Deep Commentary

These three verses were taught by the Buddha to Māra while the Blessed One was dwelling in seclusion in the Himalayan mountains. The story tells that, while the Bodhisatta was practicing in solitude in the Himalayas, the rule of certain kings was harsh and oppressive. Seeing people suffer under cruel punishments, the Blessed One was moved with compassion. He reflected, “Why should there not be a just and upright form of rule, free from killing, conquest, and suffering?”

Māra noticed this thought arising in the Buddha’s mind and said to himself, “The ascetic Gotama has thought about ruling. Perhaps he now wishes to become a king. This may be an opportunity to distract him. If he takes up power, I can tempt him. I will go and stir up desire in him.” Māra approached the Buddha and said, “Venerable sir, let the Blessed One rule. Let the Supreme One govern. There will be no killing, no conquest, and no suffering, but only justice and righteousness.”

The Buddha asked, “Māra, what do you see in me that makes you speak so?” Māra replied, “Venerable sir, a Buddha can perform the four bases of spiritual power. If you were merely to command, ‘Let the Himalaya become gold,’ it would become gold at once. With such wealth, every task that wealth can accomplish could be fulfilled. In that way you could rule justly and righteously.”

The Buddha answered: “Human craving would not be satisfied even by a mountain of gold. Knowing this, the wise walk the straight path. One who clearly sees the cause of suffering cannot hand over life to pleasure. Let the one who understands the cause of birth and death train himself and subdue the net of craving that has bound beings through countless lives.” The Buddha then warned Māra, “Māra, I tell you once more: I am not like you. That is what I wish to say.”

In the three verses above, verse 331 presents four kinds of happiness. First, it is joyful to meet a friend after a long separation. This is a natural human feeling. When a close companion, someone who has shared hardships and dangers with us, is unexpectedly met again after a long absence, the joy is beyond words. On a deeper level, the “friend” may also be understood as the unnamed companion of awakening, the original mind that we have long been separated from through countless lives. When one suddenly recognizes that awakened nature again, no ordinary joy can compare with it.

Second, it is joyful to have sufficiency at the right time. Sufficiency has both material and spiritual meanings. Material sufficiency is wholesome when it is honestly earned through one’s own effort, diligence, and upright livelihood. Wealth built by exploiting others is not true sufficiency; it is unwholesome and unjust. Spiritual sufficiency is far more precious. Material wealth is temporary and uncertain, present today and gone tomorrow. Spiritual abundance is the wealth of morality, virtue, and inner freedom. One who builds life upon noble conduct enjoys a mind that is peaceful, light, and unbound. This is the true wealth that cannot be exhausted.

Third, it is joyful to have wholesome karma at the time of death. There are two basic kinds of karma: wholesome and unwholesome. When one has cultivated wholesome actions in daily life, one need not fear at the moment of death, because the mind will naturally follow the good habits it has formed. If, at the last moment, one is supported by good conditions and spiritual companions who remind one of the Dharma, and if a wholesome thought arises as one passes away, one is likely to be reborn in a peaceful realm. This is the power of near-death karma. If the mind turns toward unwholesome states, the result is suffering.

Fourth, it is joyful to be free from all suffering. This happiness is direct and clear: the ending of suffering is joy. But we must understand the source of suffering. Though suffering has countless forms, the Buddha summarized it as three kinds of suffering and eight great sufferings. The three are suffering as pain, suffering due to change, and suffering inherent in conditioned existence. The eight are birth, aging, illness, death, separation from what one loves, not obtaining what one seeks, meeting what one dislikes, and the burden of the five aggregates. These sufferings arise from ignorance and afflictions. When ignorance and affliction are ended, the fruit of suffering also ceases. That is the peace of Nirvāṇa, the highest joy. The essential question for every practitioner is how to end ignorance and affliction.

In verse 332, the Buddha also presents four kinds of happiness. First, it is joyful to honor and care for one’s mother. For those whose mother is still alive, this is one of life’s greatest blessings. A mother’s love and sacrifice are immeasurable. Yet some children treat their mothers harshly while they are alive, only to regret it when they are gone. It is far better to care for one’s mother wholeheartedly while there is still time, so that later there will be no regret.

