THE STORY OF VENERABLE SĀRIPUTTA HONOURING VENERABLE ASSAJI - Dhammapada verse 392

Sutta Meditation Series

Welcome back to the Sutta Meditation Series Podcast.

In today's session, we look at Dhammapada Verse 392 - THE STORY OF VENERABLE SĀRIPUTTA HONOURING VENERABLE ASSAJI (Sāriputtatthera Vatthu). This is encouragement and inspiration towards honouring those that help us and offer great service encouraging us towards the Triple Gem and the Path and Practice taught by the Buddha, in order to find real safety.

To further our understanding, we examine the Buddha's teaching on the three persons who are of great service to another; that it is not easy to repay such persons, how roles may block our ability to honour such a person; why honouring helps us to abandon the fetter of conceit and to develop more metta qualities; and how honouring those worthy of honour is a great blessing and very meritorious.

We also contemplate what it would be like if such persons did not encourage us of help us to understand the meaning of the Buddha's teachings and how to practice towards a happy destination or full liberation.

And we also briefly touch on a teaching on the meaning of a True Elder (senior). This is in contrast to the worldly measure of an elder or senior.

The Buddha's words from Dhp 392:

“Yamhā dhammaṁ vijāneyya,
sammāsambuddhadesitaṁ;
Sakkaccaṁ taṁ namasseyya,
aggihuttaṁva brāhmaṇo.”

“From whom one has known and understood the Dhamma,
taught by the Perfectly Enlightened One;
one should honour (respect) and venerate them,
like a brahmin honours (respects) and venerates the fire-sacrifice.”

Other suttas that are mentioned directly or indirectly in this talk:

• — Bahukāra Sutta (AN 3.24)
• — Karaṇīyametta Sutta (Snp 1.8)
• — Cūḷavedalla Sutta (MN 44)
• — Chaṭṭhavagga (AN 1.249)
• — Aggappasāda Sutta (AN 4.34)
• — Dakkhiṇāvibhaṅga Sutta (MN 142)
• — Mahāmaṅgala Sutta (Snp 2.4)
• — Samacittavagga (AN 2.38)
• — Ādittapariyāya Sutta (SN 35.28)
• — Suttavebhaṅgiya (Pe 9)
• — Dutiyauruvela Sutta (AN 4.22)
• — Gavampati Sutta (SN 56.30)
• — Sekha-paṭipadā Sutta (MN 53)
• — Kassapadasabalassasuvaṇṇacetiyavatthu (Dhp 195-196)

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The video of this talk has been published to the Sutta Meditation YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NH03P5-C-aE

Blessings of the Triple Gem. Theruwan saranai

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