Tamonata sutta (AN4.85) Discourse on Darkness
K.S.Chow
Purport:
Gotama Buddha once expounded that there are four categories of people dwelling in this terrestrial world . The are enumerated as follows :
- People who are living in darkness in the present lives and are destined for future rebirths into lives of darkness
- People who are living in darkness in the present lives and are destined for future rebirths into lives of light
- People who are living in light in the present lives and are destined for future rebirths into lives of darkness
- People who are living in light in the present lives and are destined for rebirths into lives of light
From Darkness to darkness
Gotama Buddha promulgates that those living in a life of darkness in the present lives are those presently living in the terrestrial world with adverse conditions of living. The adversities or purgatories include the following unfavourable living conditions, circumstances or even misfortunes. They are low social status, economic poverty or impoverishment, poor health, physical disabilities, paralysis, low intelligence, ugliness, low morality, vices and so forth. Gotama Buddha depicts such depressed conditions or grave setbacks or shortcomings as the darkness in life. When a person is disadvantaged by this darkness in life, the vicious circle repeats itself after the demise of the victims of darkness. In other words, present dark kammas (causes) will breed equally dark vipākas (effects) in the next life. This dark vicious circle results in the victims living in a life darkness in the present life and continuing to live in a life of darkness in the next life . Life of darkness is adverse living conditions determined by evil kammas. Life of light is favourable living conditions determined by good kammas.
From Darkness to Light
However, there are heroes or heroines among the people who live in a life of darkness. Fortunately, they are able to overcome the odds and brush aside all obstacles through their wisdom and virtues. Their virtues of diligence, courage, endurance, restraints, patience, determination, persistence, concentration, calmness and wisdom empower them to eliminate the darkness of life. They invigorate their characters through self-improvement , audaciously set their goals and achieve them. Furthermore, those religious Buddhists course courageously in the Noble Eight Fold Path to elevate their spiritual wisdom and ethical status. Their developed supramundane wisdom helps them actualize accomplishments. Accomplishments remove the darkness in their lives.
Upon demise, they are certainly destined to be reborn into the favourable realms of existence in the worlds of heavens or human beings. If they are reborn in the terrestrial world, they will be blessed with high social status, economic or material affluence, sound health and wellness, high intelligence, good-looks, beauty, morality and wisdom. After demise , they are reborn into the favourable realms of existence of either in the heavenly worlds or the world of human beings. This is the person in a life darkness (adverse life) who is headed for a life of light (favourable life). It is transformative evolution from a life of darkness to a life of light. It is a quantum leap of self-improvement through persistent human freewill and self-efforts. Such a vertical evolution is recommended by Gotama Buddha.
From Light to Darkness
The life transformation from light to darkness is a regression from a good present life to a bad future life. The decline is obviously rooted in religious ignorance or the law of kamma. Moral decay occurs due to decline in religious faith. A weakened faith weakens wisdom and ethics. The moral decline and flaws are manifested through his or her moral fallibilities and vulnerabilities creating unwholesome kammas. The moral flaws destroy or deplete his or her present wealth or/and health causing his or her eventual doom or downfall at the end of his or her present life. His or her moral decay conditions woeful rebirth in his or her next life of rebirth. This is case of an initial good man in a life of light who is headed for life of darkness subsequently . The person in life of light has first fallen in the present life before he falls in the next life of darkness through the perpectual effect of vicious circle. Bad kammas breed bad results. Having fallen, he is again struck by the falling ladder.
From Light to Light
A person of life from light to light leads a life of light in the present life and continues to live in a life of light in the next life. He has led a religious life to sustain the life of light inherited from his or her good past kammas. His past good kammas brings light to his her present life. His past skillful kammas and present skillful kammas collectively help him sustain his excellent moral performances and prestige in the present life as well as in the future life. A positive vertical life evolution is maintained from one rebirth to another rebirth.
In order to preserve a life of light in the present life and a life of light in the next life is by no means easy. Without religious wisdom supporting or invigorating one’s moral infallibilities and invulnerabilities amid epic and dire challenges and adversities of life, such a continuity of good prestige of life from light to light is indeed hard to be sustained. However, supported by Wisdom (Paññā), all good things in life can be actualized or sustained as long as all the necessary favourable contigent conditions are present. Dependent Co-arising necessitates the unity of the necessary contigent conditions (causes and conditions) to create desired conditioned phenomena. Good kammas continue to breed good fruits from life to life . Human accomplishments are dependently co-arisen unities of contigent conditions.
Conclusion
The changes of life from darkness to darkness, darkness to light , light to darkness and light to light mirror that the quality of a human life is impermanent and mutable. What make it impermanent and mutable are the impermanent and mutable contigent conditions (causes and conditions) especially one’s kammas . Owing to the impermanence and mutability of contigent conditions, all conditioned phenomena are impermanent or changeable. If the contigent conditions are morally improved, the quality of life in the present life as well as in the future life is correspondingly improved. The reverse is equally true. The mutability of phenomena reflects the Buddhist fundamental doctrine of Impermanence (Anicca) and Insubstantiality (Anattā). The synthesis or unity of cause and conditions mirrors the operation of the Law of Dependent Co-arising (Pațiccasamuppāda). Anicca and Anattā give us the hope of change and unlimited possibilities for better lives as long as we continuously commit good kammas from life to life . Pațiccasamuppāda gives us the hope of the creation or actualization of the unlimited possibilities into accomplishments through human will and self-efforts of positive kammas in close relation with the Law of Dependent Co-arising. As long as Man furnish the contigent conditions of good kammas, the power of Dependent Co-arising will integrate the good kammas to produce the corresponding good fruits or harvest. |
