“I was born into an upper-class family that had great comforts and wealth. I was extremely beautiful. I was the daughter of Megha, a very rich merchant. Many princes and wealthy merchants desired me. They sent my father messengers saying, “Let me marry your daughter Anupamā. “If you tell us how much your daughter Anupamā weighs, we will give you eight times her weight in gold and jewels.”But I saw the Enlightened Buddha who was incomparable and supreme in the world. I paid homage to my great teacher’s sacred feet and sat down. Out of compassion for me, Gautama Supreme Buddha taught me the excellent Dhamma. Seated on that very spot, I attained the fruit of non-returning.”

-Ref: The Verses of Arahant Anupamā, Therīgāthā

“For one who desires a continuous flow of exceptional delights—long life, beauty, and health, heaven, and birth in an eminent family—the astute praise diligence in making merit. Being diligent, an astute person secures both benefits: the benefit in this life, and in lives to come. A wise one, comprehending the meaning, is said to be astute.”

-Ref:SN 3.17, Appamādasutta

“Master Gotama, I seek alms by legitimate means, which I use to provide for my mother and father. In doing so, am I doing my duty?”

“Indeed, brahmin, in so doing you are doing your duty. Whoever seeks alms by legitimate means, and uses them to provide for their mother and father makes much merit.

A mortal provides for their mother and father by legitimate means; because they look after their parents like this, they’re praised in this life by the astute, and they depart to rejoice in heaven.”

-Ref: SN 7.19, Mātuposakasutta

“Anitthigandha lived in Savatthi. He was to marry a beautiful young girl from the city of Sagala, in the country of the Maddas. As the bride was coming from her home to Savatthi, she became ill and died on the way. When the bridegroom learned about the tragic death of his bride he was brokenhearted.

At this juncture, the Buddha knowing that the time was ripe for the young man to attain Sotapatti Fruition went to his house. The parents of the young man offered alms food to the Buddha. After the meal, the Buddha asked his parents to bring the young man into his presence. When he came, the Buddha asked him why he was in such pain and distress, and the young man related the whole story of the tragic death of his young bride. Then the Buddha said to him, “O Anitthigandha! Lust begets sorrow; it is due to lust for things and lust for sensual pleasures that sorrow and fear arise.”

Then the Buddha spoke in verse as follows:

Verse 215: Lust begets sorrow, lust begets fear. For him who is free from lust there is no sorrow; how can there be fear for him?

At the end of the discourse, Anitthigandha attained Sotapatti Fruition.”

-Ref: Dhammapada Verse 215 (Anitthigandhakumara Vatthu)

“Life is swept along, short is the life span, no shelters exist for one who has grown old. Seeing clearly this peril in death, one should do deeds of merit that bring happiness. When one departs this life, self-control over body, speech, and mind,

and the deeds of merit one did while living, lead to one’s happiness.”

-Ref: AN 3.51, Paṭhamadvebrāhmaṇasutta

“Five hundred bhikkhus from Savatthi, after obtaining a subject of meditation from the Buddha, traveled for a distance of one hundred yojanas* away from Savatthi and came to a large forest grove, a suitable place for meditation practice. The guardian spirits of the trees dwelling in that forest thought that if those bhikkhus were staying in the forest, it would not be proper for them to live with their families in the trees. So they descended from the trees, thinking that the bhikkhus would stop there only for one night. But the bhikkhus were still there at the end of a fortnight; then it occurred to them that the bhikkhus might be staying there till the end of the Vassa. In that case, they and their families would have to be living on the ground for a long time. So, they decided to frighten away the bhikkhus, by making ghostly sounds and frightful apparitions. They showed up with bodies without heads, and with heads without bodies, etc. The bhikkhus were very upset and left the place and returned to the Buddha, to whom they related everything. On hearing their account, the Buddha told them that this had happened because previously they went without any weapon and that they should go back there armed with a suitable weapon. So saying, the Buddha taught them the entire Metta Sutta (discourse on Loving-Kindness) …

…He who is skilled in (acquiring) what is good and beneficial, (mundane as well as supra-mundane), aspiring to attain Perfect Peace (Nibbana) should act (thus): He should be efficient, upright, perfectly upright, compliant, gentle and free from conceit.”]”

