5.42. The Good Person (AN5.42)

“Bhikkhus, when a good person is born in a family, it is for the good, welfare, and happiness of many people. It is for the good, welfare, and happiness of (1) his mother and father, (2) his wife and children, (3) his slaves, workers, and servants, (4) his friends and companions, and (5) ascetics and brahmins. Just as a great rain cloud, nurturing all the crops, appears for the good, welfare, and happiness of many people, so too, when a good person is born in a family, it is for the good, welfare, and happiness of many people. It is for the good, welfare, and happiness of his mother and father … ascetics and brahmins.”

The deities protect one guarded by the Dhamma,
who has managed his wealth for the welfare of many.
Fame does not forsake one steadfast in the Dhamma,
who is learned and of virtuous behavior and observances.

Who is fit to blame him,
standing in Dhamma,
accomplished in virtuous behavior,
a speaker of truth,
possessing a sense of shame,
pure like a coin of refined gold?
Even the devas praise him;
by Brahmā, too, he is praised.

© Bhikkhu Bodhi, The Numerical Discourses of the Buddha (Wisdom Publications, 2012)

This excerpt from The Numerical Discourses of the Buddha by Bhikkhu Bodhi is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

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Prepared for SuttaCentral by Blake Walsh.