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THE    BUDDHIST,S  LIFE  STANDARDS

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     b) Knowing of the four kinds of True friends or friends at heart  (suhada-mitta):
     1.  The helping friend has four features:
          1.  When his friend  is  off  guard,  he  guards  him.
          2.  When  his  friend  id  off  guard,  he  guards  his  property.
          3.  In  times  og  danger,   he  can  be  a  refuge. 
          4.  In  times  of  need,   he  gives  more  than  asked  for.
    2.  The  friend  through  thick   and  thin has  four  features:
          1.  He  con  fides  in  his  friend.
          2.  He  keeps  his  friend,s  secrets.
          3.  He  does  not  desert  his  friend  in  times  of  dange
          4.  He  will  give  even  his  life  for  his  friend,s   sake.
   3.   The  good  counselor  has  four  features:
          1.  He  restains  friend   from  doing  evil   or  harm.
          2.  He  encourages   him  in  goodness.
          3.  He  makes  known  to  his  friend  what  he  has  not  heard  before.
          4.  He  points  out  the  way  to  prosperity  and  happiness.
    4.  The  loving  friend   has  four  features:
          1.   When  his  friend  is  unhappy,  he  commiserates.
          2.   When  his  friend  is  happy,   he  is  happy  for  him.
          3.   When  others  criticire  his  friend,  he  comes  to  his  defense.
          4.   When  others  praise  his  friend,  he  joins  in  their  praise.
   B.   Allocating  one,s wealth by being diligent in earning and saving right eously so that wealth
increase, as bees make their have or termites make their mound, and by planning expenditure as 
follows:
    @.  One portion  to  be  used  for  supporting  oneself,  one,s  family  and  dependents, and for
          doing  good  works.
    @.  Two  portions  to  be  used  for  investment.
    @.  Another  portion  to  be  put  aside  for  future  needs.
Law  3:  Maintain  one,s  relations  toward  the  six  directions.
    A.  Making reverence  in the directions around one  by performing the duties toward the people
related to one in due accordance to their six positions:
First  direction: as a son or daughter, one should honor one,s parents, who are compared to the
"forward direction,"  in the following ways:
    1.  Having been raised by them, one looks after them in return.
    2.  One  helps them in their business and work.
    3.  One  continues  the  family  line.
    4.  One  conducts  oneself as is  proper  for  an  heir.
    5.  After their death, one makes offerings, dedicating the merit  to  them.
Parents  help  their  children  by:
    1.  Cautioning  and  protecting  them  from  evil.
    2.  Nurturing  and  training  them in  goodness.
    3.  Providing  an  education.
    4.  Seeing  to  it  that  they  obtain  suitable  spouses.
    5.  Bequathing  the  inheritance to them at  the  proper  time.
Second  direction: as a student, one should show respect to one,s teacher, as the "right direction"
as follows:

