Universal Factors of Sila (with Other Religions)

Sila - morality
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We know that the the Blessed One asked monks to memorize the Atanatiya Protection.
In the same way the the Exalted One asked monks to memorize these Tāyana Verses.

This is the story. The god Tāyana who was formerly a Kamma-believing Religious Founder (Titthakara) came to the Buddha and recited what he knew about Sila and Kāma in verses.

I’ll begin from the end of the Sutta.

Mendicants, learn the verses of Tāyana!
Uggaṇhātha, bhikkhave, tāyanagāthā;
Memorize the verses of Tāyana!
pariyāpuṇātha, bhikkhave, tāyanagāthā;
Remember the verses of Tāyana!
dhāretha, bhikkhave, tāyanagāthā.

These verses are beneficial and relate to the fundamentals of the spiritual life.”
Atthasaṁhitā, bhikkhave, tāyanagāthā ādibrah­ma­cariyi­kā­”­ti­.

So it is to be memorized.

Tāyanasutta

Then, late at night, the glorious god Tāyana, formerly a religious founder, lighting up the entire Jeta’s Grove, went up to the Buddha, bowed, stood to one side,
Atha kho tāyano devaputto purāṇatitthakaro abhikkantāya rattiyā abhikkantavaṇṇo kevalakappaṁ jetavanaṁ obhāsetvā yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ aṭṭhāsi.
and recited these verses in the Buddha’s presence:
Ekamantaṁ ṭhito kho tāyano devaputto bhagavato santike imā gāthāyo abhāsi:

“Strive and cut the stream!
“Chinda sotaṁ parakkamma,
Dispel sensual pleasures, brahmin.
kāme panuda brāhmaṇa;
A sage who doesn’t give up sensual pleasures
Nappahāya munī kāme,
is not reborn in a unified state.
nekattamupapajjati.

If one is to do what should be done,
Kayirā ce kayirāthenaṁ,
one should staunchly strive.
daḷhamenaṁ parakkame;
For the life gone forth when laxly led
Sithilo hi paribbājo,
just stirs up dust all the more.
bhiyyo ākirate rajaṁ.

A bad deed is better left undone,
Akataṁ dukkaṭaṁ seyyo, Variant: dukkaṭaṁ → dukkataṁ (bj, pts1ed, pts2ed)
for it will plague you later on.
pacchā tapati dukkaṭaṁ;
A good deed is better done,
Katañca sukataṁ seyyo,
one that does not plague you.
yaṁ katvā nānutappati.

When kusa grass is wrongly grasped
Kuso yathā duggahito,
it only cuts the hand.
hatthamevānukantati;
So too, the ascetic life, when wrongly taken,
Sāmaññaṁ dupparāmaṭṭhaṁ,
drags you to hell.
nirayāyūpakaḍḍhati.

Any lax act,
Yaṁ kiñci sithilaṁ kammaṁ,
any corrupt observance,
saṅkiliṭṭhañca yaṁ vataṁ;
or suspicious spiritual life,
Saṅkassaraṁ brahmacariyaṁ,
is not very fruitful.”
na taṁ hoti mahapphalan”ti.

That’s what the god Tāyana said. Then he bowed and respectfully circled the Buddha, keeping him on his right side, before vanishing right there.
Idamavoca tāyano devaputto; idaṁ vatvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā padakkhiṇaṁ katvā tatthe­va­n­tara­dhā­­yī­ti­.
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In the same way there are some pieces of advices that I could find from non-Buddhist kamma-believers on Brahmacariya and Sensual pleasures. I will post them later.

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Sīla will have many universal items in it. For instance not to lie is universally accepted. However, would we call it borrowing?

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Sorry for my English. I’ll change the title.

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I read Atanatiya Sutta and quite amazed by it.

It seems quite many non-human beings dislike people with five precepts. Especially, the Yakkhas.

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An Indian spiritual master who claims to be self-enlightened, has given some advices on Celibacy to his followers. These are some of them excluding the Non-Buddhist parts.

  • Whenever we hear the word danger, we all automatically become alert and vigilant in order to keep our loved ones and ourselves safe. But, what about when it comes to sexuality? Are we alert? Are we vigilant? No. Why? Because we have never heard the disadvantages of sex or the dangers of sexuality.
  • After sex, the power of the body, the power of the mind and the power of speech decreases.
  • All the diseases in the body are due to sexual involvement.
  • The physical strength, the mental strength, the intellectual strength; all of these are exhausted because of non-celibacy!
  • It increases the layers of ignorance.
  • One becomes unconscious while awake after sex.
  • The inner faculty of knowledge and vision becomes trapped in sex, it destroys all divinity within one. With loss of divinity, one becomes like an animal.
  • Humans lose their human-ness.
  • Sex only leads to a lower life form.
  • Sex is such that one day’s sexual activity does not let one attain any meaningful concentration on anything for three days. There would be instability in the concentration and focus on any task.
  • When one abstains from sex for a month, his stability in concentration and focus is greatly improved.
  • The illusion of sex is such that it will sink all, even the one who thinks that he has no attachment to anything in the world. This illusion of sex has sunk great saints and masters from tremendous spiritual heights.
  • These are just the dangers involved in rightful sex with one’s spouse, but the consequences of illicit sex or adultery are even graver.
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The law of kamma or the universal law of kamma