ANATHAPINDIKA

ANATHAPINDIKA, THE MAN OF WEALTH

  AT this time there was Anathapindika, a man of unmeasured wealth,

visiting Rajagaha. Being of a charitable disposition, he was called

"the supporter of orphans and the friend of the poor." Hearing that

the Buddha had come into the world and was stopping in the bamboo

grove near the city, he set out on that very night to meet the Blessed

One.

  And the Blessed One saw at once the sterling quality of

Anathapindika's heart and greeted him with words of religious comfort.

And they sat down together, and Anathapindika listened to the

sweetness of the truth preached by the Blessed One. And the Buddha

said: "The restless, busy nature of the world, this, I declare, is

at the root of pain. Attain that composure of mind which is resting in

the peace of immortality. Self is but a heap of composite qualities,

and its world is empty like a fantasy.

  "Who is it that shapes our lives? Is it Isvara, a personal

creator? If Isvara be the maker, all living things should have

silently to submit to their maker's power. They would be like

vessels formed by the potter's hand; and if it were so, how would it

be possible to practice virtue? If the world had been made by Isvara

there should be no such thing as sorrow, or calamity, or evil; for

both pure and impure deeds must come from him. If not, there would

be another cause beside him, and he would not be self-existent.

Thus, thou seest, the thought of Isvara is overthrown.

  "Again, it is said that the Absolute has created us. But that

which is absolute cannot be a cause. All things around us come from

a cause as the plant comes from the seed; but how can the Absolute

be the cause of all things alike? If it pervades them, then,

certainly, it does not make them.

  "Again, it is said that Self is the maker. But if self is the maker,

why did it not make things pleasing? The causes of sorrow and joy

are real and touchable. How can they have been made by self?

  "Again, if we adopt the argument that there is no maker, our fate is

such as it is, and there is no causation, what use would there be in

shaping our lives and adjusting means to an end? Therefore, we argue

that all things that exist are not without cause. However, neither

Isvara, nor the absolute, nor the self nor causeless chance, is the

maker, but our deeds produce results both good and evil according to

the law of causation.

  "Let us, then, abandon the heresy of worshiping Isvara and of

praying to him; let us no longer lose ourselves in vain speculations

or profitless subtleties; let us surrender self and all selfishness,

and as all things are fixed by causation, let us practice good so that

good may result from our actions."

  And Anathapindika said: "I see that thou art the Buddha, the Blessed

One the Tathagata, and I wish to open to the my whole mind. Having

listened to my words advise me what I shall do. My life is full of

work, and having acquired great wealth, I am surrounded with cares.

Yet I enjoy my work, and apply myself to it with all diligence. Many

people are in my employ and depend upon the success of my enterprises.

  "Now, I have heard thy disciples praise the bliss of the hermit

and denounce the unrest of the world. 'The Holy One,' they say, 'has

given up his kingdom and his inheritance, and has found the path of

righteousness, thus setting an example to all the world how to

attain Nirvana.' My heart yearns to do what is right and to be a

blessing unto my fellows. Let me then ask thee, Must I give up my

wealth, my home, and my business enterprises, and, like thyself, go

into homelessness in order to attain the bliss of a religious life?"

  And the Buddha replied: "The bliss of a religious life is attainable

by every one who walks in the noble eightfold path. He that cleaves to

wealth had better cast it away than allow his heart to be poisoned

by it; but he who does not cleave to wealth, and possessing riches,

uses them rightly, will be a blessing unto his fellows. It is not life

and wealth and power that enslave men, but the cleaving to life and

wealth and power. The bhikkhu who retires from the world in order to

lead a life of leisure will have no gain, for a life of indolence is

an abomination, and lack of energy is to be despised. The Dharma of

the Tathagata does not require a man to go into homelessness or to

resign the world, unless he feels called upon to do so; but the Dharma

of the Tathagata requires every man to free himself from the

illusion of self, to cleanse his heart, to give up his thirst for

pleasure, and lead a life of righteousness. And whatever men do,

whether they remain in the world as artisans, merchants, and

officers of the king, or retire from the world and devote themselves

to a life of religious meditation, let them put their whole heart into

their task; let them be diligent and energetic, and, if they are

like the lotus, which, although it grows in the water, yet remains

untouched by the water, if they struggle in life without cherishing

envy or hatred, if they live in the world not a life of self but a

life of truth, then surely joy, peace, and bliss will dwell in their

minds."