Abstract

This thesis, which is a qualitative research, has three main objectives, namely: (1) to study the concept of āyu in Buddhist scriptures (2) to study on the Buddhist scriptures to find out factors and causes leading to the deterioration and the prosperity of life. (3) to apply the knowledge of the studies for a livelihood and to design the regulation to get highest benefit of time in the world with happiness, healthiness and longevity. This study is a result of documentary research based on the Pāli canon and translations, and some others important Buddhist scriptures.

The result of this study found that the meaning of “āyu” in the Buddhist scripture has several hints such as life, length or duration of life, lifespan, age, vitality, health spring forth, life force and long life, especially in a meaning of “lifespan” or “duration of life” is frequently found in the contexts. The deterioration as the result of the ten unwholesome that originate from the tree roots of evil which are greed (lobha), hatred (dosa) and delusion (moha) leads to doing bad deeds in physical, verbal and mental that cause misery, more over it can affect mind diseases and lead to the physical diseases that are the causes of the deterioration of āyu. In contrary the prosperity of āyu as the result of the ten wholesome which originate from non-greed (alobha), non-hatred (adosa) and non-delusion (amoha), leads to longevity, healthy, cheerful and powerful. Those causes are work together with the mechanism and the relation of the law of kamma. Additionally, in the scriptures mention to the factors from environment, food, exercise, social and friend that affected to the deterioration and the prosperity of āyu also. The knowledge of the studies can be applied to reach the quality of our life by learning with (1) avoiding from wrong behaviors leading to short life and (2) doing right behaviors leading to longevity concerned with the deeds in physical, verbal and mental (3) the benefits of healthy eating and exercise (4) the right way to create a suitable environment for living and (5) the right way to have a good friend and good social.

Finally, a clear understanding about, how does our behaviors affect the prosperity and the deterioration of āyu, can help us to avoid the bad deeds and strive to do good deeds for the prosperity, because getting highest benefit from long life in the world, will ultimately allow us to fulfill the supreme human goal that is to extremely accumulate of the merits to reach the purity of mind to follow the footsteps of Buddha.

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