Bodhisatta’s Wisdom: Six Paths to Spiritual Welfare

The Story

In a past life, the Bodhisatta was once a treasurer who had a very smart son. When the son was just seven years old, he approached his father and asked how to care for his spiritual welfare. The Bodhisatta, impressed by his son’s precocity, provided him with six essential paths to follow:

1. Be healthy: Maintain physical well-being.
2. Be righteous: Live a virtuous life.
3. Listen to elders: Respect and learn from those who are older and wiser.
4. Study the scriptures: Engage in the study of sacred texts and wisdom.
5. Be truthful: Always speak the truth and maintain honesty.
6. Do not get attached to things: Practice non-attachment to material possessions and worldly desires.

The son followed these rules diligently for the rest of his life, leading a life of virtue and spiritual growth.

In the Lifetime of the Buddha

This tale has a significant connection to the Buddha’s later life. A precocious seven-year-old boy asked his father, a wealthy treasurer, what the paths to spiritual welfare were. Not knowing the answer, the father went to ask the Buddha for guidance.The Buddha, recognizing the boy’s wisdom and potential, told this story to the father. He explained that the wise child from the past, who had been advised by the Bodhisatta, was an earlier birth of this young boy. By sharing this Jataka tale, the Buddha provided the father with the same wisdom that had been given in the past, emphasizing the importance of these six paths for spiritual welfare.

Moral

The Atthassadvara Jataka teaches us about the importance of early guidance in spiritual development and the value of following virtuous principles from a young age. The story highlights the significance of parental wisdom and the role of elders in imparting valuable life lessons. The six paths outlined by the Bodhisatta serve as a model for how to lead a righteous and spiritually fulfilling life. This tale underscores the Buddhist principle of cultivating virtue and wisdom through disciplined living and the study of sacred teachings.