Who is a lay Buddhist disciple? Mahānāma Sutta
By Dr. Ari Ubeysekara
Introduction
All of the discourses delivered by the Lord Gautama Buddha, who lived and preached in India during the 6th and 5th century BC, were grouped into five collections at the first Buddhist council that was held three months after the passing away of the Buddha in 483 BC.
- Collection of long discourses (dīgha nikāya)
- Collection of middle length discourses (majjhima nikāya)
- Collection of connected discourses (samyutta nikāya)
- Collection of numerical discourses (anguttara nikāya)
- Collection of minor discourses (khuddaka nikāya)
Collection of numerical discourses (anguttara nikāya) contain the discourses in eleven groups (nipātas), grouped numerically from one to eleven, based on the number of facts discussed by the Buddha in each discourse. Mahānāma sutta is included in the Gahapati vagga of the eighth group of the discourses in the Anguttara Nikāya. (1)
Content of Mahānāma sutta
On one occasion, the Buddha was residing at the Nigrodhārāma monastery near Kapilavatthu in the region of the Sākyans. One day Mahānāma the Sākyan went to the Buddha, paid homage and sat to one side.
[Kapilavatthu was in the country of the Sākyans and the Buddha’s father King Suddhodana was an elected chief of the Sākyans. It was at the palace of King Suddhodana in Kapilavatthu, that the Buddha grew up as Prince Siddhartha and lived there until the renunciation at the age of 29. When the Buddha visited Kapilavatthu for the first time after enlightenment on the invitation of King Suddhodana, Nigrodhārāma monastery was donated to the Buddha.
Mahānāma was a member of the Sākyan clan that the Buddha also belonged to and happened to be a cousin. He was a devoted disciple of the Buddha and had attained the supra mundane stage of Once-Returner after listening to the Buddha’s teaching. He used to visit the Buddha frequently and a number of discourses delivered to him by the Buddha are recorded as Mahānāma Sutta’s in the Samyutta Nikāya and the Anguttara Nikāya.]
As he was sitting to one side, he said to the Buddha:
“Venerable Sir, in what way is one a lay disciple?”
“When Mahānāma, one has gone to the Buddha as refuge, to the Dhamma as refuge, to the Sangha as refuge; in that way, one is a lay disciple.”
[The Buddha, Dhamma and the Sangha are known as the Triple Gem and one becomes a Buddhist disciple by taking refuge in the Triple Gem. The Buddha is the Samma Sambuddha, who is fully enlightened and self-awakened through His own effort with no assistance from any teacher, and through great compassion, has taught the Dhamma He has realised so that others too can practise it and attain liberation from suffering. The Dhamma is the Buddha’s teaching and Sangha refers to the disciples who are either fully liberated or are on the path of liberation.]
“In what way, Venerable sir, is a lay disciple morally virtuous?”
“When, Mahānāma, a lay disciple abstains from killing living beings; abstains from taking what is not given; abstains from sexual misconduct; abstains from false speech; abstains from strong drinks, distilled drinks, and intoxicants that cause heedlessness, in that way, a lay disciple is morally virtuous.”
[For the lay disciples, the minimum code of morality expected of them is what is known as Pancha-sīla or five precepts. They are: abstaining from killing living beings; abstaining from taking what is not given; abstaining from sexual misconduct; abstaining from false speech; abstaining from strong drinks, distilled drinks, and intoxicants that cause heedlessness, in that way, a lay disciple is morally virtuous.]
“In what way, Venerable Sir, a lay disciple practises for his own welfare but not for the welfare of others?”
“Mahānāma,
- When a Buddhist disciple is himself accomplished in faith, but does not encourage others to accomplish faith;
- when he is himself accomplished in morally virtuous behaviour, but does not encourage others to accomplish morally virtuous behaviour;
- when he is himself accomplished in generosity, but does not encourage others to accomplish generosity;
- when he himself has the desire to see the monks, but does not encourage others to see the monks;
- when he himself has the desire to listen to true Dhamma, but does not encourage others to listen to true Dhamma;
- when he himself remembers the Dhamma he has heard, but does not encourage others to remember the Dhamma that they have heard;
- when he himself investigates the meaning of the Dhamma that he has remembered, but does not encourage others to investigate the meaning of the Dhamma;
- when he himself has understood the Dhamma, understood it’s meaning, and practises in accordance with the Dhamma, but does not encourage others to understand the Dhamma, to understand it’s meaning and to practise in accordance with the Dhamma.
It is in this way, Mahānāma, that a lay disciple practises for his own welfare but not for the welfare of others.”
“In what way, Venerable Sir, a lay disciple practises for his own welfare and for the welfare of others?”
“Mahānāma,
- When a Buddhist disciple is himself accomplished in faith, and encourages others to accomplish faith;
- when he is himself accomplished in morally virtuous behaviour and encourages others to accomplish morally virtuous behaviour;
- when he is himself accomplished in generosity and encourages others to accomplish generosity;
- when he himself has the desire to see the monks and encourages others to see the monks;
- when he himself has the desire to listen to true Dhamma and encourages others to listen to true Dhamma;
- when he himself remembers the Dhamma he has heard and encourages others to remember the Dhamma they have heard;
- when he himself investigates the meaning of the Dhamma that he has remembered and encourages others to investigate the meaning of the Dhamma;
- when he himself has understood the Dhamma, understood it’s meaning, and practises in accordance with the Dhamma and encourages others to understand the Dhamma, understand it’s meaning and to practise in accordance with the Dhamma.
It is in this way, Mahānāma, that a lay disciple practises for his own welfare and for the welfare of others.”
In the Mahānāma sutta, Mahānāma the Sākyan went to the Buddha and sought a clarification as to who a Buddhist disciple is. When the Buddha stated that one who has gone to the Buddha, Dhamma and the Sangha for refuge is a Buddhist disciple, Mahānāma sought a clarification as to how a Buddhist disciple is morally virtuous or not. The Buddha stated that a disciple who observes the five precepts of morality is a virtuous disciple. Then Mahānāma sought a clarification from the Buddha with regard to the difference between a disciple who practises for his own welfare and a disciple who practises for his welfare as well as the welfare of the others. The Buddha described eight qualities practised by a Buddhist disciple. They are: faith, virtuous behaviour, generosity, desire to see the monks, desire to listen to Dhamma, remembering the Dhamma that one hears, investigating the meaning of the Dhamma that one has remembered and practising in accordance with the Dhamma. A Buddhist disciple who practises for his own welfare will practise these eight qualities by himself, while a disciple who practises for the welfare of the others too will encourage others to cultivate the same qualities. A disciple who encourages others to cultivate these qualities can be described as a spiritual friend (kalyāna mitta), and according to the Buddha’s teaching, a spiritual friend is an essential and invaluable person in the Buddhist spiritual path of liberation from suffering.
References
- Bhikkhu Bodhi 2012, Mahānāma sutta , The Numerical Discourses of the Buddha, Anguttara Nikāya, Wisdom Publications.
End.
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