The Holy Monk named Sivali (The God of Wealth in Buddhism)
DISCOURSE ON TEACHING THE TEN UNETHICAL THINGS
PEOPLE STUDYING THE BUDDHADHARMA NEED TO AVOID
Ekottarãgama Sutra / Chapter Ten Dharmas /
No. 46. The virtuous Quality / Sutra No. 7
Thus have I heard. On the occasion, the World-Honored One was staying at the Jetavana Monastery donated by his chief male lay businessman Sudatta Anathapindika and Jeta prince. On a beautiful day, the World-Honored One gathered his disciples and taught the ten unethical things those who study the Buddhadharma need to avoid:
Those who study Buddhism get attached to the ten following unethical things, then they themselves will put an end to all merit and good dhammas in daily life. When they live, they feel insecure, and when they die, they will be reborn in an evil realm. The ten unethical things are presented step by step as follows.
Firstly, those who have enough good conditions to study the Buddhadharma receive the Dharma precepts, but do not practice the Dharma precepts, make the virtuous precepts flawed and dented, they are violators of the precepts and keep clinging to their wrong viewpoints. This is the first unethical thing that people who cultivate and learn the Buddhadharma need to avoid.
Secondly, those who indulge in eating, drinking, and sleeping a lot consume intoxicants, toxins, violent news, and hatred, do not take care of cultivation, learning, and applying the Dharma to serve other people, do not have the spirit of Bodhisattva’s way to engage themselves in helping life and saving people to do Buddhist tasks for the many. They do not believe in right speech, do not believe deeply in cause and effect, and defame the Triple Gem. This is the second unethical thing that people who cultivate and learn the Buddhadharma need to avoid.
Thirdly, those who cultivate and learn the Buddhadharma, but do not practice the Dharma, are not happy to practice the Dharma, do not live correctly with the Dharma, do not apply the Dharma, do not inherit the Dharma, do not propagate the Dharma, and do not have the spirit to engage themselves in teaching Buddhism to benefit living beings. This is the third unethical thing that people who cultivate and learn the Buddhadharma need to avoid.
Fourthly, those who practice the Dharma, but their bad moods and habits that are still thickly dense are not yet transformed, envy, win, and lose other people. They live in the Sangha, but they are frequently lazy, are not in harmony with the Sangha, do not accept and listen to good ideas and correct instructions from the Sangha, they do not have joyful minds to continue to follow the holy lineage. This is the fourth unethical thing that people who cultivate and learn the Buddhadharma need to avoid.
Fifthly, those who cultivate and learn the Dharma, but do not know enough and do not know to treasure what they have, run after the external objects, get attached to worldly dust, indulge in personal interests, are dominated and controlled by greed for wealth, sexual desire, fame, eating, and greed for sleeping. This is the fifth unethical thing that people who cultivate and learn the Buddhadharma need to avoid.
Sixthly, those who bear the Buddhist names go to a Temple for many years, but their knowledge of cultivating and learning the Dharma is meager. Sometimes they go to the Temple and offer to the Temple a few fruits and flowers, they beg for all kinds of things, like praying to the Buddha for them to win a lottery, and consider the Buddha as a divine Being to have the power to bless and give calamity for people. Because they understand cause and effect superficially, their minds are filled with superstitions, such as see physiognomy and astrology, see fortune-telling, feng shui, good and bad days and hours, worship a god of wealth, god of kitchen, burn votive papers, etc. When meeting adversities and obstacles, in them greed arises, anger arises, delusion arises, ignorance, wrong view, wrong thought, wrong speech, wrong action, wrong livelihood, wrong effort, wrong mindfulness, and wrong concentration arise together. This is the sixth unethical thing that people who cultivate and learn the Buddhadharma need to avoid.
Seventhly, those who cultivate and learn the Buddhadharma, but are not close to intellectuals, good teachers, good friends, and good environment. On the contrary, they frequently associate with bad intellectuals, bad teachers, bad friends, and a bad environment. This is the seventh unethical thing that people who cultivate and learn the Buddhadharma need to avoid.
Eighthly, those who cultivate and learn the Buddhadharma, but do not take the appropriate time for practicing meditation to nurture the body and mind, to recharge the more spiritual battery, and to water the flowers in the heart of freshness daily. They just wander outside, run after the external objects. Their bodies and minds are scattered, there is no concentration, awareness, and one-pointedness. This is the eighth unethical thing that people who cultivate and learn the Buddhadharma need to avoid.
Ninthly, those who practice the Buddhadharma, but practice and apply incorrectly with the Buddhadharma. They borrow names and images of Buddhism, but the content of what they do is not correct with the Buddhadharma, completely filled with the eight wrong paths, wrong dharma, wrong confidence, wrong understanding, wrong thoughts, wrong speech, wrong action, wrong effort, wrong mindfulness, and wrong concentration that lead to unhappiness and suffering to many people. For example, they worship cows, tigers, snakes, etc.
What they think is not true of what they say. What they say is not true of what they do, and vice versa, what they do is not true of what they say and what they think. This is the ninth unethical thing that people who cultivate and learn the Buddhadharma need to avoid.
Tenthly, those who cultivate and learn the Buddhadharma, but do not have the life towards the top, the virtuous direction, and do not have the spiritual life in the Dharma. They are not aware to build a life of peacefulness and happiness for their family and stability for society. On the contrary, they live a life of adultery and sexual violation of children. This is the tenth unethical thing that people who cultivate and learn the Buddhadharma need to avoid.
Those who violate the ten above unethical things are unwell-trained disciples of Buddhism. They are very anxious and fearful in the present as well as in the future. Therefore, practitioners who cultivate and practice the Buddhadharma need to avoid the ten mentioned above unethical things. When we understand and practice the Buddhadharma so well, Dharma learning, Dharma practice, Dharma joy, Dharma happiness, Dharma achievement, and Dharma attainment have the ability to permeate and cool the body and mind right here and right now in the present life.
After listening to the Buddha’s teachings, all people are extremely happy to try their best to practice, make the vows, and jointly spread the Buddhadharma to benefit living beings right in this world.
Namo the Original Master Sakyamuni Buddhaya.
(3 times, Bell)
Compiled by Ven. Thích Trừng Sỹ
Kinh Dạy Mười Điều Phi Đạo Đức Người Tu Học Phật cần Phải Tránh
