One day a very rich businessman called Anathapindika invited Buddha Shakyamuni to his place in Shravasti. The Buddha accepted his invitation and sent Shariputra, one of his main disciples, to Shravasti to find a place for him and his sangha to live. In accordance with the direction of the Buddha, Shariputra looked around Shravasti and chose a park which belonged to Prince Jeta of that kingdom. Then Anathapindika approached the prince and requested him to sell the land. The prince declined his request at first, but he was touched by the generosity and devotion shown by Anathapindika towards the Buddha and thus offered him that very piece of land. Subsequently, Anathapindika built a temple complex there for the Buddha and his disciples.
The Buddha stayed at Jeta’s Grove, as it came to be called, for twenty-four summers. It was Anathapindika’s undying devotion that provided the temple complex for the Buddha and his disciples at Shravasti. He offered everything he owned to the Buddha, the sangha and the needy people.
Every morning, Anathapindika would make prostrations before Buddha Shakyamuni and clean Jeta’s Grove. One morning, he failed to do so for some reason so the Buddha himself started to clean up the dirt that was lying around the temple. Shariputra and the rest of the Buddha’s monks began to follow his example and they all cleaned the temple complex themselves. Having cleaned the complex, the Buddha then taught the Five Benefits of Cleaning as follows:
1. Cleaning creates a pure mind for oneself
Cleaning with the right motivation will not just achieve a clean environment; it will also purify one’s mind.
2. Cleaning brings about a pure mind in others
The visitors will experience some kind of clarity in their minds because of the clean environment.
3. Cleaning attracts celestial beings
It will make celestial beings happy and they will bless us with their presence.
4. Cleaning causes beauty
If one cleans the temple or anything else, it will accumulate the karma that causes beauty.
5. Cleaning causes rebirth in the god realms
It will accumulate the virtue that causes rebirth in the heavenly realms of the gods.
By Rigzod Editors
