These Are the Highest Blessings

Mangala literally means “protective amulet,” something you wear around your neck. The Buddha cleverly twists the meaning of the word away from superstition and into a discussion of living our lives in such a way that we abide in accordance with truth, thus bringing protection and blessings into our own lives and those around us. So what is the highest blessing? What is the most perfect charm? What is the mantra that will always protect us against everything? One can see that the question is loaded.

It’s significant that this question comes from a deva. According to Buddhist mythology, devas live in the heavenly realms where every sensual desire is fulfilled.When the deva reports that devas “are concerned for happiness and ever long for peace,” she is acknowledging that one cannot free oneself from suffering through satisfying the myriad sensual desires that may arise.

In our present day, we may feel too sophisticated to wear a rabbit’s foot around our neck. However, we may still put a lot of faith in the Dow Jones, real estate values or sufficient insurance policies to protect ourselves, our families and everything we own. The whole Department of Homeland Security depends on putting our faith in security cameras and armed guards—the hardware and science of protection. Yet deep inside, our anxiety builds because we know that no piece of paper or camera can prevent untoward events. How can we be sure we will be safe?

In my work as a nurse, I notice people sometimes view following a healthy lifestyle as a lucky charm. I’m going to eat right, do yoga, take supplements, and nothing bad will ever happen to me. When people are diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, they may be willing to follow any regime, no matter how far out it might sound, as a way of ensuring that they Page 2 of 7

will get better. When we hear someone has died, we may try to distance ourselves from our own inevitable demise by reflecting on aspects of our lifestyle that keep us “safe.”We may think: “Well, she smoked, so she got lung cancer. I don’t smoke, so I won’t get lung cancer. I’m safe from that one!”

We are trying to control things in our lives, everything.We are upset when life does not bend to our control. That is the ordinary human experience without the Dhamma. We say to ourselves: “I will do the research. I will do everything right, and it should work. If it doesn’t, then I will sue.” This is how we respond to dukkha in America: I’m suffering and someone must be to blame. It doesn’t occur to us that there might be no one to blame, not even ourselves. It might just be the nature of the way things are: undependable, unworthy of our confidence, impermanent.

In a way, we can use even meditation and spirituality like another lucky charm. We may use our practice as a way of controlling a difficult situation: I will practice metta and this problem person in my life will stop saying troublesome things to me. We want to have some safety or protection even though we really have no control over another person’s behavior.

So what did the Buddha say about staying safe, peaceful and happy? In brief, he said that sila, samadhi and pañña are essential for living a blessed life. In other words, the Mangala Sutta summarizes morality, concentration and wisdom; the entire map of the Dhamma is revealed in relatively few words.

The Mangala Sutta

Thus have I heard that the Blessed One
Was staying at Savatthi,
Residing at the Jeta’s Grove
In Anathapindika’s park.
Then in the dark of the night, a radiant deva
Illuminated all Jeta’s Grove.
She bowed down low before the Blessed One
Then standing to one side she said:
“Devas are concerned for happiness
And ever long for peace.
The same is true for humankind.
What then are the Page 3 of 7

highest blessings?”
“Avoiding those of foolish ways,
Associating with the wise,
And honoring those worthy of honor.
These are the highest blessings.
“Living in places of suitable kinds,
With the fruits of past good deeds
And guided by the rightful way.
These are the highest blessings.
“Accomplished in learning and craftsman’s skills,
With discipline, highly trained,
And speech that is true and pleasant to hear.
These are the highest blessings.
“Providing for mother and father’s support
And cherishing family,
And ways of work that harm no being,
These are the highest blessings.
“Giving with Dhamma in the heart,
Offering help to relatives and kin,
And acting in ways that leave no blame.
These are the highest blessings.
“Steadfast in restraint, and shunning evil ways,
Avoiding intoxicants that dull the mind,
And heedfulness in all things that arise.
These are the highest blessings.
“Respectfulness and of humble ways,
Contentment and gratitude,
And hearing the Dhamma frequently taught.
These are the highest blessings.
“Patience and willingness to accept one’s faults,
Seeing venerated seekers of the truth,
And sharing often the words of Dhamma.
These are the highest blessings.
“The Holy Life lived with ardent effort,
Seeing for oneself the Noble Truths
And the realization of Nibbana.
These are the highest blessings.
“Although involved in worldly ways,
Unshaken the mind remains
And beyond all sorrow, spotless, secure.
These are the highest blessings.
“They who live by following this path
Know victory wherever they go,
And every place for them is safe.
These are the highest blessings.

Avoiding those of foolish ways. Foolishness means not observing basic morality or the five precepts. Conversely, we want to associate with the wise, or those who do observe basic morality.

To honor those worthy of honor is to honor teachers, parents and monastics. The best way to give honor to them is to live according to the Dhamma.

Living in places of suitable kinds. This refers to places made up of the fourfold assembly: monks, nuns, laymen and laywomen. It also refers to places where the Buddha’s teaching can be found.

With the fruits Page 4 of 7

of past good deeds. The idea is that we will be born in a suitable place if we have good kamma. It is assumed that we must have done something good to give us the kamma to come in contact with the teachings in this lifetime.

