This is a genuine quote from the Buddhist scriptures. It’s from the Mangala Sutta.
“To support mother and father, to cherish partner* and children, and to be engaged in peaceful occupation — this is the greatest blessing.”
*In the original it’s “wife,” rather than partner. The language has been changed to make it more inclusive.
“To support mother and father, to cherish partner and children, and to be engaged in peaceful occupation — this is the greatest blessing.” The Buddha Click To Tweet
This is the greatest blessing? Doesn’t sound like something Buddha taught. The greatest blessing is to avoid rebirth by overcoming attachments & realizing no self. I think this is a case of a real quote from a sutta that does not reflect what Buddha’s real message was…
Maybe we could say this is the greatest worldly blessing.
Yes, I agree perhaps the phase would be ‘a great blessing’ not the superlative ‘greatest’.
Hi, Rodger.
In the Pāli, the word in question is uttama. This is indeed a superlative meaning “supreme, highest, greatest, best.” It’s cognate with the English “utmost.” The comparative would be uttara (better, greater). This is from a root ud-, which means “out in an upward direction.” So it’s kind of up (ud), upper (uttara), and upmost (uttama)!
Your quite understandable disbelief notwithstanding, this is an accurate translation.
The Buddha seems to have been fond of saying that multiple things were “the best.” He would also say things like “I don’t see anything that causes distraction as much as … [and then he’d name something].” And then he’d repeat the formula with something else being named. It was just a rhetorical style, I guess, albeit one that’s a little alien to us.
All the best,
Bodhipaksa
I agree.
It’s just a part of the full answer that Buddha gave to a question.
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/snp/snp.2.04.nara.html
Maybe, he found these things to be helping in attaining the true goal.
It seems that the act of doing rather than receiving is the blessing. To give love requires that we give up being wrapped up in our selves. This related the the Buddhist concept of non-attachment. Of course you may be correct that it is only part of a whole answer.
I am not sure what the purpose of writting these quotes as all of them can be fake.
Nothing was written down what buddha said for 500 years, people can change someone’s words very quickly.
Anyway buddha probably never existed.