5th Issue (September, 2007)

Sigālovāda Sutta

By Mandy Mui

Oh, Teacher, how one suffers so
When being ignorant, of the Sigālovāda Sutta
The code of Disciplines, the wise route of life
Answer to a layman’s social conduct, here they lie
Practice self-control a must, cleanse off the dust

Proper conduct and good manners
Leading to peaceful, prosperous household life
A sufficient income, an enjoyment of wealth
Freedom from debts, leading a harmless life
Choose the wise path, and none of the four vices

Stealing, sexual misconduct, lies, and destruction of life
Abstain from killing, result in longevity
Refrain from stealing, one receives prosperity
Avoid telling lies, will result in good reputation
Shun from sexual misconduct, preserving  propriety

Decline  intoxicants intake, result in mindfulness
Beware of one’s surrounding and associates
Learn of the four kinds of enemies
In the guise of friends, one who brings ruins
He who renders lip service, and who flatters

And the one who associates for gain,
The four kind of real friends,
One who gives good counsel
Sympathizes, and one who aids
He who shares the same weal and woe

One must learn directions of life
Of the 6 quarters he should salute
To the East are the mother and father
The teachers are the South
The wife, husband and children are the West
To the North are the friends and associate
Servants and employees are the Nadir
The ascetics and the Brahmans are the Zenith
Compassion, wise, humble, as one conducts
Salute to the six quarters that one must
Cease the four causes of evils, persuade positive karmas
Compassion, gentleness, equality, and good deeds
A wise one considers in every direction
Restraining from negative karmas, avoiding the pain
Harmony, ultimate happiness, and respect one would gain.

Editor’s Note:

This Buddhist poem of Mandy Mui is the crystallization or condensation of the Sigālovāda-sutta of the Dīgha-nikāya. It embodies  the principal edifying doctrinal points of this particular Sutta incorporating the root-causes of vices, the five moral injunctions of the Buddha (Five Precepts;Pañcasīlas), the importance of associating with good friends and the equally important deontological ethics: the Six Reciprocal Harmonious Relationships for the householders (represented by the salutation to the six directions.)

Readers are encouraged to read any Theravāda sutta or Mahāyāna sūtra and condense  each sutta or sūtra  into either a poetry or a purport in prose and submit to the Editor of Deer Park with the aspiration to propagate the message of the Buddha through Buddhistdoor.com.

Editor’s e-mail:  wongwh49@streamyx.co