မဂၤသုတ္ နိဒါန္း

PREFACE
Of all the teachings left behind by Gotama Buddha, the Founder of Buddhism, Mangala Sutta was aimed at mankind in general, for living in peace, prosperity and blessings benefiting a life now and hereafter. It outlines the wisdom for civility, honesty and morality of people, and effort towards the spiritual goal (for the Buddhists). In fact, it contains the essence of Buddhist culture.

This Sutta was delivered by the Buddha to a certain deity who came to see him during one night, and humbly requested to enlighten on what constitutes mangala (Blessings), the cause of happiness. The Buddha told him thirty-eight means of achieving mangala, and he repeated it to his Chief Disciples the next morning in ten stanzas of Pali. Chief Disciples recorded it in the Sutta Pitaka as Mangala Sutta soon after the demise of Buddha. Though the Buddha delivered it over 2500 years ago, the contents of these teachings are still holding true up to now. It has been translated into many different languages by various scholars since the last few centuries, and used by many in moral education.

Today, monks and laity recite this Sutta for recollecting the thirty-eight means of getting blessings. It is the mainstay in moral education and foundation of Buddhist culture. Though the points are in short stanzas of Pali, the meanings are comprehensive and all encompassing, and are applicable to many situations under various circumstances.

Our common experience of the world today is mostly of chaos and miseries. Most of these human tragedies could be seen as the result of untamed greed, hatred and anger in many forms. Mangala Sutta contains the guidelines in the art of survival from miseries, and the peaceful way of living, for anyone who can follow, not necessarily as a Buddhist. The world could be in peace only if its inhabitants know how to achieve it.

MANGALA SUTTA DOCTRINES
Mangala Sutta Stanzas
Mangala Sutta has 15 stanzas of Pali, the first four as the preamble, the last one as conclusion and the rest as the main text in ten stanzas.

Preamble:
1. Yam mangalam dvadasahi; Cintayimsa sadevaka;
Sotthanam nadhigacchanti; Atthatimsan ca mangalam.

Men, together with deities had tried to find out for twelve years what constitutes blessings. But they could not find out the blessings which number thirty-eight, that are the cause of happiness.
2. Desitam Devadevena; Sabbapapavinasanam,
Sabbalokahitatthaya; Mangalam tam bhanama he.

Oh, Good People! Let us recite those blessings which were taught by the Lord of Deities (the Buddha) for the benefit of all beings, and which destroy all evils.
2. Evam me sutam. Ekam samayam Bhagava Savatthiyam viharati Jetavane Anathapindikassa arame.
3. Atha kho annatara devata abhikkantaya rattiya abhikkantavanna kevalakappam Jetavanam bodhisattva, yena Bhagava tenupasankami; upasankamitva Bhagavantam abhivadetva eka-mantam atthasi; Eka-mantam thita kho ca devata Bhagavantan gathaya ajjhabhasi.

Thus have I heard. Once when the Blessed One was dwelling at the monastery of Anathapindhika at the Jeta’s Grove near the city of Savatthi. A certain deity came to Him in the late hours of one night with great splendor illuminating the entire Jeta’s Grove. Approaching Him, the deity respectfully paid homage and stood at a suitable distance, and addressed the Blessed One:

4. “Bahu deva manussa ca;
Mangalani acintayum,
Akankhamana sotthanam; Bruhi mangala-muttamam.”

“Many deities and men, desirous of goodness, have been pondering
what the blessings were. Pray, tell me what the blessing is.

The Text:
5. Asevana ca balanam; Panditanan ca sevana;
Puja ca pujaneyanam; Etam mangala-muttamam.
Not to associate with fools; to associate with the wise; to honour
those worthy of honour. This is blessing.

6. Patirupadesavaso ca; Pubbe ca katapunnata;
Attasammapanidhi ca; Etam mangala-muttamam.
To have suitable place to live; to have done meritorious deeds
in the past; to keep mind and body in right way. This is blessing.

