From Bhikkhu Bodhi, In the Buddha's Words , Chapter IV, The
Happiness Visible in the Present Life. The Pali commentaries
demonstrate the broad scope of the Dhamma by distinguishing
three types of benefit that the Buddha's teaching is intended to
promote, graded hierarchically according to their relative
merit: 1. welfare and happiness directly visible in this present
life, attained by fulfilling one's morel commitments and social
responsibilities; 2. welfare and happiness pertaining to the
next life, attained by engaging in meritorious deeds; 3. the
ultimate good or supreme goal, Nibbana, final release from the
cycle of rebirths, attained by developing the Noble Eightfold
Path. While many Western writers on Early Buddhism have focussed
on this last aspect as almost exclusively representing the
Buddha's original teaching, a balanced presentation should give
consideration to all three aspects. Therefore, in this chapter
and those to follow, we will be exploring texts from the Nikayas
that illustrate each of the