    1.  One rises to greet the teacher and shows respect to him.
    2.  One approaches  the teacher to attened him, serve  him, to consult, query and receive advice
from  him,  etc.
   3.  One  hearkens  well  so  as  to  understanding.
   4.  One  serves  the  teacher and  nuns  errands  for  him.
   5.  One  learns the subject respecfully  and earnestly,  giving the task of learning tis  due importance.
A  teacher  supports  his  studens  by:
   1.  Teaching  and  maining  them  to  be  good.
   2.  Guiding  them  to  thorough  understanding.
   3.  Teaching  the  suject  in  full.
   4.  Encouraging  and  praising  his  studens'  goodness  and  abilities.
   5.  Providing  a protection  for  all  directions; that  is, teaching  and training them so that they can
actually use their learning to make a living and know how to conduct themselves well, having a gua-
rantee for smoothly leading a good life and attaining happiness and prosperity.
Third  direction: as a husband, one should honor and support one,s wife, compared to the "reaward  direction,"  as follows:
    1.  One honors  her  inaccordance with her status as  wife.
    2.  One   does  not  disparage  her .
    3.  One  does  not  commit  adultery.
    4.  One  gives  her  control  of  household  concerns.
    5.  One  gives  her  occasional  gifs  of  omaments  and  clothing.
A  wife  supports  her  husband  by:
    1.  Keeping  the  household  tidy. 
    2.  Helping   the  relations  and  friends  of  both  sides.
    3.  Not   committing  adultery.
    4.  Safeguarding  any  wealth  that  has  been  acquired.
    5.  Being   diligent  in  all  her  work.
Fourth  direction: as a friend,  one should conduct oneself toward one,s friends,  as the "left direc
tion,"  as follows:
    1.  One  shares  with  them.
    2.  One  speaks   kindly  to  them.
    3.  One  helps  them.
    4.  One  is  constant  through  their  ups  and  downs.
    5.  One   is  faithful  and  sincere.
Friend   reciprocate   by:
    1.  Protecting  their  friend  when  he is of  guard.
    2.  Protecting  their  friend,s  property  when  he  is  of  guard.
    3.  Being  a  refuge  in  times  of  danger.
    4.  Nor  deserting   their  friend  in  times  of  need.
    5.  Respecting  their  friend,s  family  and  relations.
Fifth  direction: as an employer, one should support  one,s  servants and employeees, as the "lower direction," as follows:
    1. One  assigns  then work in accordance with their strength, sex, age and abilities.
    2. One  grants them wages commensurate with their work and adequate for their livelihood.
    3. One  grants them fringe benefits by, for axample, providing medical care in times of sickness.
    4. One  shares with them a portion of any apecial profits that may accrue.
    5. One gives  them  with  appropriate holidays and time  to rest.

  A servant or employee help his employer by:
   1.  Starting  work  before  him.
   2.  Stopping  work  after   him.
   3.  Taking  only  what  is  given  by  employer.
   4.  Doing  his  jop  well  and seeking ways to improve on it.
   5.  Spreading  a  good  reputation about his employer  and  his  business.
Sixth  direction: as a Buddhist, one should show respect to the monks, as the "upper direction,"
as follows:
   1.  One  acts  toward  them  with  goodwill.
   2.  One  speaks to them  with goodwill.
   3.  One  thinks  of  them  with  goodwill.
   4.  One  receives  them  willingly.
   5.  One  supports  them  with the four requisites (almsfood, robes shelter and medicine).
Monks  help  lay  people  by:
   1.  Enloining  them  from  evil  actions.
   2.  Encouraging  them  in  goodness.
   3.  Assiting  them  with  kind  intentions.
   4.  Making  known to them  things  not  heard  before.
   5.  Explaining  and  clarifying those  things  they  have already  heard.
   6.  Pointing  out the way to heaven, teaching them the way to happiness and prosperity.
B.  Helping all people by joining in constructively creating social harmony and unity accoding to
the four principles for helpful inregration (sangaha-vatthu), which  are:
   1. Dana: giving, sharing (helping through money  and material good).
   2. Piyavaca: amicable speech  (helping through  words).
   3. Atthacariya: helpful action  (helping  through  physical effort).
   4. Samanuttaa: participation  ( helping  through  participation in contructive action and problem
solving).
SECTION   TWO
LIFE,S    OBJECTIVES

   Conducting  one,s life so as to attain the three levels of attha the benefits that are the objectives
of life:
First  level:  the temporal objective or present benefit  (ditthadhammikattha):
   a).  Having good  health, a strong body, freedom from disease, pleasant appearance and longevity.
  b).  Having work and income, honest livelihood, and economic self reliance.
  c).  Having good status,  being of good standing in the community.
  d).  Having  a happy family, making one,s family worthly of respect.
All of the above should be righteously abtained and used or treated so as to produce rightful benefit
and happiness both for oneself and for others.
    Secound level: the spiritual objective or further benefit (sampayikattha):
    a)  Warmth, deep appreciation and hapiness through faith; having an ideal.
    b)  Pride  in having a clean life, in having done only virtuous deeds.
    c)  Gratification in a worthwhile life, in having made sacrifices and done good.
    d)  Courage and confidence in having wisdom to deal with problems and guide one,s life.
    e)  Security and freedom from worry in having done good as a guarantee for the future life.
 
 

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( May, 5 2008)