The ideal layman -

The ideal layman - 

  He is the refuge of the Three Jewels. That is to be believed in both theMahayana and the Theravada sutras. ⁽¹⁾ Among the disciples of the Buddha, lay followers hold a large number and have a certain influence on the appearance of Buddhism. in general. The survey of the sutras and the lives of the prominent lay Buddhists shows that the ideal layman form is mentioned in detail by the Buddha. According to the survey, an ideal layman must perfect the four basic qualities:  Economic Stability; dignified about morality; balance and balance;Dhamma and teaching . 

Economic stability

Living beings exist because of living things ⁽²⁾ . To survive exists the condition of existence. Living conditions of beings are foods in the broadest sense of the word. Here, stability and economic solidity are fundamental conditions for the survival of a human being in general and of lay people in particular. Furthermore, with a lay person, in addition to the real thing, in order to meet the need to exist, there must be corresponding duties in his relationships.

In particular, lay people should have a sound economic foundation in order to bring peace to their parents, wives and relatives ⁽³⁾ . The layman creates the livelihood and living conditions of others, benefits the other person, and is called the true step of the Buddha  ⁽⁴⁾ .  Further insights into the background of the great masters of the Buddha such as Anathapindika, Visakha, Mataikami, Vimalakirti ... show that they are lay people with a stable and stable economic foundation.

An economic self-reliant life will prevent as well as protect certain types of afflictions, avoiding the urgency associated with the common material needs of the everyday life of a lay layman. According to the Buddha, poverty is a distress. Because poor students contributed to export many kinds of afflictions such as being indebted, are urged, being chased, threatened the lives and persecuted ⁽⁵⁾ ... As a rule of  Salvation is to lead ^{(6 )} , poverty and extreme poverty is also the gateway to lead the consequences, the risk of crime. This is a fact that can be discovered in the busy stream of today's life.

For laypeople, the Buddha always encouraged them to strive for their own karma and karmic conditions. According to the Buddha, there is no merit in the occupation of livelihood, there is no distinction between the value of the farmer or the military officer. In addition to five ill -fated trades such as  trafficking, human trafficking, meat trading, liquor trading, and poison sales ⁽⁷⁾  that lay people should not do, the phrase  whatever occupations  are recorded in The  Sangha ⁽⁸⁾  has confirmed that the Buddha has allowed the lay person the right to life by all means as well as all possible conditions, in order to build a stable and stable economic foundation.

In addition to acknowledging the happiness of possession and the right to enjoy the possession of the lay person, the Buddha has step by step encouraged the lay people to strive for higher, more sustainable happiness. Specifically as the plan to bring peace to others, committed to the benefit of the community as well as the care of the Three Jewels.

In order to fulfill the obligations of laypeople, as well as to express the noble and noble aspirations, it is important for laypeople to be economically stable.

Solemn about the virtues

Together with the Three Jewels, lay people need to perfect the basic moral principles, classics called morality. According to the Buddha, a layman who is called dignified in virtue must perfect the qualities of  renunciation, renunciation, renunciation, renunciation, renunciation cooking wine ⁽⁹⁾ .  This is the five basic principles of living, is the virtue of a layman, is the condition for birth Heaven. The person who completes these five qualities, also called the  stepper ⁽¹⁰⁾. From the survey of the sutras, the frequency of these five moral norms was repeated hundreds of times by the Buddha and appeared in various contexts. That confirms the importance of these five principles of life, in the basic life of a layman.

Not only that, in addition to the five principles are fixed, the above pattern, in real life, the proper layman must comply with ten additional moral standards such as  humility, to be honest, to be consistent, not loose, to be patient, to be grateful, to let go, to commit and to release.  These are the norms of morality that are complementary, which the Buddha preached discourse scattered throughout the sutras. The perfection of these five principles and ten virtues sets the virtue of an ideal layman.

