The unsalvable
A man who was addicted to alcohol had made himself totally broke as a result of grave mistakes committed in drunkedness. All his friends left him, and although he had tried several times to give up drinking, he could not resist the temptation of alcohol in the end. He reproached himself for this, and saw himself as unsalvable.
This day, he came to the Vihara to talk his heart out to the Buddha, hoping that he could give him some advice.
The Buddha told him with sympathy:" Drinking is definitely harmful. But there is no one who drinks who is unsalvable. All you need is the determination to give it up, and life will still be full of opportunities and brightness for you."
The Buddha carried on:" There are five kinds of people in this world who are really unsalvable."
The followers who heard this asked inquisitively:" Which five are they?"
The Buddha said:" They are: First, those who flatter and cajole; second, the cunning and perverted; third, the scurrilous; fourth, those wrought with greed, anger and jealousy; and five, the ungrateful. These are the truly unsalvable."
The Buddha saw this occasion as a chance to give his followers a good sermon. So he said:" You must beware of guarding well your deeds of body, mouth and thought. Be sure that you have right- mindedness, and eliminate all thoughts of jealousy. Your mouth should utter words of compassion, praise, care and encouragement. For every bit of favour others render you, always return your gratitude in excess. Do not deliberately reveal others' faults or extol your own good to damage other people's reputation. All you have to do is to be mindful and careful with your words, thoughts and actions to prevent becoming the unsalvable."
Having heard this lecture of the Buddha, his followers made every effort to cultivate mindfulness and proper actions. They aim at becoming righteous, compassionate, benevolent and accommodating, always speaking words of honesty, softness and praise in order not to become the unsalvable bunch.
