An Analytical Study of the Way of Life Depicted in the Mahagovinda Sutta

Abstract

The objectives of this article were: 1) to study the Mahagovinda Sutta 2) to study the lifestyle portrayed in the Mahagovinda Sutta, and 3) to analyse the problems of life in the Sunshine the Mahagovinda Sutta. This thesis was a qualitative study on collected data from primary and secondary documents. The results of research found that Pancasikha, the son of heavenly musician, informed the Buddha about Jotipala, who was appointed advisor to the king after his father to investigate the direction of the earth and air. After being ordained as a monk, he intended to study and practice insight meditation so that he could attain the highest knowledge and it was predicted by Kassapa Buddha that he will be reborn as Lord Gautama Buddha. This sutta shows the geography of India in the prehistoric period, divided into seven states and Mahagovinda Brahman practiced the four ecstasies of loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity and then he was born in the Brahma world after death. Living a life based on Brahmavihara Dhamma and the Eightfold Path is the practice leading to dispassion, detachment, extinction, peace and salvation. Problem solutions in living a life according to the Mahagovinda Sutta is based on Brahmavihara Dhamma; care for yourself and others, having empathy to everyone, to be happy when seeing other happy, and a balanced state of mind, and based on the principle of the Eightfold Path by using the cause and result expounded in the Four Noble Truths.