The principles of life in the Kamabhokhi Sutta

Abstract

This academic article aims to study the principles of living life in the Kamabhoki Sutta. The results of the study found that the Kamabhoki Sutta was taught by the Lord Buddha to Anathapindika the householder at Jetavana Monastery in Savatthi. The content concerns the characteristics and types of wealth seeking and spending of wealth by 10 types of sensual consumers or householders, such as some people seeking wealth unjustly, through wrong work. After seeking it, they do not nourish themselves to be happy and do not distribute or make merit. The seeking of wealth in the Kamabhoki Sutta can be summarized into 3 types: 1) seeking wealth unjustly, through wrong work, 2) seeking wealth both righteously and unrighteously, through some wrong and some wrong work, 3) seeking wealth righteously, through some wrong work. The characteristics of spending wealth in the Kamabhoki Sutta can be summarized into 5 types: 1) not nourishing oneself to be happy, and not distributing or making merit, 2) nourishing oneself to be happy, but not distributing or making merit, 3) nourishing oneself to be happy, and distributing merit, 4) being intoxicated, obsessed, focused, not seeing the faults, and not having the wisdom to remove them. Use those wealth 5) without being infatuated, obsessed, or focused, seeing the faults, using wisdom as a means to shake them off, use those wealth. As for the principles in possessing wealth, there are both clinging to and not clinging to wealth.