Who were Buddha's early disciples?

After Buddha's enlightenment, Yasa was the Buddha's first disciple, he attained arahantship and received higher ordination directly from the Buddha and became a Bhikkhu. Yasa was a millionaire’s son living at Benares, he had abundant material wealth.

Yasa's father was the first layman in the world to have taken refuge in the Triple Gem.

Yasa’s mother and former wife were the Buddha’s first female lay followers.

Four of Yasa’s close friends; Vimala, Subahu, Punnaji and Gavampati also became monks and attained arahantship

Then later fifty of Yasa’s friends joined the order and attained arahantship.

Together with the five monks ( Kondanna, Vappa, Bhaddiya, Mahanama, Assaji)  there were 61 arahants ( 1 + 5 + 1 + 4 + 50 = 61) within 2 months of Buddha's enlightenment.

Maha Mangala SuttaBlessings
Translated from the Pali by Piyadassi Thera
For free distribution only 

Thus have I heard:

On one occasion the Blessed One was living near Savatthi at Jetavana at Anathapindika's monastery. Now when the night was far advanced, a certain deity, whose surpassing radiance illuminated the whole of Jetavana, approached the Blessed One, respectfully saluted him, and stood beside him. Standing thus, he addressed the Blessed One in verse:

1. "Many deities and men longing for happiness have pondered on (the question of) blessings. Pray tell me what the highest blessings are.
2. "Not to associate with the foolish, but to associate with the wise, and to honor those worthy of honor -- this is the highest blessing.
3. "To reside in a suitable locality, to have performed meritorious actions in the past, and to set oneself in the right direction -- this is the highest blessing.
4. "Vast learning, skill in handicrafts, well grounded in discipline, and pleasant speech -- this is the highest blessing.
5. "To support one's father and mother; to cherish one's wife and children, and to be engaged in peaceful occupations -- this is the highest blessing.
6. "Liberality, righteous conduct, rendering assistance to relatives, and performance of blameless deeds -- this is the highest blessing.
7. "To cease and abstain from evil, to abstain from intoxicating drinks, and diligent in performing righteous acts -- this is the highest blessing.
8. "Reverence, humility, contentment, gratitude, and the timely hearing of the Dhamma, the teaching of the Buddha, -- this is the highest blessing.
9. "Patience, obedience, meeting the Samanas (holy men), and timely discussions on the Dhamma -- this is the highest blessing.
10. "Self-control, chastity, comprehension of the Noble Truths, and the realization of Nibbána -- this is the highest blessing.
11. "The mind that is not touched by the vicissitudes of life, the mind that is free from sorrow, stainless, and secure -- this is the highest blessing.
12. "Those who have fulfilled the conditions (for such blessings) are victorious everywhere, and attain happiness everywhere -- To them these are the highest blessings."

10 Things

Buddha said that there are these 10 things that are wished for, desired, agreeable, and rarely gained in the world. Wealth, beauty, health, virtuous behavior, celibacy, friends, learning, wisdom, good qualities and the heavens. He also said that there 10 nutriments for these 10 things that are wished for, desired, agreeable and rarely gained in the world. Diligence and initiative, adorning and beautifying oneself,doing what is beneficial, good friendship, restraint of the sense faculties, recitation, willingness to listen and asking questions, applying oneself and reflection, right practice...from Anguttara Nikaya, Sutta 73.

Teachings of the Buddha

Fortunate to have opportunity to access the discourses of the Buddha. The middle length discourses of the Buddha, the long discourses of the Buddha, the connected discourses and the numerical discourses of the Buddha.

A Translation of the Anguttara Nikaya by Bhikkhu Bodhi.

Happy to receive The Numerical Discourses of the Buddha, A Translation of the Anguttara Nikaya by Bhikkhu Bodhi from Wisdom Publications, Boston. There are 57 pages for the Introduction text of the book and the whole book has 1924 pages. I know it will take me 1 to 2 year to finish reading it. My deep respect to Bhikkhu Bodhi. Sadhu. Sadhu. Sadhu.

The aims of people.

Once, Buddha told brahmin Janussoni that a householder's aim is wealth, his quest is for knowledge, his mainstay is his craft, his desire is for work and his ideal is to bring his work to an end, and a woman's aim is a man, her quest is for adornments, her mainstay is sons, her desiere is to be without a co-wife and her ideal is domination.

There are different levels of "need satisfaction".

Abraham Maslow classified needs at 5 hierarchical levels:

The lowest needs are biological, next are the safety needs of security, stability and order. Then come belongingness such as affiliation, affection, and identification. Follow self-esteem needs including prestige, success, and self respect. Finally at the top comes the need for self-actualization to develop one's full potential in whatever field one works in.

Art making is at which level?