Most Venerable Bhante Walpola Piyananda's 80th Birthday Celebrating - Collected Essays

This Sutta describes the general lifestyle of many of Buddha’s
lay followers. Buddha never condemned such a style of living nor
asked his lay disciples to change their way of living in order to achieve
happiness in this life – or in future existences. In response to Dighajanu’s
request Buddha listed four conditions that would ensure happiness in
this world, and four to achieve happiness in the next world. The four
conditions for happiness in this life were the following:
• Utthana-sampada – Persistent effort
• Arakkha-sampada – Guarding and watching
• Kalyana-mittata – Good friendship
• Sama-jivikata – Balanced livelihood
In order to achieve happiness in future births he listed the following
conditions:
• Saddha-sampada – Accomplishment of confidence and
devotion
• Sila-sampada – Accomplishment of virtue
• Caga-sampada – Accomplishment of charity
• Panna-sampada – Accomplishment of wisdom
The explanation given in the discourse discloses how the laity
can live happily in both this life and the next when they follow these
principles. It also demonstrates the gradual spiritual development
resulting from the process of living their lives according to these
principles.
When the Buddha explained Iddhipada, a set of principles
called “the four roads to power,” he emphasized that when these are
developed they lead to success and enable one to achieve their goals in
life. They are Will (Chanda), Effort (Viriya), Thoughtfulness (Citta),
and Investigation (Vimamsa).
• The first principle is will, or inspiration. Being happy to
work and being ready to work to one’s best ability, means
that one should have interest and determination to work
properly. Will or inspiration is the primary requirement,
without which nothing can be accomplished.
• The second principle is putting effort into one’s
undertaking. This implies the ceaseless application of
sufficient energy required to finish the work in the way
one intends it.
• The third principle is thoughtfulness. This means that
one should pay full attention to the work one is doing
in the moment. Whatever we do, be it great or small, we
must apply to the task mindfulness and active thought
– again and again – until it is completed. If we do not
succeed the first time, we must try again with effort,
mindfulness, and hard work.
• The fourth principle is investigation, or examination.
Without investigation, one’s work may not be completed
perfectly. Investigation and examination should be
undertaken very carefully, with applied wisdom. A
good plan and an understanding of the given work
should always be kept in mind. To merely work hard is
oftentimes not enough. We should also work wisely and
intelligently. Working with wisdom will ensure a high
degree of success.
As recorded in the Iddhipadasamyutta of Samyuttanikaya,
Buddha says that those who have neglected the four bases for
spiritual power have neglected the noble path leading to the complete
destruction of suffering. Those who have undertaken the four bases
for spiritual powers have undertaken the noble path leading to the
complete destruction of suffering.
Therefore, the practice and development of these four
principles leads to success, and enables one to achieve goals on both
mundane (lokiya) and supermundane (lokuttara) levels.
Again, when the Buddha explained the Sammappadana, the
Four Great Efforts, (the effort to avoid, the effort to overcome, the effort
to develop, and the effort to maintain), he pointed out the importance
of those efforts in regards to achieving success in both secular and
spiritual lives.
There are many teachings in the Pali Canon where we can
find a connection between the spiritual and secular paths. However,
the practice of the Buddhist secular moral life, which leads to spiritual
development, is based on the Noble Eightfold Path. As Ven. Walpola
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