[upekkha100]

Vittha­ta­dhana­sutta in English

Vittha­ta­dhana­sutta in Pali

The seven treasures: saddha, sila, hiri, ottappa, suta, caga, panna.

“Whoever, man or woman, has these treasures is said not to be poor, has not lived in vain.”

By “Whoever, man or woman”, is this also referring to anariyas?

Or does this only apply to Ariyas? The following quote makes me think it does:
“And what is the treasure of discernment? There is the case where a disciple of the noble ones is discerning, endowed with discernment of arising & passing away—noble, penetrating, leading to the right ending of stress. This is called the treasure of discernment.”

[Lal]

I have revised the English translation that you provided. Hopefully, that will convey the meanings of the “seven treasures” better.

Upekkha asked: “By “Whoever, man or woman”, is this also referring to anariyas?”

Yes. Of course. It applies to ANYONE who is cultivating/accumulating these treasures.
– As one keeps building up on these treasures, one could become an Ariya.
– That process ends only at the Arahant stage.

The following is my version of the whole sutta.
– Feel free to ask questions.

“Bhikkhus, there are these seven treasures. Which seven? The treasure of Saddhā (faith), the treasure of sīla (moral conduct), the treasure of hiri (shame of wrongdoings), the treasure of ottappa (fear of wrongdoings), the treasure of suta (listening), the treasure of cāga (giving/generosity), and the treasure of paññā (wisdom).

“And what is the treasure of faith? There is the case where a disciple of the noble ones has faith in Buddha’s Awakening: ‘Indeed, the Buddha is worthy and rightly self-awakened, perfect in knowledge & conduct, well-gone, knower of this world, unexcelled as a teacher for humans and heavenly beings (Devas and Brahmas), fully-awakened, blessed.’ This is called the treasure of faith.

“And what is the treasure of moral conduct? There is the case where a disciple of the noble ones abstains from taking life, abstains from stealing, abstains from sexual misconduct, abstains from lying, abstains from taking intoxicants (alcohol and drugs). This, bhikkhus, is called the treasure of moral conduct.

“And what is the treasure of shame of wrongdoings? There is the case where a disciple feels the shame of bodily misconduct, verbal misconduct, mental misconduct. This is called the treasure of shame of wrongdoings.

“And what is the treasure of fear of wrongdoings? There is the case where a disciple of the noble ones feels fear of wrongdoings such as bodily misconduct, verbal misconduct, mental misconduct. This is called the treasure of fear of wrongdoings.

“And what is the treasure of listening? There is the case where a disciple of the noble ones has heard Buddha Dhamma (correct teachings), has retained what he/she has heard, has stored in memory what he/she has heard. Those teachings are perfect in the beginning, perfect in the middle, perfect in the end, that—in their meaning and expression—proclaim a virtuous life that is entirely complete and pure. This is called the treasure of listening.

“And what is the treasure of giving/generosity? There is the case of a disciple of the noble ones, his awareness cleansed of the stain of stinginess, freely generous, open-handed, delighting in generosity, responsive to requests, delighting in giving. This is called the treasure of giving/generosity.

“And what is the treasure of wisdom? There is the case where a disciple of the noble ones has cultivated wisdom by learning true Dhamma and is following the path to end suffering. This is called the treasure of wisdom.”

These bhikkhus are the seven treasures.
The treasure of faith,
the treasure of moral conduct,
the treasures of shame and fear of wrongdoings,
the treasures of listening, generosity,
& wisdom as the seventh treasure.
Whoever, man or woman, has these treasures
is said not to be poor, has not lived in vain.

[upekkha100]

Do we carry what we cultivate in this life to the next life?

For example someone with high dosa works on reducing it or someone with low karuna works on increasing it. Would the reduced dosa levels and increased karuna levels be carried over to the next life as well?

[Lal]

Upekkha: Yes to both questions.

This is why some people are able to make progress faster than others. They have “cultivated the path” more in previous lives.

However, there is an important point to remember, and that is a key difference between a “soul” in some religions and an “ever-changing self” in Buddha Dhamma.

Consider the case of a person who makes some progress on the path in a given life.
– Since he/she has made progress (even if not attained a magga phala), it is likely that he/she will be born into a family with moral values in the next life. Then that progress will continue.
– However, if one is unfortunate (due to some specific kamma) to be born into a “bad family” in the next life, that environment can stop and even reverse some of the progress made in the previous life.

Of course, if one becomes at least a Sotapanna Anugami, then one’s progress WILL NOT be reversed.

That is why we need to make our best effort in this life. Furthermore, it is essential to stay away from bad friends, associates and to associate with “moral people.”
– There is no “unchanging self.”
– One can be moral one day and become immoral due to bad associations at any time.

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