Buddha's Teaching : The Path of Purity

The Path of Purity

• The Parivrajakas once asked the Buddha to explain to them his Dhamma.
• And the Buddha was pleased to do so.
• He addressed them first on the Path of Purity.

" The Path of Purity," he told the Parivrajakas, " teaches that a person who wishes to be good must recognise some principles as principles of life.

• According to my Path of Purity the principles of life recognised by it are : 

Not to injure or kill : Not to steal or appropriate to oneself anything which belongs to another : Not to speak untruth : Not to indulge in lust : Not to indulge in intoxicating drinks.

• " The recognition of these principles, I say, is most essential for every man. For every man must have a standard by which to judge whatever he does. 
• And these principles according to my teachings constitute the standard.
• " There are everywhere people who are patit (fallen). 
• But there are two classes of the patit : the patit who has a standard and a patit who has no standard.
• " The path who has no standard does not know that he has fallen. Consequently he always remains fallen. 
• On the other hand a patit who has a standard tries to rise from his fallen state. Why? The answer is because he knows that he has fallen.
• "This is the difference between having a standard and having no standard for regulating a man's life. 
• What matters is not so much the fall of the man but the absence of any standard.
• " You may ask, ye Parivrajakas ! Why are these principles worthy of recognition as a standard of life.
• "The answer to this question you will find for yourselves, if you ask : "Are these principles good for the individual ? " also if you ask : " Do they promote social good ? "
• " If your answers to these questions are in the affirmative then it follows that the principles of my Path of Purity are worthy of recognition as forming a true standard of life."