Maṅgala Sutta

Thus have I heard. The Blessed One was once at Jeta's Grove, in the monastery of Anāthapiṇḍika, near the city of Sāvatthī. Late in the night, a radiant deity came before him, bowed, and stood to one side. Then the deity asked:

Many gods and people have wondered what brings the greatest blessings. Please tell us the highest blessing.

The Buddha replied:

Not to associate with the foolish, but to associate with the wise, and to honor those worthy of honor — this is the highest blessing.

To live in a suitable place, to have done meritorious deeds in the past, and to set oneself in the right course — this is the highest blessing.

To be well-spoken, learned, and skilled in craft, well-trained and well-disciplined, and to speak well — this is the highest blessing.

To support one's mother and father, to cherish one's family, and to be peaceful in one's calling — this is the highest blessing.

Generosity, ethical living, helping one's relatives, and acts of blameless conduct — this is the highest blessing.

Avoiding what is harmful, refraining from intoxicants, and remaining steady in good qualities — this is the highest blessing.

Respect, humility, contentment, gratitude, and listening to the Dhamma at the right time — this is the highest blessing.

Patience, mildness of speech, meeting those who live the holy life, and conversing about Dhamma at the right time — this is the highest blessing.

Self-restraint, a life of purity, seeing the noble truths, and the realization of nirvāṇa — this is the highest blessing.

A mind unshaken by the ways of the world — without sorrow, without stain, secure — this is the highest blessing.

Those who put these into practice are everywhere unconquered; everywhere they go in safety. For them, this is the highest blessing.