This booklet is meant for the busy lay Buddhist in search of concise practical guidance in applying Buddhist principles to his or her everyday life. Its purpose is to explain, in clear and simple terms, how to live a proper Buddhist lay life in the midst of one's worldly responsibilities. The author begins by stressing the need to acquire a right view of life - a clear-cut philosophy that illuminatees the meaning and purpose of our existence. On this basis he proceeds to discuss how to apply the basic principles of the Dhamma to the concerns of a householder's life; the choice of a career, marriage and child-rearing, moral and mental discipline, relaxation, old age and death.

The author - devoted Buddhist, retired teacher and social worker - is firmly convinced that the Buddha's teaching offers the most reasonable plan for wholesome living. Drawing upon his own life experiences, he attempts to prove this conviction by showing how the Dhamma can be constructively applied in the many diverse activities of daily life.

Seeing that life involves incessant change to many forms of suffering, one with right understanding learns to live simply and regulate desire. A wise and virtuous person is moderate in his desires and follows the middle way in all matters. Understanding the close connection between craving and suffering, he will realize the importance of holding desire in check by simple living.

One with right understanding is aware that real happiness is an inward state - a quality of the mind - and should therefore be sought inwardly.

Happiness is dependent of external things, though of course a certain degree of material security is necessary as a basis for inner development.

Robert Bogoda

First published by Buddhist Publication Society (BPS), 1994
P.O.Box 61
54 Sanghara Mawatha
Kandy, Sri Lanka

This edition (1999) is published by
Inward Path, Penang, Malaysia for free distribution with kind permission from Robert Bogoda

Chapter 1 The Right View of Life

Chapter 2 Benefits of Right Understanding

Chapter 3 A Life Plan

Chapter 4 Obstacles

Chapter 5 Relaxation

Chapter 6 Observing the Five Precepts

Chapter 7 Controlling the Emotions

Chapter 8 Beware of Bias and Propaganda

Chapter 9 A Happy Family Life

Chapter 10 The Practice of Benevolence

Chapter 11 Freeing the Mind

Chapter 12 Mindfulness of Breathing

Chapter 13 Facing Death with Equanimity

Chapter 14 The Good Buddhist

Innumerable books have been written about Buddhism, but most of these are far too exhaustive, too specialised, or too scholarly to be of much practical help to the busy lay Buddhist in search of concise guidance. A short, clear and simple handbook on how to live a proper Buddhist lay life was therefore a much felt need. The present essay attempts to fill that gap by providing exactly what its title offers: A Simple Guide to Life.

For easy reference the essay has been divided into short, convenient chapters. The first chapter is theoretical in emphasis. It attempts to fix in the reader's mind the essential principles of the Buddha's teaching, without complicated and sophisticated explanations. The principles discussed here should serve as a clear-cut philosophy of life, a framework which illuminates the meaning and purpose of the Buddhist life. These principles will enable the lay Buddhist to understand his or her priorities, and to devise a proper way to achieve them. The lack of a clear philosophy of life, so widespread today, is largely responsible for the steady decline in ethical standards, both individually and socially, in Sri Lanka and in the world as a whole.

The second chapter is concerned with the practical implications of adopting the understanding of existence sketched in the first chapter. We here examine the visible benefits of accepting the Buddha-Dhamma as a whole way of thinking and living; in this chapter we will also throw a sidelong glance at what happens to a society when spiritual values are abandoned in favour of an exclusive stress on material development.

The next two chapters discuss respectively the need to draw up an individual life plan and the obstacles likely to impede the successful implementation of that plan. The central problem of a Buddhist lay follower is to combine a successful lay life with Buddhist moral and spiritual principles. This problem can be solved by organising one's life as a lay Buddhist within the framework of the Noble Eightfold Path, which represents the Master's teaching in practice. Because some degree of economic security is essential to growth in the Dhamma, the Buddha was concerned with the material welfare of his lay disciples as much as with their spiritual development. He did not deter them from seeking mundane happiness, but he stressed that in pursuing mundane goals, the lay Buddhist should take great care to avoid breaking the basic rules of morality. These rules are summed up in the Five Precepts of virtue, the minimum code of ethics to be followed by a Buddhist householder. As the Five Precepts are thus of such fundamental importance to a Buddhist lay follower; a separate chapter is devoted to discussing them.

The remaining chapters of the essay show how to apply the basic principles of Buddhism to the other major areas of a Buddhist householder's life. The essay ends with a chapter briefly describing what is expected of an ideal lay Buddhist in daily life. The guiding maxim of the entire essay is: A little well done is better than a lot poorly done.

To sum up: The Buddha's teaching, which is unique in its completeness, is the most rational and consistent plan for wholesome living. It is not based on dogma or blind faith, but on facts and verifiable conclusions. It therefore offers a reasonable way of life which should be attractive to any thinking person. Moreover, the Dhamma is completely compatible with the advances of modern science and does not require clever reinterpretations to avoid clashes with scientific discoveries.

The mere fact of accepting Buddhism intellectually, however, will not ensure happiness and security. To yield its fruit the Buddha's reaching has to be utilised intelligently and constructively in all the activities of our daily life. It has to be adopted, adapted and applied until all its basic principles are absorbed and made habitual by repeated practice, for a theoretical knowledge of Buddhism is insufficient in itself.

If one wishes to make changes in the changing personality that one now is, these changes will take time and patience. The lofty heights of Nibbana are not to be reached by a sudden leap but by quiet, persistent endeavour over a long period, guided by the Master's teaching. Let us not forget that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Daily practice, beginning with the strict observance of the Five Precepts, is the way to orderly progress along the path. Even a little practice every day brings the practitioner a little nearer to the goal each day.

I take this opportunity to offer the merit of this gift of Dhamma most gratefully and most devotedly to my parents, now no more. Such a gift excels all other gifts: Sabbdanam dhammadanam jinati. May it rebound to their happiness.