Overview
A lay follower named Dīghajāṇu explicitly asked the Buddha for teachings that would bring happiness to householders who enjoy sensual pleasures, live with family, and handle money. In response, the Buddha provided a masterclass in righteous wealth management, listing four foundations for worldly success in the present life.
The List
- Uṭṭhānasampadā - Accomplishment in persistent effort: Being skilled, diligent, and tirelessly energetic in one’s chosen lawful profession (farming, trading, civil service, etc.), possessing the ingenuity to manage and organize the work.
- Ārakkhasampadā - Accomplishment in protection: Righteously guarding the wealth one has earned through hard work, ensuring it is not stolen by thieves, confiscated by unjust rulers, destroyed by fire or water, or taken by hateful heirs.
- Kalyāṇamittatā - Good friendship: Associating only with friends who are virtuous, faithful, generous, and wise, and avoiding friends who are gamblers, drunkards, or swindlers.
- Samajīvitā - Balanced living: Managing one’s finances wisely. Knowing one’s income and expenses, ensuring that one neither hoards wealth like a starved person nor spends it recklessly like a “fig-tree glutton.”
Textual References
- Canonical: Dīghajāṇu Sutta (AN 8.54) – The exact discourse where the Buddha lays out these practical, timeless economic principles.