In the last words to the lay followers of Pataligama, the Buddha affirmed that there are five benefits to a solemn layman of precepts. First of all, there will be plenty of money for having a lifelong life. Second, the good reputation of the good. Third, the guardian of the congregation, or Karmapa, or Brahman, or the householder, or Satan, comes in with no fear, no confusion. Fourth, the preceptor, living according to the precepts will die with no disorder. And finally, the one who rules the world, living according to the precepts after the general body, will be born into heavenly beings. This can be regarded as the ultimate concern of the Buddha, for every laymen, been doing  cases of ¹¹  and of  sub sets ⁽¹²⁾ Confidence.

And for the layman to have many advantages in terms of the practice of precepts, the Buddha has made special remarks about living environment, friendship relations, the so-called  friends in the class good ⁽¹³⁾ . Being good friends is close to those who have virtue, faith; exchange and follow their example. Doing good in  accordance with Buddhist standards is more pioneering than the idiom:  Let me know who your friend is, I will let you know who you are.

The virtue of virtue is due to the practice. For a lay person, applying the Buddha's teachings in real life, as well as having a basic method of practice, is very important. Immediately a busy layman like Visakha, she remains concerned about a training method of matching the status of a layman's life, so that the Buddha taught to practice Bat boys ⁽¹⁴⁾ . From that, depending on their own conditions that the layman can choose a corresponding practice. Do not worry about the tediousness or monotony of the practice in the early stages. Let's go. Here, in order for the practice to be effective, the layperson should ask a devout Buddhist monk and mentor to make his choice and practice his own karmic conditions.

Laity in the life so the body and mind easily hit, hurt and damaged. With the limited space of human life and limited time available for the survival of the layman, it is essential for laypeople to strive to extract the melancholy arrows in this life by applying and practicing. According to the basic dharma study, which the Buddha prescribed for the layman.

Balance and balance

A stable life, full of vigorous energy, there must be a balance adjustment and conditioning the body. The body is also an important issue in life as well as in practice. Therefore, if the body is not healthy, disease constantly, all will encounter many obstacles in everyday life as well as in the path of practice.

First of all, to have a healthy body , to eat , to  eat, to adapt ⁽¹⁵⁾ . In case the Buddha advised king Pasenadi degrees in eating is recorded in the Sutra  corresponds to  a typical example. Pasenadi, according to the sutras, has a heavy body because of excessive eating, thus having difficulty in movement and walking. The king consulted the Buddha on this matter and was graciously instructed by him:  Man is often mindful / He / she is eatable, reasonable / moderate, strong feeling / slow age, long life ⁽¹⁶⁾ .  From this advice, the Pasenadi king tempered himself in his eating and began to seek the vigor of his body.

Apparently, the relationship between eating and health was taken care of very early by the Buddha. According to the Buddha, harmony, temperance in eating, in work, in entertainment, in knives, etc. are also the basic conditions for obtaining health and longevity, as generalized from economic  rise in costs :  Working properly, know the proper moderately, eat the food digestion, travel to the time and celibate ⁽¹⁷⁾ .

For a layman, balancing and harmonizing issues in family life is of paramount importance, sometimes determining the happiness of the whole family. For example, the harmony of living and raising children. It is important to make money to support your family and to care for the future of your children. However, caring and educating children is an integral part of both parents. Sometimes lay people are trying their best to forget that there are children who are lonely in their own homes. This misfortune can be traced back to history.

In dealing with the basic relationships of human life, there is also a need for a smooth and balanced mind. For example, although a single family needs to be looked after, the lay person needs to take care of both parents. Comprehensive and appropriate treatment for the two inwardness is not only a material for family happiness, but also the ideal of a filial son of all time. Not only that, with other relationships such as teacher relations, friends, kinship, neighbors ... lay people also depending on their conditions and practical circumstances, to have a behavior in accordance with well suited. The attitude of life is  not so wasteful, it is not overly material ⁽¹⁸⁾  in terms of materiality, a proper attitude, and the relationships of a layman.

It must be seen that a life of balance and harmony with oneself, with family, in social relationships ... is the true happiness of the layman.

