A ladder that leads us up to a higher goodness and happiness

“…Today we have come to do what the Buddha taught us to do, which is to practise generosity, virtue, and meditation, because these activities are like a ladder that leads us up to a higher goodness and happiness that the Buddha and his enlightened disciples have attained.

If we do these things a lot, we will get there quickly. If we do just a little, we’ll get there slowly. No one but ourselves can determine whether we progress slowly or quickly. We are the ones who walk the path, who climb the ladder.

The ladder here is called magga in Pali, which is translated as the path that leads the mind step by step up to higher stages, starting from the human level and progressing to that of heavenly beings. We leave the heavens for the brahma world, and after that we reach the various stages of noble attainments, those of Steam-entry (Sotāpanna), Once-returner (Sakadāgāmī), Non-returner (Anāgāmī), and Arahantship.

These are the various rungs of the ladder along the way of practicing generosity, moral virtue, and meditation. If we practise generosity and maintain our virtue, we will reach the various levels of heaven. Which level we reach is dependent on how generous we are and how pure our virtue is.

This is like students in school who receive their test results. Some get ‘A’s, some get ‘B’s, and some get ‘C’s. Our grade depends on our ability to be generous and maintain our virtue, which in the case of those heading for heaven means giving away anything extra that we have and keeping the five precepts. Hoarding our wealth and possessions only adds to our responsibilities, causing agitation and worry.

If we give them up, donate them, and distribute them to those who have less than us and who are in need, then our heart will feel light. Happiness and contentment will arise in our heart. Virtue means upholding the five training rules. Our ability to maintain all of the five training rules every moment of every day, from the time we wake up until we go to sleep, determines the level of our mind. If we can maintain it continuously from the moment we wake up until we go to sleep again, then we will be able to reach a high state of mind.

However, if we can only maintain it sporadically, then we will not reach a very high level. These are the meritorious results arising from charitable actions and maintaining virtue…”

By Ajaan Suchart Abhijāto