SingālaSutta - RhysDavids
SingālaSutta - RhysDavids
SingālaSutta - RhysDavids
Dīgha Nikāya
Sutta 31
Sigālovada Suttantaɱ
[168]
Introduction
to the
Sigālovāda Suttanta
This Suttanta has been translated into English by Grimblot in Sept Suttas Palis
(Paris, 1876), by Gogerly, J.R.A.S., Ceylon Branch, 1847, and by R. C. Childers in
the Con- temporary Review, London, 1876.[1] The latter entitled it The Whole Duty
of the Buddhist Layman.
Childers doubtless sought to draw the eye of the general reader by a title borrowed
from a well-known English classic. At this time of day we should look, under a claim
so comprehensive, for some statement of political duties, for allusions to the senate
and the forum, to affairs national and international. It is not enough to reply that
these questions of wider ethics had not arisen. The Saddhamma was promulgated, it
is true, in the kingdoms of autocrats like Pasenadi of Kosala, and Bimbisāra and
Ajātasattu of Magadha. But it was taught at the same time in the villages of the free
clansmen of the Sākiyan, Koliyan, Licchavi and other republics. And among these
the whole duty of the layman might well have included some corporate ideals of
citizenship. There is certainly in one or two of the foregoing dialogues enough to
show that Gotama could have uttered a discourse on such a theme. Either he judged
that his listeners were not ready for it, or that the occasion did not call for it. Or it
maybe that his chroniclers, cut off from political interests, failed to preserve or edit
such sayings. But possibly 'layman' is susceptible, at least in our day, of a wider
implication than gihī, house-man. And hence 'whole duty' were better modified as
'whole domestic and social duty.'
Anyway, the Buddha's doctrine of love and goodwill between man and man is here
set forth in a domestic and social ethics with more comprehensive detail than
elsewhere. In a Canon compiled by members of a religious order and largely
concerned with the mental experiences and ideals of recluses, and with their outlook
on the world, it is of great interest to find in it a Sutta entirely devoted to the outlook
[169] and relations of the layman on and to his surroundings. And the discourse was
felt to possess this interest in the long past by Buddhaghosa, or by the tradition he
handed on, or by both. In this Sutta, he writes, 'nothing in the duties of housemen is
left unmentioned. This Suttanta is called the Vinaya of the Houseman. Hence in one
who practises what he has been taught in it, growth is to be looked for, and not
decay.' And truly we may say even now of this Vinaya, or code of discipline, so
fundamental are the human interests involved, so sane and wide is the wisdom that
envisages them, that the utterances are as fresh and practically as binding to-day and
here as they were then at Rājagaha. 'Happy would have been the village or the clan
on the banks of the Ganges, where the people were full of the kindly spirit of fellow-
feeling, the noble spirit of justice which breathes through these naive and simple
sayings.'[2] Not less happy would be the village, or the family on the banks of the
Thames to-day, of which this could be said.
The object of the young Sigāla's open-air matins will seem unfamiliar to the readers
who are more accustomed to the names of Vedic deities surviving in the allusions
scattered throughout these dialogues — "to Brahmā and Prajāpati, Indra and Soma,
Varuṇa and Isāna.[3] He was probably no brahmin, or we might have found him
tending Agni's perpetual fire, or bathing his conscience clean in some stream of
symbolical efficacy. The Commentary does not help us. The historical sense had not
developed when the great commentators wrote, and they are incurious as to beliefs
and rites that were possibly no longer alive at least in their own environment. It is a
noteworthy instance of this that Buddhaghosa is silent regarding the deities just
named, when he is commenting on the Tevijja-Suttanta, as well as on the string of
tremendous attributes ascribed to Great Brahmā in the Kevaddha Suttanta that
comes before it. We may picture him as we would a mediaeval Christian exegetist. In
his milieu, Indian or Singhalese, a certain cosmology had long been traditional and
orthodox. Outside it there were now other cults, pantheistic, polytheistic, atheistic.
He doubtless held that discussion on the gods of these or older alien cults was as
superfluous as discussion on Baal or Jupiter might have seemed to his Christian
colleague. The only deva of whom, in the Kevaddha-Suttanta he has anything to say
is Sakka (concerning whom the text is silent). And Sakka was just the quasi-human
governor in the nearest, lowest heaven after earth.
