Early Monastic Buddhism v2.c38.s3.1

v2.c38.s3.1

In every Nikāya, excepting the Dīgha, there is a Gahapativagga,² in which Buddha administered instructions to a particular gahapati or delivered discourses for the benefit of gahapatis in general. There are also discourses dealing incidentally with the general rules of morality, effects of karma, ideals of a householder and his wife, and the fundamental principles of Buddhism. The Gahapativaggas are found to contain discussions on all aspects of Buddhist ethics and philosophy. There were also many learned Brāhmaṇas, Khattiyas and Gahapatis who took part in abstruse discussions with Buddha and his disciples. In the Gahapativagga of the Majjhima Nikāya,³ there are ten suttas. In the Kandarakasutta, Pessa Hatthārohaputta spoke in appreciation of the four satipaṭṭhānas and said that he and other householders occasionally tried these four practices.¹ He was then told about the various ascetic practices prevalent in the country, and the superiority of the practices and acquisitions of Buddhist monks. To Dasama Gahapati was explained how a monk attained the anāgāmi and arahatta stages, and practised the four brahmavihāras and arūpasamāpattis.² The Sakkas of Kapilavatthu, specially Mahānāma, listened to a discourse on what made a sekha (i.e. a monk progressing towards Nibbāna). Potaliya gahapati felt offended at being called a gahapati in his so-called retired life and he was made to understand how one ceased to be a householder according to Buddha's law (ariyassa vinaye). Jīvaka could not believe that Buddha was taking meat specially prepared for him and on enquiry he was told how could the Buddha, perfect in the four brahmavihāras, do so. In the Upālisutta, one of the longest discourses, the teachings of Nigaṇṭha Nāṭaputta were discussed, and Upāli gahapati, a distinguished disciple of Nigaṇṭha Nāṭaputta, was convinced of the superiority of Buddhist teachings, and was won over to the Buddhist faith. Puṇṇa Koliyaputta and Acela Seniya listened to a discourse on the effects of kamma,³ gave up their austerities and joined the Buddhist order. Abhayarājakumāra, a lay disciple of Nigaṇṭha Nāṭaputta, wanted to cross words with Buddha at the instigation of his teacher but ultimately succumbed to Buddha's arguments. Pañcakaṅga thapati would not recongnise the adukkhamasukhavedanā as the third vedanā, the two other being sukha and dukkha. Buddha explained that sukha was a relative term and then gave an exposition of the stages of sukha through which a monk passed in order to reach the highest state of mental concentration. In the last sutta of this Gahapativagga is given an exposition of the views of a few heretical teachers as well as the wrong views held about Arūpa-brahmaloka and Nibbāna; at the end of this discourse all the Brāhmaṇas and Gahapatis of the village Sālā expressed their desire to become devotees of Buddha.¹