Guided by the rightful way means letting go of the unwholesome and cultivating good. This seems pretty obvious, a real “no brainer,” but it is not always that obvious. Ajahn Chah said that people want happiness but they never want to create the causes of happiness. People don’t want suffering but they love to create the causes of suffering. Even as you read these words and think that they make sense, in only a few seconds you may create the causes of suffering again. If you want to be protected, don’t put yourself in situations where you will be vulnerable. If you don’t want to get hit by a car, don’t try to walk across the freeway.

Accomplished in learning is to remember and consolidate the Buddha’s teaching. Craftman’s skills are household arts and crafts, any work that’s not against the precepts. “Houseless” skills would be working with the four requisites: i.e., gathering alms food, mending robes, cleaning the shelter, and caring for one’s health.

With discipline highly trained. The householders’ discipline is abstaining from the tenfold causes of wrong action. The three bodily actions are killing, stealing and sexual misconduct. The four verbal actions are lying, slandering, rude speech and idle gossip. The three mental actions are covetousness, ill will and false view.

Providing for mother and father’s support. It is considered impossible to repay the support one is given by one’s parents. This is because parents give birth to us, feed us and introduce us to the world.

I was just with my mother, who recently had a hip replaced. Before going to see her, I had read a story of how
Ajahn Sumedho had rubbed his aged father’s feet. This seemed like a wonderful way to acknowledge the debt to one’s parents, and I thought my mother Page 5 of 7

might also really appreciate a foot massage. Just like Ajahn Sumedho’s father, she at first refused with a big “No.” Luckily, I had been prepped by the ajahn’s story to persist even after being turned down. “Well, okay, if you really want to,” my mother finally said, as if to please me. In a little while, she seemed very happy to have her feet massaged. There are things more easily communicated through touch than through words.

Cherishing family means caring for family with metta, karuna , mudita and upekkha and not indulging in attachment or affection. Attachment leads to grief, and affection leads to fear. In the Mangala Sutta, the Buddha lets us know how to relate lovingly to one another. But we must remember that pain and sorrow come from those who are dear to us. If something untoward happens to the one we love, we suffer. This is why the Buddha encourages us to connect through metta and karuna, loving kindness and compassion, rather than the worldly ways of attachment and affection.

Work that harms no being. This is work that brings no harm to yourself or others, work that brings no mental confusion and also avoids disturbing others.

Giving with Dhamma in the heart is cultivating nongreed and selflessness. Giving can mean both material things and the Dhamma. The gift of the Dhamma far exceeds any other material gift.

Offering help to relatives. This is not just familial relatives but the whole community.

Blameless actions. Once again, acting in ways consistent with the five precepts and right livelihood.

Steadfast in restraint. Seeing the danger in wrong-doing and restraining oneself.

Avoiding intoxicants that dull the mind. One cannot follow the precepts if one is intoxicated.

Now we are moving into the qualities that aid in the development of samadhi: heedfulness or constancy to stay with mindfulness.

Respectfulness and humble ways. Don’t think you know the best way. Be open to the opinions of others. Be content with the four requisites. Gratitude is a joy to the heart.While one is fingering Page 6 of 7

one’s rabbit foot, one feels fear.While contemplating one’s blessings, one feels joy.

Hearing the dhamma frequently taught, we clear up our doubts.

Patience is the supreme virtue. Willing to accept one’s faults. Being at peace, open and willing to endure the effects of past wrong actions.When we have done something unskillful, we must endure the effects of these actions. There is no way to
get away from the effects of past wrong action. Patiently enduring our kamma leads to maturity.

Seeing venerated seekers of the truth. Dassana can mean “seeing” or “meeting.” The implication is to meet fully with venerated seekers of the truth and respectfully and gratefully drink deeply of the truth of the teachings.

Next comes the pañña section. For the holy life to be lived with ardent effort, self-restraint is necessary. Realizing the noble truths, realizing nibbana. There is a whole description of arahantship: unshaken the mind remains, beyond all sorrow, spotless, secure.

Wisdom means understanding clearly how cause and effect works.An action that is wholesome and beneficial is just that, and we should make every effort to do it. Sometimes, a doubt arises.We worry that even though we are doing something beneficial, perhaps we shouldn’t be doing it because we are going to get caught up in a sense of self.What is beneficial should be done. Getting “me” caught up in the mix is something extra. We should work to avoid identifying with our actions, but that doesn’t mean we should avoid doing what is wholesome and beneficial.

In the Mangala Sutta, the Buddha declares that all the actions, attitudes and realizations he exhorts in the sutta are the highest blessings—all of them!

He is telling us that we need it all. One could say that the Buddha begins with sila and ends with liberation and that this sequencing implies that the latter is far more important than the former.Yes, there is a gradation from sila to pañña, and yet trying to realize liberation without sila would be like saying that your skin is not very important to your body. Page 7 of 7

If you tried to live without your skin, you would see how important it is. You need your skin, brain, heart, liver. All of its parts are essential to a happy body. Someone might think that if nibbana is the most important thing, then let’s just shoot for that. Forget about being grateful and nice to people—that’s so tedious! But the Buddha tells us that all of it is important. All of it is the highest blessing and needs our attention and development.

Kathryn Guta is a long-term supporter of Abhayagiri
Monastary. She has recently completed the CALM program
and is a lay minister.