[170] For Buddhaghosa the heavens were filled, not with gods in our sense of the
word, but, at least as to those mentioned in that Sutta, with devas who are one in
kind with ourselves, and who will in due time become once more men and women on
earth, such as they have already been times without number, unless they, in their
upward way, have attained to the Never-returner's stage of advancement.
But we, more curious than the Commentators, may find evidence in Brahmanic
literature that the quarters or regions of the external world (disā), or mighty spirits
inhabiting them were invoked for protection generally, and especially in battle, for
luck and against snakes, etc. In the Atharva-veda (III, 26, 27) are two of such
rakshamantras (guarding runes) or parittas, as they are called by Buddhists (see the
following Suttanta). Here we have the same six regions — viz., the four cardinal
points, the fixed and the upward regions.
Ye gods that are in the Eastern quarter,
missiles by name,
of you there the arrows are fire!
Do ye be gracious to us,
do ye bless us!
To you be there homage!
To you there Hail! etc.[4]
No. 27 identifies a god with each region, not the Four Kings of Buddhist
cosmology[5] but Agni, Indra, Varuṇa, Soma, Visnu, Brihaspati. To their jaws the
invoker consigns his enemies. In the Satapatha Brāhmana[6] five, and also seven
disā's as well as four are mentioned in rites. In the Grihya Sutras[7] the four quarters
are to be worshipped in connection with certain rites. And so much self-anointing or
contact with water is enjoined that the lay celebrant may well have had both hair and
garments wet as Sigāla had.
Hence it may well be that there was nothing eccentric or even unusual in these
orisons of the filially-minded 'householder's son,' as he is called. It is true that the
Commentary speaks of his being asked, What are you doing? But the Master asks
only, Why are you worshipping so the several quarters? If he was interrupted and
shown a better channel for the sending forth of his votive gestures, this was because
the hour had come when the Exalted One saw him. Saw him not then only, is the
Comment, but at dawn already had the Teacher, surveying the world with the
Buddha-vision, seen him so engaged and had decided that 'this day will I [171]
discourse to Sigāla on the layman's Vinaya. That discourse will be of benefit to many
folk. There must I go.' And so he passed by him going to Rājagaha for alms. And
when Sigāla saw him standing near, 'the Exalted One, like a great lotus expanding at
the touch of the rays of the sun, opened his mouth and spoke.'
The conversion from the invoking of animistically conceived nature-forces to that
loving service to fellow-beings which is the truest worship of Deity, was the more
easily effected because Sigāla's own convictions were not involved. The
Commentary expands his own words by relating that his parents were pious upāsakas
(lay followers), but could not persuade their son to accompany them to hear the good
Doctrine. Nay, he would say, 'I'll have naught to do with Samaṇas. Doing homage to
them would make my back ache, my knees stiff. I should have to sit on the ground
and soil and wear out my clothes. And when at the conversations with them, after so
sitting, one gets to know them, one has to invite them and make them presents, and
so one only loses by it.' Finally the father on his deathbed bethought him of a pious
ruse. If he, an upasaka's son, were daily to practise disā-worship, the Master or his
disciples would be sure to see him and teach him better things. And since deathbed
wishes are to be remembered, the son remembered and obeyed.
The standpoint taken in this charming code of domestic and other relations, and the
reciprocal duty resulting therefrom, calls here for just one remark. It will be noticed
that in summing up the latter, the parable of the six-quarter-worship is maintained
throughout. As good and loving gods take compassion upon (anukampanti) their
sincere devotees, who wait upon them with offerings material and spiritual, so in all
the six relations adduced the seniors are represented functioning as little gods, the
juniors or subordinates as devotees. The one exception may be in the Anukampanti.
case of friends equal in age and other respects. The word expressing Empathy;
the duty towards the six seniors: paccupaṭṭhātabbā (the passive Spa.
gerund) is rare,[8] but its meaning is clearly that of attendance in Simpatico.
tending. Etymologically it is to be re-as-sisted. Anukampanti is the
type-word for the protecting tenderness of the stronger for the
— p.p.