Second, it is joyful to honor and care for one’s father. Both father and mother have deep kindness in nurturing and educating their children. Therefore, children should remember gratitude and repay that kindness. Gratitude is a noble and essential quality of human life. When caring for parents, one should do so with respect. Material support alone is not enough; it must be joined with reverence and sincere love. When parents are happy, the child also experiences great joy.

Third, it is joyful to honor and support true renunciants. A renunciant is one who has gone forth and lives by the discipline of the spiritual life. Those who practice sincerely and possess moral virtue deserve respect. Offering support to them is a great blessing when done with a pure and reverent heart. Giving should include both material support according to one’s means and a respectful attitude. Respect is the foundation of offering. Without respect, giving may become an expression of pride rather than merit.

Fourth, it is joyful to honor and support noble ones. Noble ones are those who have cut off the roots of affliction. There are many levels of nobility: the Buddha is supreme among the noble ones; bodhisattvas, arahants, and the awakened disciples also belong to this noble lineage. To make offerings to such beings with sincerity brings great merit. Therefore, the Buddha said that honoring noble ones is a source of joy.

In verse 333, the Buddha presents four more kinds of happiness. First, it is joyful to keep virtue even in old age. In old age, memory and clarity may decline, yet if one still remembers and faithfully observes the precepts one has undertaken, that is a true joy. Some people are careful in moral discipline when young, but when old they relax their commitment and justify breaking precepts by appealing to weakness or bodily need. Such reasoning comes from attachment to the body. True joy for a practitioner is not indulgence in temporary pleasure, but the deep Dharma-joy that comes from virtue and inner clarity.

Second, it is joyful to establish right faith. Right faith is the opposite of blind or misguided belief. One who lacks faith in the Three Jewels, karma, and moral causality is easily led into decline. But one who has right faith in the Buddha, the Dharma, the Saṅgha, and the law of cause and effect avoids evil and cultivates good. By creating wholesome karma through body, speech, and mind, such a person avoids suffering in the present and receives good results in the future. This joy arises from well-established faith.

Third, it is joyful to be endowed with wisdom. Without wisdom, Buddhist practice cannot succeed. Wisdom is the great treasure of the practitioner. Through wisdom one distinguishes right from wrong, true from false, wholesome from unwholesome. Without wisdom, practice is like walking blindly in the dark and easily falling into danger. With wisdom, one sees clearly, avoids wrongdoing, and moves steadily toward liberation and peace. Therefore, the Buddha said that possessing wisdom is joy.

Fourth, it is joyful not to do evil. One who has committed evil deeds can hardly have peace of mind. After harming others, a person may feel brief satisfaction, but afterward must bear painful consequences. Fear, remorse, social punishment, and the inner burden of memory torment the mind. Therefore, whoever wishes for peace in this life and in future lives should refrain from evil.

From the story above, several points deserve attention. First, when the Buddha gave rise to a thought, Māra was able to perceive it. In Buddhist teaching, beings of subtle realms may perceive the movements of thought. Whether wholesome or unwholesome, thoughts leave traces in the mind. When the mind no longer gives rise to grasping thoughts, there is no trace for Māra to seize upon. A practitioner whose mind is stable in this way is on the path to liberation.

Second, Māra tempts us when unwholesome thoughts arise. Such moments create openings for Māra to lead us toward wrong action. Therefore, we should not dwell on evil thoughts. If they arise, we should cut them off immediately and not give them room to grow. Once we obey their impulse, wrongdoing appears through body, speech, and mind, bringing great harm. Thus we must remain careful and vigilant.

Third, we must constantly cultivate right view and mindfulness. With mindfulness, we can recognize wrong and harmful thoughts, especially those rooted in greed for status, gain, and pleasure. Their source is ignorance. We must not become slaves to ignorance. To do this, we need wisdom. Only wisdom can illuminate and break through ignorance. When ignorance and affliction no longer arise, suffering and bondage cease. This is the meaning of liberation. Chapter XXIV: Craving.