How to gain longevity?

jll

One day, they came to the Jetavana monastery, and the bhikkhus,
recognizing him, asked the Buddha, ‘ For living beings, is there any means of gaining
longevity?’To this question, the Buddha answered, ‘ By respecting and honouring the
elders and those who are wise and virtuous, one would gain not only longevity but
also beauty, happiness and strength.’ Dhammapada.

Can we take these words literally?

Straight_Man

Well, in a sense, I think. If by respect and honour the Buddha meant to adopt the advice of the elders also, then to a degree longer life is gained if this is done. HOW much longer varies by person and is partly influenced by how much is adoption of teaching of the elders.

lobster

Yes.
How else? Don't waste your life on lesser meanings.

BhanteLucky

I looked up other translations of the verse, number 109, and that's accurate.
Hmm....
Well, in that case, I say it is utterly false and made up. There, I said it.
Either that, or it refers to longevity and beauty in the NEXT life, not this one.
I have never heard of a medical study which links respect and honour to an unusually long life or beauty and strength.

I would guess it is a generic statement by a religious authority, designed to solidify the power of the "wise" and "virtuous", (meaning the heads of the churches).
Also, keep in mind that a lot - and I mean more than a hundred - of the Dhammapada verses were around before the Buddha supposedly said them. They are present in other ancient Indian texts.
I wouldn't take them literally, but instead use them for inspiration.

robot

Look at your life. Look at the lives of people you know. Of family and friends and strangers. Decide for yourself if the teaching is literally true. That is what discernment is.

Jeffrey

Actually Dean Ornish has studied diet and mental/behavioural well being and he found that genes could be turned on or off by virtue of diet and stress coping. There is a thing in the cells called a telomere that determines how long a person will live. Different upregulations or down regulations of gene expression can affect telomerase, the enzyme.

Otherwise I am with James and I think some scriptures are wrong or primitive.

lobster

‘ By respecting and honouring the
elders and those who are wise and virtuous, one would gain not only longevity but
also beauty, happiness and strength.’

companionship with one of the three jewels, will improve your well being, your appreciation of beauty, make you happier and give you strength.

Which part of this is outside of your experience?

Sabre

"Always look for oncoming traffic when crossing the street, and eat a lot of broccoli."
- Sabrepadda verse 1

seeker242

JamestheGiant said:

I looked up other translations of the verse, number 109, and that's accurate.
Hmm....
Well, in that case, I say it is utterly false and made up. There, I said it.
Either that, or it refers to longevity and beauty in the NEXT life, not this one.
I have never heard of a medical study which links respect and honour to an unusually long life or beauty and strength.

I would guess it is a generic statement by a religious authority, designed to solidify the power of the "wise" and "virtuous", (meaning the heads of the churches).
Also, keep in mind that a lot - and I mean more than a hundred - of the Dhammapada verses were around before the Buddha supposedly said them. They are present in other ancient Indian texts.
I wouldn't take them literally, but instead use them for inspiration.

I don't think that is the case! If "honoring and respecting" the wise means following the dharma, that alone makes one beautiful, happy and strong, right here and now.

I have never heard of a medical study which links respect and honour to an unusually long life or beauty and strength.

There are plenty of medical studies that show people who meditate tend to live longer as stress and anxiety tend to shorten life spans.

I think it is meant to be taken literally. But "respecting" them does not mean just bowing in front of them, it means following their wise advice.

IMO.