Buddhist Perspective on the Development of Social Welfare
by Ashin Indacara | 2011 | 61,386 words
This page relates 鈥楾he Way to Protect Welfare Instructed by the Buddha鈥� of the study on the Buddhist perspective on the development of Social Welfare, employing primarily the concepts of Utthana-sampada (persistent effort) and Arakkha-sampada (watchfulness). Based on the teachings of the Buddha in the Dighajanu Sutta and other canonical texts, this essay emphasizes the importance of effort, knowledge, and good karma in achieving social welfare.
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14. The Way to Protect Welfare Instructed by the Buddha
The Buddha expounded that the accomplishment of watchfulness and protection is one of the causes of development of welfare according to 顿墨驳丑补箩腻峁嘘 Sutta, of the A峁単uttara Nik膩ya.
Regarding the accomplishment of watchfulness or protection, the Buddha pointed out as follows:鈥�
鈥�Katam膩 ca, vyagghapajja, 膩rakkhasampad膩? Idha, vyagghapajja, kulaputtassa 产丑辞驳腻 honti u峁弓h膩nav墨riy膩dhigat膩 b膩h膩balaparicit膩, sed膩vakkhitt膩, 诲丑补尘尘颈办腻 dhammaladdh膩. Te 膩rakkhena guttiy膩 蝉补尘辫腻诲别迟颈鈥撯赌�kinti me ime bhoge neva r膩j膩no hareyyu峁�, na 肠辞谤腻 hareyyu峁�, na aggi 岣峚heyya, na 耻诲补办补峁� vaheyya, na 补辫辫颈测腻 诲腻测腻诲腻 丑补谤别测测耻鈥档迟颈! 础测补峁� vuccati, vyagghapajja, 膩rakkhasampad膩."
"What is the accomplishment of watchfulness?"
"Herein, Vyagghapajja, whatsoever wealth a householder is in possession of, obtained by dint of effort, collected by strength of arm, by the sweat of his brow, justly acquired by right means鈥搒uch he husbands well by guarding and watching so that kings would not seize it, thieves would not steal it, fire would not burn it, water would not carry it away, nor illdisposed heirs remove it, This is the accomplishment of watchfulness."[1]
According to this discourse, we can realize that there are two objectives concerning development of social welfare. The first one is to protect well-being or welfare and the second is to make welfares developed. It means that it is not finished to make an effort to get welfare but it is needed to watch and protect it in order not to be damaged or destroyed by the wicked ones and natural disasters.
The properties to be obtained by making an effort need to watch and protect from being damaged and destroyed by others. But it is not sufficient to watch and protect his welfares for safety. He needs to make developed his welfares if he wants to progress them. The development of social welfares is referred to progress or improve or make much more developed than what he has before then.
So, we can draw conclusions that there are two duties to protect and progress welfares:
(1) To watch and Protect and
(2) To make progressive.