina Piya Thera

Once upon a time, there was a king who had one hundred sons. The youngest, the one- hundredth, was Prince Gamani. He was very ener- getic, patient and kind. All the princes were sent to be taught by teachers. Prince Gamani, even though he was the one-hundredth in line to the throne, was lucky enough to have the best teacher. He had the most learning and was the wisest of them of all. He was like a father to Prince Gamani, who liked, re- spected and obeyed him. In those days, it was the custom to send each educated prince to a different province. There he was to develop the country and help the people. When Prince Gamani was old enough for this assignment, he went to his teacher and asked which province he should request. He said, “Do not select any province. Instead, tell your father the king that if he sends you, his one-hundredth son, out to a province, there will be no son remaining to serve him in his home city.” Prince Gamani obeyed his teacher, and pleased his ...

How to use money well   At one time Anathapindika was with the Buddha who taught him this: ‘There are four things that many people want, but that are hard to get in this world, and these are:   ‘He thinks: I want to get money following proper ways only. This is the first thing.   ‘Then if he gets money he thinks: I want my name and that of my family and teacher to become good and famous. This is the second thing.   Then if he gets money and a good name he thinks: I want to stay well off for a long time. This is the third thing. The when he has money, a good name and a long life, he thinks: I would like to be born again in a good place such as in heaven. This is the fourth thing that many people want but is hard to get. But Anathapindika, there are four things, if a person follows them, make these four things arise, and these are: proper belief and understanding, good behaviour, compassion, and deep understanding of reality.   And proper belief is: the person has belief tha...

If there was an important person who had never heard the sound of a guitar before, and when he heard one said: ‘Friend, what is that making the beautiful and sweet noise, and entrances me? ‘That’s a guitar, boss.’ ‘Please bring it to me.’ He went and brought it to him, but the man said: ‘I do not want this thing.I want only the sweet sound! ’He responded: ‘This is what a guitar is. It is made up of strings, screws for tightening the strings,the wooden part above which the strings run, and the box under the strings with its sides.When it is tuned properly it makes a beautiful and sweet sound. 'Now the man took the guitar and broke it into small pieces, then broke them again into smaller pieces and burned them all. He then collected the ashes and went to a nearby creek and threw them into the water, and said: ‘why do you a guitar is not a good thing. For a long time it has made people too happy with it, and this gives them all kinds of feelings a...

Aging and Death At Savatthi, King Pasenadi of Kosala said to the Blessed One: “Venerable sir, is anyone who is born free from aging and death?” “Great king, no one who is born is free from aging and death. Even those affluent khattiyas—rich, with great wealth and property, with abundant gold and silver, abundant treasures and commodities, abundant wealth and grain—because they have been born, are not free from aging and death. Even those affluent brahmins…affluent householders—rich…with abundant wealth and grain—because they have been born, are not free from aging and death. Even those monks who are arahants, whose taints are destroyed, who have lived the holy life, done what had to be done, laid down the burden, reached their own goal, utterly destroyed the fetters of existence, and are completely liberated through final knowledge: even for them this body is subject to breaking up, subject to being laid down. “The beautiful chariots of kings wear out, This body too undergoes decay...

I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was on a wandering tour among the Kosalans with a large community of monks — approximately 500 monks in all — and arrived at Salavatika. Now at that time the brahman Lohicca was reigning with feudatory rights over Salavatika — together with its wealth, grass, timber, & grain — through a royal grant bestowed by King Pasenadi Kosala. And at that time an evil viewpoint to this effect had arisen to him: "Suppose that a brahman or contemplative were to arrive at a skillful doctrine. Having arrived at a skillful doctrine, he should not declare it to anyone else, for what can one person do for another? It would be just the same as if, having cut through an old bond, one were to make another new bond. I say that such a thing is an evil, greedy deed, for what can one person do for another?" Then Lohicca heard it said, "Gotama the contemplative — the son of the Sakyans, having gone forth from the Sakyan clan — on a wandering...

I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying at Varanasi in the Game Refuge at Isipatana. There he addressed the group of five monks: "There are these two extremes that are not to be indulged in by one who has gone forth. Which two? That which is devoted to sensual pleasure with reference to sensual objects: base, vulgar, common, ignoble, unprofitable; and that which is devoted to self-affliction: painful, ignoble, unprofitable. Avoiding both of these extremes, the middle way realized by the Tathagata — producing vision, producing knowledge — leads to calm, to direct knowledge, to self-awakening, to Unbinding. "And what is the middle way realized by the Tathagata that — producing vision, producing knowledge — leads to calm, to direct knowledge, to self-awakening, to Unbinding? Precisely this Noble Eightfold Path: right view, right resolv...

If a person lives all by himself, then he will not have any problem with differing opinions. But if he chooses to live in society, he must learn to deal with the views and opinions of others especially when they do not conform with his. We are also living in a world where, apparently, might is right. The strong take advantage of the weak and the rich exploit the poor. If we cannot agree, we have to learn at least to agree to disagree. We should express our views gently and politely without trying to impose views on others by force. Those who use physical force to overcome their opponents clearly show their inability to convince the opponents that they are right. We find comfort in those who agree with us, but discomfort in those who disagree. Sometimes, others’ opinions on our attitudes or actions may not be something we would like to hear. But if we listen to them carefully, we ...

I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying near Savatthi in Jeta's Grove, Anathapindika's monastery. Now on that occasion Potthapada the wanderer, together with a large following of about 300 wanderers, had taken up residence in the debating hall near the Tinduka tree in the single-pavilion park of Queen Mallika. Then the Blessed One, early in the morning, taking his robes & bowl, entered Savatthi for alms. Then the thought occurred to him, "While it's still too early to go into Savatthi for alms, why don't I go to the debating hall near the Tinduka tree in the single-pavilion park of Queen Mallik a to see Potthapada the wanderer?" So he went to the debating hall near the Tinduka tree in the single-pavilion park of Queen Mallika. Now on that occasion Potthapada the wanderer was sitting with his large following of wanderers, all making a great noise & racket, discussing many kinds of bestial topics of conversation: conversation about...