-Ref: Dhammapada Verse 40 (Pancasatabhikkhu Vatthu)

“Standing to one side, the god Subrahmā addressed the Buddha in verse:

“This mind is always anxious, this mind is always stressed about stresses that haven’t arisen and those that have. If there is a state free of anxiety, please answer my question.”

“Not without understanding and austerity, not without restraining the sense faculties, not without letting go of everything, do I see safety for living creatures.”

That is what the Buddha said. … The god vanished right there.”

-Ref: SN 2.17, Subrahma Sutta

“With the ending of relish for rebirth, the finishing of perception and consciousness, and the cessation and stilling of feelings: that, sir, is how I understand liberation, emancipation, and seclusion for sentient beings.”

-Ref: SN 1.2, Nimokkha Sutta

“Mendicants, a woman or a man, a person who lives a lifestyle of a householder or a lifestyle of a monk should often review these five subjects. What five?

‘I am liable to grow old, I am not exempt from old age.’ a woman or a man, a person who lives a lifestyle of a householder or a lifestyle of a monk should often review this.

‘I am liable to get sick, I am not exempt from sickness.’ …

‘I am liable to die, I am not exempt from death.’ …

‘I must be parted and separated from all I hold dear and beloved.’ …

‘I am the owner of my deeds and heir to my deeds. Deeds are my womb, my relative, and my refuge.

I shall be the heir of whatever deeds I do, whether good or bad.’ A woman or a man, a person who lives a lifestyle of a householder or the lifestyle of a monk should often review this.

What is the advantage for a woman or a man, a woman or a man, a person who lives a lifestyle of a householder or a lifestyle of a monk of often reviewing this: ‘I am liable to grow old, I am not exempt from old age’? There are sentient beings who, intoxicated with the vanity of youth, do bad things by way of body, speech, and mind. Reviewing this subject often, they entirely give up the vanity of youth or at least reduce it. This is the advantage for a a woman or a man, a person who lives a life style of a householder or a life style of a monk of often reviewing this: ‘I am liable to grow old, I am not exempt from old age’.

What is the advantage of often reviewing this: ‘I am liable to get sick, I am not exempt from sickness’? There are sentient beings who, drunk on the vanity of health, do bad things by way of body, speech, and mind. Reviewing this subject often, they entirely give up the vanity of health, or at least reduce it. This is the advantage of often reviewing this: ‘I am liable to get sick, I am not exempt from sickness’.

What is the advantage of often reviewing this: ‘I am liable to die, I am not exempt from death’? There are sentient beings who, drunk on the vanity of life, do bad things by way of body, speech, and mind. Reviewing this subject often, they entirely give up the vanity of life or at least reduce it. This is the advantage of often reviewing this: ‘I am liable to die, I am not exempt from death’.

What is the advantage of often reviewing this: ‘I must be parted and separated from all I hold dear and beloved’? There are sentient beings who, aroused by desire and lust for their dear and beloved, do bad things by way of body, speech, and mind. Reviewing this subject often, they entirely give up desire and lust for their dear and beloved, or at least reduce it. This is the advantage of often reviewing this: ‘I must be parted and separated from all I hold dear and beloved’.

What is the advantage of often reviewing like this: ‘I am the owner of my deeds and heir to my deeds. Deeds are my womb, my relative, and my refuge. I shall be the heir of whatever deeds I do, whether good or bad? There are sentient beings who do bad things by way of body, speech, and mind. Reviewing this subject often, they entirely give up bad conduct or at least reduce it. This is the advantage for a woman or a man, a person who lives a lifestyle of a householder or a lifestyle of a monk often reviewing like this: ‘I am the owner of my deeds and heir to my deeds. Deeds are my womb, my relative, and my refuge. I shall be the heir of whatever deeds I do, whether good or bad.’

Then that noble disciple reflects: ‘It’s not just me who is liable to grow old, not being exempt from old age. For all sentient beings grow old according to their nature, as long as they come and go, pass away, and are reborn.’ When they review this subject often, the path is born in them. They cultivate, develop, and make much of it. By doing so, they give up the fetters and eliminate the underlying tendencies.”

