Episode 108: One Who Harms No Living Being

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In this episode, we explore non-harmfulness. Non-harm is so central to Buddhism, the two can not be separated from each other. Our own inner peace is dependent upon lessening and eventually eliminating the harm we do to others. Inner peace is the great victory and prize for removing this harm from our actions of body, speech and mind. </span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style= "font-weight: 400;">-----------------------------------------</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While residing at the Jetavana monastery, the Buddha uttered Verse (270) of this book, with reference to a fisherman named Ariya.</span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Once, there was a fisherman who lived near the north gate of Savatthi. One day through his supernormal power, the Buddha found that time was ripe for the fisherman to attain Sotapatti Fruition. So on his return from the alms-round, the Buddha, followed by the bhikkhus, stopped near the place where Ariya was fishing. When the fisherman saw the Buddha, he threw away his fishing gear and came and stood near the Buddha. The Buddha then proceeded to ask the names of his bhikkhus in the presence of the fisherman, and finally, he asked the name of the fisherman. When the fisher man replied that his name was Ariya, the Buddha said that the Noble Ones (ariyas) do not harm any living being, but since the fisherman was taking the lives of fish he was not worthy of his name.</span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Then the Buddha spoke in verse as follows:</span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Verse 270: He who harms living beings is, for that reason, not an ariya (a Noble One); he who does not harm any living being is called an ariya.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">At the end of the discourse the fisherman attained Sotapatti Fruition.</span></p> <p><strong>--Buddha, The Dhammapada</strong></p> <p> </p> <p><span style= "font-weight: 400;">------------------------------------------------</sp