The Buddha’s Guide to Peace and Happiness is based
on the Singalovada Sutta, one of his greatest and most valuable set of
teachings. It deals with basic morality, building and preserving wealth,
friendships, the reciprocal responsibilities in social relationships and the
qualities of successful persons. This teaching benefits both individuals and
society as a whole too.
The Sutta is named after Sigala, a young man who
lived during the time of the Buddha. Singala was headstrong, materialistic and
stubborn and always had many excuses for not paying respects to the Buddha or
even going to temple. The parents of this young man were devotees of the Buddha
but they could not make him follow their footsteps . his father, a very wealthy
man was worried that Singala would go astray and fritter away the fortune that
he stood to inherit.
After a major illness, the father called Singala to
his deathbed to convey his final wishes. He requested that Singala worship the
six directions of the East, South, West, North, the Nadir and the Zenith every
morning. As this was a common religious practice in India at the time, Singala
agreed and was obedient enough to perform this ritual faithfully every morning.
As hoped for by his father, the Buddha came across
Singala one morning as he was worshipping the six directions. The Buddha then
asked Singala why he was doing this and Singala replied that he was merely
carrying out the dying wishes of his father.
The Buddha then proceeded to give a new and more
meaningful explanation to this ritual. The explanation formed the basis of the
discourse that we now come to know as the Singalovada Sutta. At the end of the
discourse, Singala took refuge in the Buddha and become one of his devout
followers.
http://www.justbegood.net/Blessings05Guide04.htm
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