Dhamma Principles › The Rājagaha Merchant Builds Sixty Dwellings: A Home Given to All
The Rājagaha Merchant Builds Sixty Dwellings: A Home Given to All
Everyday life

The Rājagaha Merchant Builds Sixty Dwellings: A Home Given to All

Vihāradānaṃ saṅghassa aggaṃ buddhehi vaṇṇitaṃ

A merchant of Rājagaha saw monks living in forests and at the roots of trees, with graceful deportment, and offered to build dwellings. The monks wouldn't promise before asking the Buddha, who allowed five kinds of lodging. The merchant built sixty dwellings in a single day and gave them to the Saṅgha of the four quarters.

8 points

The Senāsana Khandhaka (Chapter on Lodgings) of the Cullavagga, Vinaya Piṭaka, tells that at first the Buddha had not yet allowed lodgings. Monks lived here and there: in forests, at the roots of trees, on hills, in ravines, caves, charnel grounds, jungle thickets, the open air and on heaps of straw. Early in the morning they came out with graceful movements in going forward and back, looking ahead and aside, bending and stretching their arms, eyes lowered.

The merchant of Rājagaha, going to his park early, saw them and was inspired. He asked whether they would live in dwellings if he built them. The monks replied that the Blessed One had not allowed dwellings, so he asked them to find out. The Buddha allowed five kinds of lodging: a dwelling, a lean-to, a multi-storey building, a flat-roofed house and a cave. The merchant built sixty dwellings in a single day and, on the Buddha's advice, gave them to the Saṅgha of the four quarters, present and to come. The Buddha expressed appreciation with verses on the benefits of dwellings.

The chapter then describes improvements to the dwellings problem by problem, from doors and windows to beds, pillows, a fire hall and fences. It continues with Anāthapiṇḍika, the merchant's brother-in-law, who first heard of the Buddha at the merchant's house.

  1. 1

    Conduct not put on for anyone Pāsādikena abhikkantena paṭikkantena

    The monks came out of forests, tree roots and caves early in the morning, graceful in going forward and back, looking ahead and aside, bending and stretching their arms, eyes lowered, perfect in deportment. The merchant saw them and his mind was at once inspired.

    Applying it in daily life

    Your composure when you think no one is looking — early in the morning where you stay, or in a lift — is the self others remember.

  2. 2

    Not promising beyond your authority Na kho gahapati bhagavatā vihārā anuññātā

    When the merchant asked whether they would live in dwellings he built, the monks answered plainly that the Blessed One had not allowed dwellings. He asked them to enquire and let him know, and they did.

    Applying it in daily life

    When someone proposes something you have no authority to decide, say honestly that you must ask the person responsible first, and remember to get back to them with the answer.

  3. 3

    Giving to those not yet arrived Āgatānāgatassa cātuddisassa saṅghassa

    The merchant built sixty dwellings in a single day and asked the Buddha what to do with them. The Buddha told him to establish them for the Saṅgha of the four quarters, present and to come.

    Applying it in daily life

    When donating or building something for the public, think of the people who will use it in future, not only those you know today.

  4. 4

    Shelter is basic protection Sītaṃ uṇhaṃ paṭihanti

    The verses of appreciation say that a dwelling wards off cold and heat, wild beasts, snakes and mosquitoes, rain, wind and fierce sun.

    Applying it in daily life

    When helping the homeless or disaster victims, safe shelter is the foundation that makes other help possible.

  5. 5

    A dwelling for peace and wisdom Vihāradānaṃ saṅghassa aggaṃ buddhehi vaṇṇitaṃ

    The verses continue that giving a dwelling to the Saṅgha, for seclusion, for ease, for meditation and insight, is praised by the Buddhas as the foremost gift. The wise should build pleasant dwellings for learned monks to live in, and with a confident mind give food, drink, cloth and lodgings to the upright, for they teach the Dhamma that dispels all suffering.

    Applying it in daily life

    Set aside a quiet corner at home or at work for reading, reflection or meditation. Such a space is worth far more than its size.

  6. 6

    Fixing a dwelling's problems one at a time Tīṇi vātapānāni

    When dwellings had no doors and snakes, scorpions and centipedes moved in, the Buddha allowed doors and bolts. When there were no windows, the air was stale and it was bad for the eyes, so he allowed three kinds of window. When bats could still get in, he allowed shutters and blinds.

    Applying it in daily life

    When your home has a problem, fix it at the point where it actually occurs, one thing at a time, without waiting to rebuild everything.

  7. 7

    Beds not too high, but safe Na bhikkhave ucce mañce sayitabbaṃ

    The group of six slept on high beds and people criticised them, so the Buddha forbade it. Later a monk sleeping on a low bed was bitten by a snake, and he allowed bed-leg supports. When some used supports that were too high, he set a limit of eight finger-breadths.

    Applying it in daily life

    When setting a standard of simplicity, don't forget safety, and define clearly how much is enough.

  8. 8

    A pillow the size of the head Sīsappamāṇaṃ bimbohanaṃ

    The group of six used pillows half the length of the body. People touring the monastery saw and criticised them, and the Buddha forbade it and allowed pillows the size of the head.

    Applying it in daily life

    Choose household items by the size you actually need; your home will feel roomier and be easier to keep.

Try it in daily life

What inspired the merchant was not a sermon but the monks' demeanour early in the morning, when no one was telling them to be composed. Quiet conduct in daily life communicates more than we think.

The monks didn't promise what they had no authority to decide, but asked the one who could decide and came back to report — a good model for working in any organisation.

Giving to the Saṅgha of the four quarters, present and to come, is giving that isn't tied to people we know but open to all who will use it in future, like donating to a school or hospital that later generations will use.

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