Can a layperson/householder live the 'Holy Life'?

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Accepted answer

One can to an extent;

"And through this line of reasoning one may know how admirable friendship, admirable companionship, admirable camaraderie is actually the whole of the holy life: It is in dependence on me as an admirable friend that beings subject to birth have gained release from birth, that beings subject to aging have gained release from aging, that beings subject to death have gained release from death, that beings subject to sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair have gained release from sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair. It is through this line of reasoning that one may know how admirable friendship, admirable companionship, admirable camaraderie is actually the whole of the holy life."SN45.2

“There is not any householder, Vaccha, who, not getting rid of the householder's fetter(s), at the breaking up of the body is an end-maker of ill.” MN71

But has the good Gotama even one layfollower who is a disciple, a householder clothed in white, a Brahma-farer who, by the utter destruction of the five fetters binding to this lower (shore) is of spontaneous uprising, one who has attained nibbāna there and is not liable to return from that world?” “Not merely a hundred, Vaccha, nor two, three, four or five hundred, but far more are those layfollowers, disciples of mine, householders clothed in white, Brahma-farers (brahmacārino), who by the utter destruction of the five fetters binding to this lower (shore), are of spontaneous uprising, those who have attained nibbāna there and are not liable to return from that world.”

But has the good Gotama even one layfollower who is a disciple, a householder clothed in white, and who, (though) an enjoyer of sense-pleasures, is a doer of the instruction, one who accepts the exhortation, who has crossed over doubt and, perplexity gone, fares in the Teacher's instruction, won to conviction, not relying on others?” “Not merely a hundred, Vaccha, nor two, three, four or five hundred, but far more are these layfollowers, disciples of mine, householders clothed in white, and who, (though) enjoyers of sense-pleasures are doers of the instruction, those who accept the exhortation, who have crossed over doubt and, perplexity gone, fare in the Teacher's instruction, won to conviction, not relying on others.”

But has the good Gotama even one woman layfollower who is a disciple, a householder clothed in white, a Brahma-farer who, by the utter destruction of the five fetters binding to this lower (shore), is of spontaneous uprising, one who has attained nibbāna there and is not liable to return from that world?” “Not merely a hundred, Vaccha, nor two, three, four or five hundred, but many more are those women layfollowers, disciples of mine, householders clothed in white, Brahma-farers who, by the utter destruction of the five fetters binding to this lower (shore), are of spontaneous uprising, those who have attained nibbāna there and are not liable to return from that world.”

But has the good Gotama even one woman layfollower who is a disciple, a householder clothed in white, and who, (though) an enjoyer of sense-pleasures, is a doer of the instruction, one who accepts the exhortation, who has crossed over doubt and, perplexity gone, fares in the Teacher's instruction, won to conviction, not relying on others?” “Not merely a hundred, Vaccha, nor two, three, four or five hundred, but many more are those women layfollowers, disciples of mine, householders clothed in white, and who, (though) enjoyers of sense-pleasures, are doers of the instruction, those who accept the exhortation, who have crossed over doubt and, perplexity gone, fare in the Teacher's instruction, won to conviction, not relying on others.” mn73

Upvote:-1

Seldom there are those gifted who:

  • not only arrive at right view
  • give up holding on right
  • follow goodwill for all beings in thought, words and deeds
  • living on what is given
  • having right resolve and
  • no more eager after sakkāyadiṭṭhi
  • holding together and maintain stand, house and group-identifications
  • having left useless politics and the eight worldly Dhammas behind
  • maintaining the Uposatha all day and night...

Yet, others go direct for the fruits of the higher life

And those without faith, Saddha, not willing to surrender... seek for standumaintaining answers on BSE under the other lefties, not wiling to go on right, pervert war outwardly over [in preference to] real and fruitful battle to get the arrow of delusion and craving out of the heart.

Upvote:0

MN 36 says "It isn’t easy, living in a home, to practice the holy life totally perfect"

Before my self-awakening, when I was still just an unawakened bodhisatta, the thought occurred to me: ‘Household life is confining, a dusty path. Life gone forth is the open air. It isn’t easy, living in a home, to practice the holy life totally perfect, totally pure, a polished shell. What if I, having shaved off my hair & beard and putting on the ochre robe, were to go forth from the household life into homelessness?’

https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/MN/MN36.html

Upvote:1

According to this answer and its references I decided that, when the word "holy life" is used in the suttas, it's used to mean "a monk's life" or "life spent in fellowship with other monks" ... which means keep the rules of the Vinaya.

Saying that "stream-entry is consequent to the holy life" plus "laypeople can enter the stream" doesn't change that definition, doesn't logically contradict it. And the full quote from SN 45.39 mentions arahants also.

I don't know where Anagarika might fit in that definition (who, according to Wikipedia, "are full-time residents at the vihara where they ordained") -- I don't know that they're mentioned in the suttas at all.

As for the final question, refer to SN 45.2 -- it was addressed to Ananda (a monk).

I think that's how the word is used, in the suttas.

Upvote:1

To a certain extent, yes.

The practice of meditation and attainment of jhana is also recommended to lay followers, as seen below.

Then Anathapindika the householder, surrounded by about 500 lay followers, went to the Blessed One and, on arrival, having bowed down to him, sat to one side. As he was sitting there the Blessed One said to him, “Householder, you have provided the community of monks with robes, alms food, lodgings, & medicinal requisites for the sick, but you shouldn’t rest content with the thought, ‘We have provided the community of monks with robes, alms food, lodgings, & medicinal requisites for the sick.’ So you should train yourself, ‘Let’s periodically enter & remain in seclusion & rapture.’ That’s how you should train yourself.”
AN 5.176

Lay followers can attain stream entry and higher levels of jhana. An example is Citta.

“But how is a wise lay follower defined?”

“It’s when a lay follower is wise. They have the wisdom of arising and passing away which is noble, penetrative, and leads to the complete ending of suffering. Then they’re considered to be a wise lay follower.”
SN 55.37

Citta is a famous lay householder who has even taught monks, for example, in SN 41.1, SN 41.5 and SN 41.7.

The monks he taught, stated:

“You’re fortunate, householder, so very fortunate, to traverse the Buddha’s deep teachings with the eye of wisdom.”
SN 41.1

In SN 41.8, he states that he has achieved mastery of the fourth rupa jhana.

SN 41, called Cittavagga, contains 10 suttas dedicated to the life of Citta.

Finally, a lay follower can even attain arahantship, but most likely only on their deathbed.

If they reply, ‘I have done so,’ they should say: ‘Good sir, the Brahmā realm is impermanent, not lasting, and included within identity. It would be good to turn your mind away from the Brahmā realm and apply it to the cessation of identity.’

If they reply, ‘I have done so,’ then there is no difference between a lay follower whose mind is freed in this way and a mendicant whose mind is freed from defilements; that is, between the freedom of one and the other.”
SN 55.54

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