weaker, and means vibrating along-after. It thus in emotional force is
even stronger than our compassion or sympathy. And because the
pulsing emotion is other-regarding, a feeling-together what- [172] ever the loved one
feels, it is justifiable to render it often by love, thus taking the smaller concept up
into the greater. Gotama frequently claims to feel this godlike emotion:|| ||
Hitanukampī Sambuddho yad-aññaŋ anusāsati
Love and compassion doth th'Enlightened feel
Towards another when he teacheth him.[9]
In the attitude of parent to child love is at bottom a tender compassion, a vibrant
care to protect. So wife-love is largely motherly. Parent, wife, friend, master, teacher
and religieux all rank, in Gotama's social Vinaya, and for that matter in that of India
generally, as little gods, so great is the responsibility attaching to these six positions,
so fine is the opportunity for exercising compassion, tender care, protection. In the
six reciprocal aspects there is an element of childhood. The child under loving
compassionate protection feels safe and confident as does the believing worshipper.
And ideally, such childlike security and confidence is the attitude of student to
teacher, husband to wife, friend to friend, servant to master.
C.A.F.R.D.
[173]
Sigālovada Suttanta
[7] S.B.E. XXIX, 320, cf. 232; XXX, 171, 194, 213, 278. These Sutras
contain the rules of Vedic domestic ceremonies. Grihya means houseness.
[8] Cf. above II, 84 f. rendered 'persevere in kindness towards.'
[10] The MSS. call him Singālo, Sigālo (both variants of the Pali for
jackal) and Singālako, which has merely the affix of agency, of the
adjective (cf. Greek -kov, Latin -cus) or of the diminutive. The Singhalese
MSS. mostly read Sigāla.
[11] Ṭhānāni.
[13] Āraddho.
[14] The Comy., distinguishes five kinds of surā, and says that meraya is
āsava. So also the old Comy., at Vin. IV. 110.
[15] So the Comy.. : — crimes committed by some thief or adulterer are
fathered on him. See Iti-vuttaka, Ī 76.
[16] Cf. on shows and these last two terms, symbolical of performances,
acrobatic, etc. Dialogues I, 7 f.
[17] Read vittaŋ. Cf. S. I. 123. Kindred Sayings, p. 153, n. 3
[20] These last six lines are identical (with one or two slight variations)
with verses ascribed in Psalms of the Brethren, No. 174, to Mātanga.
[21] Such as a supply of rice was put by for you; we sat watching the
road, but you did not come, and now it is gone bad. In the next case a
present of corn is spoken of in the future. Comy..
[22] Such as, you want a cart, and his has a wheel off, or a broken axle.
Comy..
[23] With respect to taking life, etc., to whatever you propose to do, he
consents saying: Good, friend, let's do it. With respect to right acts, the
same method applies. Comy..
[24] The MSS. are equally divided between consents and dissents
(anujānāti, nānujānāti). Childers translates as from anujānāti.
[25] These verses are quoted at Jātaka II, 390, where Dr. Rouse has a
charming version.
[26] Suhadā.
[27] If he sees you fallen down anywhere in the village after drinking
spirits, he sits down by you till you wake, lest your cloak should be
stolen. Comy..
[28] If you go to him burdened with a commission involving outlay, he
presses you to accept double what you will require to spend. Comy..
[29] The literal sense of anu-kamp-ako is one who vibrates because of.
See p. 171 f.
[30] On a hill in the night. Comy..
[31] Thus Buddhaghosa prettily amplifies, taking the idea perhaps from
Dhammapada, ver. 49.
[32] Mittāni. Cf. S. I, 214. The Comy., explains by mitte, friends.
[33] Which portion is to serve for doing good? asks B. The first; with it he
can both give gifts to religienx and the destitute, and can pay wages to
weavers, bathmen, etc. [for personal services as distinct from trade
dealings].
[34] The symbolism is deliberately chosen: as the day in the East, so life
begins writh parents' care; teachers' fees and the South are the same
word: dakkhiṇa; domestic cares follow when the youth becomes man, as
the West holds the later day-light; North is 'beyond,' so by help of friends,
etc., he gets beyond troubles.
[35] Kula-vaŋsa implies both. B. explains it as not dissipating property,
restoring, if need be, the family honour and integrity, and maintaining
gifts to religienx.
[36] Anukampanti, and so below. See p. 179, n. 1.
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