อารัมภบทI shall now explain and expand upon the meaning of the Dhamma theme written above, as a guide for study and practice.

อธิบายบทตั้งTo explain: The words "one who is mindful" mean one who recollects and is always self-aware, not absent-minded in thinking, speaking or acting. As for "prosperity", it means what is good, safety and progress. This saying teaches that one who is mindful meets with prosperity at all times; that is, whatever situation he is in, mindfulness always helps to lead him towards what is good.

ขยายความบทตั้งMindfulness is a quality of great help, because it is the foundation of all goodness. Giving requires mindfulness in order to be done correctly and appropriately; keeping the precepts requires mindfulness so as not to transgress through carelessness; work requires mindfulness so as not to make mistakes; and study also requires mindfulness in order to remember and understand. One who has mindfulness is therefore like a person walking in the dark with a lamp in hand: he sees the way clearly, does not stumble and fall, and does not lose his way. Prosperity can therefore come to him at all times.

ประโยคสะพาน + ที่มา ๑Mindfulness is recollection and freedom from absent-mindedness. It keeps the mind always awake, helping a person live heedfully and remember their duties and what ought to be done. This accords with the Buddha's saying found in Saṃyutta Nikāya, Sagāthāvagga:

อธิบายบทเชื่อม ๑To explain: This saying, "sati lokasmi jāgaro", meaning "Mindfulness is the quality of wakefulness in the world," signifies that mindfulness reminds a person to live heedfully, without absent-mindedness and without neglecting to do good. The word "mindfulness" (sati) means recollection, not being absent-minded, and keeping the mind on the task at hand; it helps one to remember one's duties, what one should do and what one should refrain from. One who has mindfulness is therefore like one who is awake, because he does not let his life run on in heedlessness.

อธิบายบทเชื่อม ๑Sleep here does not mean natural sleep, but is a comparison for heedlessness, carelessness and infatuation with various things until one forgets one's duties and neglects what is right. A person whose mind is asleep in this way is easily overwhelmed by the defilements, like a house whose guard has fallen asleep, giving thieves the opportunity to come in and steal. Mindfulness is therefore like a guard watching the gate of the mind, warning one not to let oneself be carried away by moods. When greed, anger or delusion arises, mindfulness helps one to remember to guard the mind and opens the way for wisdom to consider and hold back words or actions that might cause harm.

อธิบายบทเชื่อม ๑A teaching in line with this explanation appears in the Jāgara Sutta, which says that when the five faculties are awake, the five hindrances are said to be asleep, and when the five hindrances are asleep, the five faculties are said to be awake. The five faculties, namely faith, energy, mindfulness, concentration and wisdom, are important qualities that support the development of the mind. The five hindrances, namely sensual desire (kāmacchanda), delight in sensual pleasures; ill will (byāpāda), thoughts of harming others; sloth and torpor (thīnamiddha), dejection and drowsiness; restlessness and remorse (uddhaccakukkucca), agitation and worry; and doubt (vicikicchā), wavering uncertainty, are qualities that obstruct the mind from progressing in goodness. The wakefulness of the faculties and the sleep of the hindrances are therefore an image showing a life lived with wholesome qualities, without letting unwholesome qualities take over.

อธิบายบทเชื่อม ๑The commentary on the Jāgara Sutta explains that one who is endowed with the five faculties is called awake even while sleeping, because he is heedful and endowed with what is wholesome, while one who is endowed with the five hindrances is called asleep even in other postures, because he is heedless and endowed with what is unwholesome. Therefore, the statement "even while sleeping, one is called awake" means being heedful in the Dhamma; it does not mean that while asleep one is still aware of events or dangers around one all the time.

ตัวอย่างในชีวิตIn real life, a mindful merchant does not spend extravagantly, knows how to save and is not taken in by invitations to invest that promise too much, so his business is stable. A craftsman who works with machines mindfully does his work neatly and safely. A mindful student, when taking an examination, reads the questions carefully and does not answer wrongly out of carelessness. A person who lacks mindfulness, however, no matter how capable, may make a slip and suffer loss.

สรุปTo conclude: Those who wish for prosperity in life should therefore train their mindfulness to be strong and always be self-aware in everything they do, because mindfulness is a protection and the gateway to all prosperity. This accords with the Dhamma saying set forth as the theme at the beginning:

ปิดท้ายThus has the meaning been explained, as set forth above.