-Ref: AN 5.57, Abhiṇhapaccavekkhitabbaṭhānasutta

Bhikkhus, there are these five lower fetters. What five? Identity view, doubt, the distorted grasp of rules and vows, sensual desire, ill will. These are the five lower fetters. This Noble Eightfold Path is to be developed for direct knowledge of these five lower fetters, for the full understanding of them, for their utter destruction, for their abandoning.”

-Ref: SN 45.179 (Lower Fetters)

“This, bhikkhu, is a designation for the element of Nibbana: the removal of lust, the removal of hatred, the removal of delusion. The destruction of the taints is spoken of in that way.”

When this was said, that bhikkhu said to the Blessed One: “Venerable sir, it is said, ‘the Deathless, the Deathless.’ What now, venerable sir, is the Deathless? What is the path leading to the Deathless?” “The destruction of lust, the destruction of hatred, the destruction of delusion: this is called the Deathless. This Noble Eightfold Path is the path leading to the Deathless; that is, right view … right concentration.”

-Ref: SN 45.7 Dutiyaaññatarabhikkhu Sutta

“Mendicants, when a mendicant has not given up five kinds of emotional barrenness and cut off five emotional shackles, it’s not possible for them to achieve growth, improvement, or maturity in this teaching and training.

What are the five kinds of emotional barrenness they haven’t given up? Firstly, a mendicant has doubts about the Buddha. They’re uncertain, undecided, and lacking confidence. This being so, their mind doesn’t incline toward keenness, commitment, persistence, and striving. This is the first kind of emotional barrenness they haven’t given up.

Furthermore, a mendicant has doubts about the teachings of Buddha … This is the second kind of emotional barrenness.

They have doubts about the noble Saṅgha … This is the third kind of emotional barrenness.

They have doubts about the practice leading to Nibbana … This is the fourth kind of emotional barrenness.

Furthermore, a mendicant is angry and upset with their spiritual companions, resentful and closed off. This being so, their mind doesn’t incline toward keenness, commitment, persistence, and striving. This is the fifth kind of emotional barrenness they haven’t given up. These are the five kinds of emotional barrenness they haven’t given up.”

-Ref: MN 16, Cetokhilasutta

“In the same way, prince, there are these five factors that support meditation.

What five? It’s when a noble disciple has faith in the Realized One’s awakening: ‘That Blessed One is perfected, a fully awakened Buddha, accomplished in knowledge and conduct, holy, knower of the world, a supreme guide for those who wish to train, teacher of gods and humans, awakened, blessed.’ They are rarely ill or unwell. Their stomach digests well, being neither too hot nor too cold, but just right, and fit for meditation. They’re not devious or deceitful. They reveal themselves honestly to the Buddha or noble spiritual companions. They live with energy roused up for giving up unskillful qualities and embracing skillful qualities. They’re strong, staunchly vigorous, not slacking off when it comes to developing skillful qualities. They’re wise. They have the wisdom of arising and passing away which is noble, penetrative, and leads to the complete ending of suffering. These are the five factors that support meditation.

-Ref: MN 85, Bodhirājakumārasutta

“Those days I followed a wrong thinking pattern.

I was addicted to decorating my body. My mind was not peaceful because it was filled with obsession and sensual lust. I was conceited. But the Supreme Buddha, the kinsman of the sun, is very strategic.

With the help of the Buddha, I started to wisely investigate the truth. I was firm in the practice. My mind was drowning in existence: I pulled it out. I lifted my mind up towards Nibbāna.”

-Ref: The verses said by Arahant Nanda, Theragāthā

“That well-grown fig tree was full of green leaves. I meditated at the foot of that tree. There, mindfully I developed the perception of the recollection of the qualities of the Supreme Buddha.

I practised that very same perception thirty-one eons ago.

By using the same meditation, I was able to attain enlightenment.”

-Ref: The verses said by Arahant Sanbhita, Theragāthā

References:

https://suttafriends.org

https://suttacentral.net

tipitaka.net