The second example of practical guidance occurs in the Sutra of Good Fortune, which explains the maximum happinesses to which men can attain and suggests practical ways they can be achieved. This sutra is recited daily by the faithful in lands where Southern (Theravada) Buddhism prevails.

Once when Shakyamuni was in the Jetavana Monastery, a deity of surpassing beauty approached him and said, “Many gods and men have longed for various blessings and have sought the highest blessing. World-honored One, tell me what the highest blessing is.” And Shakyamuni answered with the following precepts:

1. Not to associate with fools but to associate with wise men and to revere people who are worthy of reverence. This is the highest blessing.
2. To live in a suitable place, to have accumulated merits and virtues in previous lives, and to have correct wishes. This is the highest blessing.
3. To be learned and skillful, to be trained and to have studied much, and to speak words of good teachings. This is the highest blessing.
4. To care for parents, to provide well for wife and children, and to have a way of making a living that is pure and correct. This is the highest blessing.
5. To give alms, to perform correct actions, to care lovingly for and to protect relatives, and to do nothing that is blameworthy. This is the highest blessing.
6. To take no pleasure in wickedness and to refrain from evil acts, to control one’s own consumption of intoxicants, and to be selfless in all things. This is the highest blessing.
7. To respect others, to be humble, to know what is sufficient, to be grateful for what others do, and from time to time to hear the Law taught. This is the highest blessing.
8. To be forbearing, to speak gently, to meet with people of religion and occasionally to discuss the Law and teachings. This is the highest blessing.
9. To make efforts, to be trained in the Buddha’s way, to comprehend the Noble Truths, and to find enlightenment in nirvana. This is the highest blessing.
10. To remain unshaken by contact with the things of the secular world, to be free of anxiety, to be undefiled, and to be tranquil. This is the highest blessing.

Those who do these things are undefeated in all things, prosperous in all things, and theirs is the highest blessing. (Page 194-195)

[A footnote accompanying the story of Subhadda, an old ascetic who became the last person converted by Shakyamuni himself says:] This account contains a verse that is the oldest reference to chronology in Shakyamuni’s life: “At twenty-nine, I gave up the secular life in search of what is good, Subhadda, and fifty-one years have passed since then.” Seven years passed from the time that he left his father’s house until his enlightenment at the age of thirty-five, and he was active as a Buddha for forty-five years. (page 187)

Even in his last hours of pain and old age, Shakyamuni was concerned about the feelings of the faithful. He said to Ananda, ”It is possible that someone will cause Chunda the smith to feel remorse by telling him he has incurred evil and loss by giving me the meal that has caused my death. But you must relieve Chunda of remorse by telling him that you have heard it from the very mouth of the Tathagata that, through this meal, he has incurred great good and gain. There are two meals of equal merit and fruit and of greater merit and fruit than any other: the meal offered to a Tathagata at the time of his perfect enlightenment and the meal offered a Tathagata at the time of his passing into nirvana. By giving me this meal, Chunda the smith has laid up great good karma leading to long life, fame, heavenly fortune, and sovereign power.” This incident is concluded with the following stanza:

“Good fortune increases for him who gives.
Malice does not accumulate for the person who controls
his mind.
The good person abandons all evil
And, by destroying lust, wrath, and ignorance, becomes
completely tranquil.” (Page 185)

After a stay in Vesali, Shakyamuni and Ananda went northward to the village of Bhanda, then to Hatthi, Amba, Jambu, and then out of the kingdom of the Vajjis to Bhoga, in the land of the Mallas, where, at the Ananda shrine, Shakyamuni preached on the topic of the Four Great References. According to this sermon, the members of the Order are instructed to be critical of all reported teachings; to examine them diligently; to compare them with the scriptures and the genuine teachings; and, on the basis of such comparison, to decide whether they are true. Four kinds of reports to be subjected to such inquiry are cited: words reported as having been heard directly from Shakyamuni himself, words reported as having been heard from a group of elders, words reported as having been heard from several elders, and words reported as having been heard from a single elder. Monks must not accept blindly what has been said but must examine it on the basis outlined above. Today, too, it is important to investigate what is offered as truth in the light of the counsel of trustworthy leaders and authoritative scriptures before accepting it as true. Buddhists are taught to compare an opinion with teachings, reason, and actuality to determine whether it is true. (Page 183)

[This note accompanies the description of Shakyamuni’s lecture summarizing the 37 truths he had taught. At the end of the lecture he revealed he would die in three months time.]