7. Bahusaccan ca sippan ca; Vinayo ca susikkhito;
Subhasita ca ya vaca; Etam mangala-muttamam.
To have much learning; to be skilled in craft; to be well trained in
moral conduct; to have a well-spoken speech. This is blessing.

8. Matapitu-upatthanam; Puttadarassa sangaho;
Anakula ca kammata; Etam mangala-muttamam.
Taking care of father and mother; supporting the spouse and
children; having a work with no confusion. This is blessing.

9. Danam ca dhammacariya ca; Natakanan ca sangaho;
Anavajjani kammani; Etam mangala-muttamam.
Charitable; practicing what is good; supporting the relatives; to be
blameless in actions. This is blessing.

10. Arati virati papa; Majjapana ca samyamo;
Appamado ca dhammesu; Etam mingala-muttamam.
Control of evil in mind, body and speech; abstention from
intoxicants; mindfulness on meritorious deeds. This is blessing.


11. Garavo ca nivato ca; Santutthi ca katannuta;
Kalena Dhammassavanam;
Etam mangala-muttamam.
Practice of respectfulness, humbleness, contentment and
gratefulness; hearing Dhamma on occasions. This is blessing.

12. Khanti ca sovacassata; Samananan ca dassanam;
Kalena Dhammasakaccha; Etam mangala-muttamam.
Practice of patience, amenable to reason, meeting noble persons,
to discuss Dhamma on suitable occasions. This is blessing.

13. Tapo ca brahmacariyan ca; Ariyasaccana dassanam;
Nibbana-sacchikiriya ca;
Etam mangala-muttamam.
Control of evil states, leading a noble life, seeing the noble truth
and realizing the Nibbana. This is blessing.

14. Phutthassa lokadhammehi; Cittam yassa na kampati;
Asokam virajam khemam;
Etam mangala-muttamam.
The mind of a Holy One on confronting worldly conditions is
undisturbed, sorrow less, stainless and secured. This is blessing.


Conclusion:

15. Etadisani katvana; Sabbattha maparajita;
Sabbttha sotthim gacchanti;
Tam tesam mangala-muttamam.
Having fulfilled above blessings, such beings will be invincible and happy anywhere and everywhere. It is blessing for them.


Mangala Sutta Doctrines in Real Life Situations

Daily life situations of people are numerous and varied. Applying the Mangala Sutta doctrines can be helpful to them in many ways to get a good result out of situations. Thirty-eight points mentioned here are not the mantra for chanting to get the blessings, but to be taken as guidelines to follow and work for accordingly to achieve the said blessings.

The guidelines in Mangala Sutta cover moral, social and spiritual aspects in the life of a person. These are the Words of Wisdom to be mindful in applying to real life situations to make things easier. An attempt is made here to elaborate on each point under common real life situations. But the reader will have to use these guidelines, each in his own way, to suit the individual needs, and to get the best possible result.

This is also a source of wisdom for many in conducting their lives, creating peace, harmony and prosperity, the cause of happiness, which is the theme of Mangala Sutta.
Since Mangala Sutta was originally recorded in Pali language, certain Pali terms still have to be used here for lack of exact English equivalents in certain specific meanings. Since this presentation is meant mainly for the cultural values in moral education, it is not a scholarly treatise on Buddhism. Any mistake in usage, expression and terminology should be treated entirely as my own responsibility.

Pali and Sanskrit are ancient languages of the Indian Subcontinent where Buddhism originated, and flourished for many centuries in early times. Buddhist scriptures are recorded in both languages. Most of the terms mentioned in this book are Pali as original and some in Sanskrit (s) as it could be found in current dictionaries. Many terms in both languages are used in literature of different schools of Buddhism. Pali is used as scriptural language of Theravada and Sanskrit by Mahayana School of Buddhism.

အၿငိမ္းစား အထူကုဆရာဝန္ႀကီး ေဒါက္လွထြန္းမွ ကူညီပါသည္။