Aṅguttara Nikāya (ANVIII49): Eight Qualities of a Successful Woman

Wong Weng Hon

Purport:

Gotama Buddha delivered the Numerical Discourse on ‘The Eight Qualities of a Successful Woman’ to Visākhā, the chief woman patron of the Exalted One who constructed the monastery, on the east of Sāvatthī where the Buddha sometimes resided rather than in the Anāthapiṇḍika Monastery at Jeta Grove. The first four secular qualities lead to a woman’s success in the present world and  the last four religious or spiritual qualities ensure a woman’s success in the present world as well as the success in  next world.

These eight enchanting qualities of a successful woman are enumerated as follows :-

1. She manages domestic chores excellently
2. She manages a servant or worker wisely
3. She conducts herself in a way agreeable to the husband
4. She safeguards the earnings of the husband
5. She is accomplished in faith
6. She is accomplished in virtue
7. She is accomplished in generosity
8. She is accomplished in wisdom

A woman is said to manage the domestic chores proficiently when she is adept at her household’s work. She is skillful and diligent in regard to her domestic or  household chores. She can properly do the household work even  if she has no servant or servants to help her. A woman is said to be managing a servant or worker wisely when she can evaluate the work of a servant by direct inspection and understand her servant’s personal problems. She knows what have been properly done or what have not been properly done. She is aware whether a servant  is healthy or sick. She is able to distribute the appropriate share of her economic wealth to her servant as the justified remuneration for her service .

It is understandable that a woman’s behaviour must be morally agreeable to the husband to avert deontological ethical disaster or sour relationship. She should restrain herself not to commit misdeeds or immoral acts that would injure the emotions of the spouse. Disagreeable behaviours in the eyes of the husband could arouse tension and rock their marriage life. The skillful practice of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness (Cattāri Satipațțhāna)  can definitely help preserve enduringly loving relationship between the husband and wife. Right Mindfulness produces heedfulness and clear awareness which reduces human fallibilities and vulnerabilities.

A  woman should be able to protect the wealth of the husband. She is not a spendthrift, thief, wastrel or squanderer of his wealth. A good wife is expected to be prudent in financial management of the household’s economy involving not only short-term daily domestic expenses but also encompassing long-term plans of sound  financial investments, such as modern investments in life, educational  and health insurances and sufficient retirement income in joint or collaborative efforts with the spouse. 

A Buddhist woman ought to develop pure  faith in Gotama  Buddha so that she has strong conviction in the Truth of the Dhamma. Without an unshakeble faith in the Dhamma, she would not undertake and course in  the Noble Eight Fold Path diligently, ardently and resolutely. Gotama Buddha himself was a fully enlightened saint who had personally discerned intuitively the Highest Truth (Paramattha sacca) of Insubstantiality (Anattā) and dependently co-arisen (pațiccasamupanna)  Unity or Non-duality.  He was the teacher of both human beings and gods. A strong conviction in the eternal Truth of the Dhamma is developed from an unshakeable faith in the Tathāgata who had personally put an end to suffering or anguish and has successfully terminated the saṃsāric journey. Most importantly, the Exalted One is a supermodel of wisdom and virtue.

A Buddhist woman ought to adhere to the five moral injunctions called the Five Precepts (pañcasīla) promulgated by Gotama Buddha. The Five Precepts  must not be  transgressed to exercise moral restraint so that grave offences are not committed. This is the basis of any religious life. No marriage life can be permanently blissful if there occurs the transgression of any of the Precepts. Transgressions of the Five Precepts constitute grave offences.

 A Buddhist woman together with her Buddhist husband is expected to abstrain from the destruction of lives, such as killing of living beings, taking what is not given or theft, improper sexual relationship or adultery, untruthful or dishonest speech and self-intoxication with liquors and drugs . Having consummated the moral restraints imposed by the Five Precepts, she is encouraged to develop her moral restrains further by accepting the greater challenge of the Ten Wholesome courses of Action   called  the Ten Wholesome Precepts (Dasasīlas) . These more challenging Ten Wholesome Precepts are enumerated as follows :

1. To morally restrain from killings
2. To morally restrain from thefts
3. To morally restrain from improper sexual relationships
4. To morally restrain from uttering false speeches
5. To morally restrain from back-bitting
6. To morally restrain from harsh speeches
7. To morally restrain from gossipings
8. To morally restrain from greed
9. To morally restrain from hatred
10. To morally restrain from delusion

In order to consummate these Ten Wholesome Precept effortlessly, a Buddhist woman is expected to undertake the three-fold training of morality (sīla), concentration (samādhi) and wisdom (paññā) encapsulated in the Noble Eight-fold Path. The eight aggregates of the Noble Eight Fold Path are enumerated as follows :

1. Right understanding
2. Right Thought
3. Right Speeches
4. Right Actions
5. Right Livelihood
6. Right Efforts
7. Right Mindfulness
8. Right Concentration

 If the Five Precepts , Ten Wholesome  Courses of Actions and the Noble Eight Fold Path are completely consummated, the practising Buddhist is said to have undergone a comprehensive personally development programme which will yield the abundance of harvests in ten virtues supported by Wisdom of discerning the Truth of Insubstantiality and dependently co-arisen  Unity or Non-duality enumerated as follows :

1. She  is benevolent
2. She  is generous
3. She is faithful
4. She is truthful or trustworthy
5. She is gentle in speeches
6. She fosters unity
7. She ceases gossiping
8. She gives rather than receives
9. She appeases her anger or hatred
10. She has developed insightful wisdom

Such a wife is not only a great treasure to her spouse but also a gift to the world. Most importantly, she is an emancipated  Buddhist woman. Most significantly, she loves to share the communal Truth of Wisdom with others to illuminate the world and to make this world a better place to live in. An emancipated woman is one who has obliterated her self-centric ego. He does not transgress the Five Precepts. He practises Ten Wholesome Course of Actions. She is skillful in execute  the four foundations of mindfulness (cattāri satipațțhāna).  She manifests the four sublime virtue (Brahmavihāra) of lovingkindness , compassion, appreciative joy, and equanimity. She leads the family members , friends, associates and others through the four foundations of beneficial actions (saṅgaha vatthus), namely generous giving (dāna), kindly speech (piya-vācā), helpful actions (attha cariyā) and equal participation (samānattatā).

 Succinctly put, she successfully avoids evils, does good and purifies her mind . Purification of the mind is emancipation which perfects her wisdom and virtue. In other words, a good woman is a liberated   Buddhist. Being liberated , one is wise and virtuous. Even if she is not liberated, minimally, she should be morally restrained.

In fact, what is required of a female Buddhist is equally required of a male Buddhist. Reality mirrors that spirituality improves and even enhances secular life. When the secular life is not protected with spiritual wisdom, human moral fallibilities  and emotional vulnerabilities are manifested as ugly human behaviours.