Since they are a compendium of basic Buddhist teachings, it will be helpful to expand slightly on the truths that Shakyamuni listed for his followers on this important occasion.

1. The Four Insights. The insights that the world is transient, the body is impure, perception leads to suffering, and the mind is impermanent.
2. The Four Kinds of Right Effort. These are the effort to prevent evil from arising, to abandon evil when arisen, to produce good, and to increase good when produced.
3. The Four Bases of Supernatural Power. These are will, exertion, thought, and investigation. All of these must be accompanied by insight and right effort.
4. The Five Moral Powers. These are belief, endeavor, memory, meditation, and wisdom.
5. The Five Organs of Good Conduct. These are the organs that lead man to good conduct: the sense of belief, the sense of endeavor, the sense of memory, the sense of meditation, and the sense of wisdom.
6. The Seven Qualities of Wisdom. These are the requisites for attaining enlightenment: investigation of the Law, endeavor, the joy of practicing the true teachings, tranquility, the cessation of clinging, contemplation, and mindfulness.
7. The Eightfold Noble Path. right view, right thinking, right speech, right action, right living, right effort, right memory, and right meditation.

(Page 182)
The Beginnings of Buddhism

During this period, Shakyamuni fell gravely ill but, thinking it wrong for him to die without giving his followers final instructions, resolved to overcome the sickness by strong effort and by being mindful and thoughtful. He did so and thus prolonged his life for a while.

When Shakyamuni had recovered, Ananda said to him, “World-honored One, I have seen you in good health and fine condition. But when you were sick, I did not know what to do. Everything before my eyes went dark; my faculties were upset. But I took some small comfort from the idea that you would not leave the world without parting from the monks.”

Shakyamuni replied, “Ananda, what can the monks expect of me? I have taught them everything, both the esoteric and the exoteric, for the Tathagata is not the kind of teacher who conceals things from his followers. If I felt that I should lead the Order or that the Order was dependent on me, I would have something to say. But I do not feel that way. Why then should I make pronouncements?

“Moreover, Ananda, I am old and frail. I am eighty. Like an old cart that can only be kept in operation by the help of leather thongs, the body of the Tathagata can only be kept going with much help. Only when I am in the deep state of meditation where I am free of all suffering and entertain no thoughts about anything is my body at rest. Therefore, Ananda, you must all be lamps unto yourselves. You must rely on yourselves and on no one else. You must make the Law your light and your support and rely on nothing else.”

This was Shakyamuni’s way of saying that the most important things for Buddhists are these: (1) To meditate mindfully and thoughtfully on the four insights that the body is impure, perception leads to suffering, the mind is impermanent, and the world is transient and in this way to eliminate the suffering and craving arising from these four things. This teaching is known as the four insights. (2) To be a lamp unto oneself by first raising one’s spiritual level through relying on the lamp of the Law in the form of these basic teachings (that the body is impure, that perception leads to suffering, that the mind is impermanent, and that the world is transient) and then relying on oneself in further deepening and elevating one’s level of understanding and religious practice.

Shakyamuni concluded his teaching on this point in this way: “Ananda, now or after my death, of all those who are willing to study, the people who are a lamp and support to themselves, who rely on no one else, who employ the Law as a lamp and a support and call on nothing else shall reach the ultimate height.” (Page 179-181)

Shakyamuni taught what is called the Mirror of the Law, by means of which an elect disciple can say for certain whether for him the worlds of hell, animals, hungry spirits, suffering, and evil are destroyed and whether he has entered the stream leading unfailingly to final salvation. The Mirror of the Law consists of four elements: faith in the Buddha, faith in the Law, faith in the Order, and faith in the sacred precepts. Possessed of these four faiths, the disciple knows that he will never backslide. Faith in the Three Treasures leads to the state where violations of the sacred precepts or other evil acts are impossible. Since the disciple is unable to do ill, such evil states as hell, animals, hungry spirits, and others, which are the effects of evil causes, cease to exist for him. Living only in the good, he is liable only to good karma, and this means that he has joined the company of the elect who are assured of ultimate salvation. (Page 178)