Methodology and teaching

Bearing the name of the Buddha, the layman is responsible for protecting and propagating the Dharma in the conditions of his. Of the seven advancement of the layman was taught in the Buddhist  Sangha  transport both content, protector and missionary ⁽¹⁹⁾ .

First of all, in the role of guardian, lay people should support the living conditions for the Sangha. Protected here means to support the means and conditions, in order to make the Tam resort stable and more and more developed. In the  duty of the owner , the Buddha affirmed to Anathapindika that, wanting to become a true layman, the text called the  disciples , must  hold them monks with him, Monks with alms food, holding them monks with siege coordinator, holding them monks with drug treatment ⁽²⁰⁾ .

In other words, the first protectorate of the layman is to contribute to ensuring the minimum living conditions for the monk. In the flow of history, the living conditions of the household goods sometimes have some minor changes. Here, depending on the space and tradition of practice, lay people should be flexible consideration, to support the Sangha is complete and meaningful.

The next law of the laity, the support of space tu. Pratical space, which can be considered as a learning center in modern understanding, is an important means of preserving and developing the teachings. Concerned about the throne of the monastery, where many important sutras, and the testimonies of many of the disciples of the Buddha, proved that space is a decisive factor for the advancement of Buddhism. in particular and the development of Buddhism in general. Today's space can be a temple, a monastery, a training center worthy. The law of space has a significant significance, was praised by the Buddha:  who gave the place, he for all ⁽²¹⁾ .

Dhamma is also known as protection, preservation of specific meaning, the aspects related to the Three Jewels such as scriptures, temples, monks and the reputation of the Church. Right from the time of Buddha, the forces are not the same path and differences in ideals, has attempted an attempt spattering pictures Sangha, destructive religious space, as well as Buddhist smear ⁽²²⁾ . In such cases, the proper layman must hold the Three Jewels hand in hand, with loving heart and high awareness. In some special cases, the layperson needs to make a commitment, because of the noble ideal.

On the face of the Dharma, first of all, the layman himself must improve the moral virtues themselves, efforts to equip themselves with the basic knowledge of the Buddha. The touching story of explaining each other about the Buddha's teachings, while the severely ill person, of the Nakula couple, is a living lesson about family Buddhism ⁽²³⁾ . Applying the Buddha's teachings and equipping oneself with materials for the relatives, is the first Dharma talk in the home.

The mode of propagation of the layman if the knowledgable manipulation, is also very diverse and rich, not necessarily to promote the lecture. With the layman, manipulation smoothly  Four gods  have a great complementary effect in the field of teaching in general. According to economic  rise in costs , after himself perfect  credit ,  gender, cultural, experimental  x A, the knife, ardent ... laypeople also encourage others were perfect as himself, then called the  laity and self Beneficial benefits ⁽²⁴⁾ . In a few special cases, when the layperson fulfills the above-mentioned task, the Buddha praises him  more than the deity ^(25).. This is a valuable experience practical application.

In the Buddhist disciples, they have a large number of lay people and have access to all sorts of people in various social strata. These are also objects that are sometimes beyond the reach of the monk. With the preliminary estimate, if every layman only needs to cruise for a few dozen people respect the Three Jewels, the mission of propagation in the broadest sense is firmly affirmed. This is the duty and at the same time the strength of a righteous layman.

Temporary

The ideal layman is silver on every journey of the Buddha and the monks. The deity, the  word used by the Buddha in some contexts, honors the ideal layman. Finding a model with the most common attributes of the layman is not easy in terms of material limitations and inadequacies of space. With initial efforts, we strive to develop basic criteria, so that every layman can find himself in it. And moreover, through these norms, giving the lay person a personal affirmation, as well as an ideal to turn to. END=NAM MO SHAKYAMUNI BUDDHA.( 3 TIMES ).VIETNAMESE TRANSLATE ENGLISH BY=THICH CHAN TANH.THE MIND OF ENLIGHTENMENT.VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST NUN=GOLDEN LOTUS MONASTERY=AUSTRALIA,SYDNEY.24/11/2017.