Aṅguttara Nikāya — Discursos Numerados — 8.50 — Winning in This Life (2nd)

1“Mendicants, a lady who has four qualities is practicing to win in this life, and she succeeds at it. What four?

2It’s when a lady is well-organized at work, manages the domestic help, acts lovingly toward her husband, and preserves his earnings.

3And how is a lady well-organized at work? It’s when she’s skilled and tireless in doing domestic duties for her husband … That’s how a lady is well-organized at work.

4And how does a lady manage the domestic help? It’s when she knows what work her husband’s domestic bondservants, servants, and workers have completed, and what they’ve left incomplete. She knows who is sick, and who is fit or unwell. She distributes to each a fair portion of fresh and cooked foods. That’s how a lady manages the domestic help.

5And how does a lady act lovingly toward her husband? It’s when a lady would not transgress in any way that her husband would not consider agreeable, even for the sake of her own life. That’s how a lady acts lovingly toward her husband.

6And how does a lady preserve his earnings? It’s when she tries to guard and protect any income her husband earns … That’s how a lady preserves his earnings.

7A lady who possesses these four qualities is practicing to win in this life, and she succeeds at it.

8A lady who has four qualities is practicing to win in the next life, and she succeeds at it. What four? It’s when a lady is accomplished in faith, ethics, generosity, and wisdom.

9And how is a lady accomplished in faith? It’s when a lady has faith in the Realized One’s awakening … That’s how a lady is accomplished in faith.

10And how is a lady accomplished in ethics? It’s when a lady doesn’t kill living creatures, steal, commit sexual misconduct, lie, or consume intoxicants of beer, wine, and liquor. That’s how a lady is accomplished in ethics.

11And how is a lady accomplished in generosity? It’s when she lives at home with heart rid of the stain of stinginess, freely generous, open-handed, loving to let go, committed to charity, loving to give and to share. That’s how a lady is accomplished in generosity.

12And how is a lady accomplished in wisdom? It’s when a lady is wise. She has the wisdom of arising and passing away which is noble, penetrative, and leads to the complete ending of suffering. That’s how a lady is accomplished in wisdom.

13A lady who possesses these four qualities is practicing to win in the next life, and she succeeds at it.

14She’s organized at work,
and manages the domestic help.
She’s agreeable to her husband,
and preserves his wealth.

15Faithful, accomplished in ethics,
being bountiful and rid of stinginess.
She always purifies the path
to well-being in lives to come.

16And so, a lady in whom
these eight qualities are found
is known as virtuous,
firmly principled, and truthful.

17Accomplished in sixteen respects,
complete with the eight factors,
a virtuous laywoman such as she
is reborn in the realm of the Agreeable Gods.”