The most outstanding example of the misuse of supernatural powers in all Buddhist history is the case of Shakyamuni’s cousin Devadatta. When Shakyamuni first visited his home country after his enlightenment, a group of young men from the Shakya clan abandoned secular life to become his followers. Among them were Ananda, who heard the Buddha’s teachings so many times that he became a learned sage; Anuruddha and Bhaddiya, who attained the enlightenment of arhats; and Bhagu, Kimbila, and Devadatta, who did not become arhats but who attained the five supernatural powers. (Though the sixth and most important power is attained only by the enlightened, ordinary Buddhist believers, the faithful of other religions, and even such sly animals as foxes and badgers are thought to be able to manifest the other five.)

Attempting to devise more effective uses for his powers, Devadatta hit upon the idea of employing them to ingratiate himself with and win the confidence of the young prince Ajatasattu, who had a brilliant future. In this way, Devadatta hoped to increase his own honor and profit.

Assuming the form of a boy girdled with serpents, Devadatta appeared before Ajatasattu, who, horrified, demanded to know the identity of this alarming creature. When he received an affirmative reply to his question as to whether the prince found him frightening, Devadatta identified himself. But the prince was unconvinced. If this serpent-girdled boy was indeed the person he claimed to be, he should appear in the form that Devadatta customarily took. Devadatta then appeared before the prince in his usual monk’s robes, begging bowl in hand.

The delighted prince came to trust and respect Devadatta and sent him many rich meals each day. Flattering treatment only poisoned Devadatta’s mind and inspired evil desires in his heart. He vowed that he would gain control of the Buddhist Order. But because of his wicked ambitions he lost his supernatural powers. And this was the start of the series of crimes and wicked acts against Shakyamuni and the Order that finally resulted in Devadatta’s destruction. (Page 170-171)

The … story has to do with the events occurring in the last hours of Shakyamuni’s life at the foot of the twin sala trees in the grove just outside the town of Kushinagara. As Shakyamuni lay down, the twin trees, filled with bloom out of season, shed a rain of flowers on his body. Heavenly mandarava flowers and sandalwood perfume fell from the sky, and divine music played in honor of the Tathagata, the World-honored One.

Shakyamuni turned to Ananda and said that this was not the right way to pay homage to him. The right way was for the monks and nuns of the Order and all the lay believers to trust and understand the Buddha’s Law correctly and to live in accordance with it. Then he exhorted all those present to understand and trust the law and follow it in daily life.

At this time, Shakyamuni said sternly to Upavana, an arhat who was in front fanning him, “Brother, stand aside. Do not stand in front of me.” Finding this command odd, Ananda said to Shakyamuni, “World-honored One, the venerable Upavana has long been your faithful follower and attendant. Why do you order him away at this final moment?”

Then Shakyamuni said, “Ananda, many gods from the universe, the worlds of the ten directions, have gathered here to see the last hour of the Tathagata. Many great gods are gathered here for twelve leagues around the twin sala trees. And they murmur, ‘In the last watches of this night, one of the rare Tathagatas to appear in this world must die. We have come from afar to see the last moments of the Tathagata, but a powerful monk stands in front of him blocking our view.’ ”

This … story, too, reveals Shakyamuni’s supernatural ability to see things—in this case, divinities—that were invisible to his followers and other ordinary human beings.

It is said that in the early part of the night of his enlightenment Shakyamuni attained the first of the three types of superior wisdom: remembrance of one’s former existences, as well as those of others. In the middle part of the night, he attained insight into the future and the eye capable of seeing everything. In the last part of the night he attained the most important wisdom: perfect freedom enabling him to overcome all passions and thus to reach supreme enlightenment. These three types of superior wisdom constitute the last of the six supernatural powers of saving sentient beings attributed to Shakyamuni and to those of his disciples who attained ultimate enlightenment in the same manner as he. Though Shakyamuni was unsurpassed in this respect, each of his disciples had his special ability. For instance, Maudgalyayana is said to have excelled in perfect freedom of activity, whereas Anuruddha was famous for eyes capable of seeing everything. (Page 164)