Issue

12th Issue (June, 2009)

A Purport on the Sāleyyaka-sutta (MN.41): The Ten Evil Actions

K.S.Chow

Introduction

This early Discourse (Sutta) of Gotama Buddha was delivered to Gotama Buddha’s Buddhist disciples and devotees  who were householders in ancient India during the 6th century B.C.E. It was the Exalted One’s exposition on the Ten wholesome Course of Action or Ten Wholesome Precepts (Dasasīlas). It is the most comprehensive Buddhist moral Precepts for the lay disciples and devotees in terms of grave immoral conduct and mental purification.

A Brahmin from Sālā raised a question to Gotama Buddha thus,

 “ What is the reason why some beings here at the break up of the body after dying arise in a sorrowful state, a bad bourn, the abyss, Niraya Hell?”

The Exalted Gotama Buddha replied thus:

“Householders, some beings here at the breaking up of the body after dying arise thus in a sorrowful state, a bad bourn, the abyss, Niraya Hell  because of faring by not-dhamma, an uneven faring.”

The householders then entreated the Master to explain in detail what had been spoken in brief by Gotama Buddha.

Gotama Buddha exuberantly commented on his own exposition in detail thus :

“Three-fold, householders,  is the faring by not-dhamma, an
uneven faring as to body; four-fold  is the faring  by not-
dhamma, an uneven faring  as to the speech; three-fold is
faring  by not-dhamma, an uneven faring  as to thought.”

Ten Misdeeds

Then, Gotama Buddha proceeded to elucidate in greater detail on his Dhamma exposition on misdeeds or evil actions which are unrighteous (not-dhamma). ‘Faring by not-dhamma (adhamma)’ is commission of misdeeds or unrighteous actions through the body, speech and mind.

The three-fold misdeed or unrighteous actions of the body are killing (pānātipatā), theft (adinnādāna) and sexual misconduct (kāmesumicchācāra). Four-fold misdeeds or unrighteous actions of the speech are untruthful speech (musāvādā), slandering (pisunāvācā), harsh speech (pharusāvācā) and gossiping (samphappalāpā). The three-fold misdeeds or unrighteous actions of the mind are greed (abhijjhā), hatred (vyāpāda) and delusion (moha).

If all these ten misdeeds  are averted and invigorated with their positive counterparts, a Buddhist is said to have successfully escaped from the commission of unwholesome actions (akusalakammas). Such a virtuous Buddhist will escape from rebirth into the woeful realms of existence comprising the adverse worlds of asuras, hungry ghosts, animals and hell-beings where sentient beings are retributed and suffer according to the weightages of their evil kammas.   

Bodily Misdeeds

Killing is destruction of lives of living creatures. It is injuring and killing  without mercy. The anti-dote for such misbehaviour or crime is the practice of lovingkindness and compassion. Theft is taking what is not given. Its anti-dote is generous giving or performance of charity. Sexual misconduct involves improper sexual relationships with underaged girls or adultery with the wives or husbands of others. Its antidote is the practice of  propriety, contentment and blamelessness

Verbal Misdeeds

Lying speech is dishonest or untrustworthy speech. Its anti-dote is honesty or trustworthiness. Slandering  is divisive speech. It causes disunity, variance and disharmony among people. Harsh speech is rough, hard, severe, abusive, and angry. Its antidote is utterance of gentle speech, endearing speech, affectionate speech, pleasant speech or touching the heart. Gossiping is frivolous chattering. It is speaking at the wrong time, not factual, unrelated with the goal or agenda,  not worth treasuring, and not purposeful. Its antidote is speaking at the right time, factual, related to the goal or agenda ,worth treasuring and purposeful.

Mental Misdeeds

Greed is being covetous. Its antidote is the practice of generosity and charity. Hatred is anger, malevolent in mind and corrupt in thought. Its antidote is the exercise of peace, benevolence in mind and uncorrupt thought. Delusion is wrong view rooted in ignorance. It is ignorance of the right view of ontology of  Insubstantiality (Anattatā) and the Unity of Existence of Dependent Co-arising (Pațiccasamuppāda). Its antidote is right view rooted in Wisdom (Paññā) of Insight (Vipassanā) into the interrelationship between the bipolar Truth of  the conventional or relative truth (sammuti sacca) and   the Ultimate Truth (Paramattha Sacca).

Grave Misbehaviours or Crimes

The aforementioned Ten Precepts or Buddhist Ethics (Sīlas) morally restraint the  monks, nuns and lay Buddhist householders from  committing the ten misdeeds or evil actions (akusalakammas). The ten misdeeds are considered to be grave (pārājika) offences or crimes. Not only they are punishable by the state laws in the present lives but also they are correspondingly retributed in their woeful destines in their next rebirth. For the fully ordained monks (bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs), they are dealt  accordingly by the Vinaya (Disciplinary) Monastic Committee in the present lives of the members of Saṅgha before they are morally accountable in the hereafter. The  Saṅgha’s Buddhist venaya is an expansion of these fundamental Buddhist ethics of Dasasīlas.

Social Harmony

Before a Buddhist intuitively discerns the Insubstantiality (Anattā) of his five aggregates (pañcakkhandhā) of form (rūpa), feelings (vedanā), perceptions (saññā), volitions (sankhārā) and consciousness (viññāṇa) annihilate his or her self-centric ego, the Buddhist Ten Precepts are necessitated to suppress the illusory empowerment of the self-centric ego through moral restraint in order to avert the commission of misdeeds or unrighteous actions of misbehaviours or crimes. The averting of the commission of misdeeds  or unrighteous actions are the best gifts of fearlessness and goodwill to others (A.IV.246). Therefore, keeping the precepts helps restrain  oneself so as not to commit misdeeds or unrighteous actions that may violate the fundamental human rights of others who desire happiness and do not desire suffering.

Conclusion

Buddhist Precepts (sikkhāpada) are Buddhist ethics of moral restraints invigorated by their counterpart virtues or antidotes. They are invigorated by the training of concentration (samādhi) through tranquility and Insight meditation (samatha-vipassanā-bhāvāna). They are consummated by the fruitful training in wisdom (paññā) through insight meditation (vipassana bhāvanā). Without the reinforcement or invigoration of the training aggregates of concentration and wisdom, it is relatively easy to transgress the Ten Good Precepts to commit misdeeds or crimes.

Gotama Buddha formulates and recommends the Buddha Path of listening to the Dhamma (Truth), contemplation or reflection on the Dhamma and self-rectification and self-cultivation through the Saddhamma (True Doctrine). The Exalted One admonishes us to avoid all evils, do good ( sabba pāpassa akaraṇaṃ; kusalassa upasampadā) and purify the mind (sacitta pariyodapanaṃ). This admonition of the Tathāgata is crystallized in condensed formulation of the Noble Eight Fold Path, namely right understanding, right thought, right speech, right actions, right livelihood, right efforts, right mindfulness and right concentration.

The Noble Eight Fold Path (Ariyo Ațțhangiko Maggo) is the standard personal development and self-cultivation programme for all Buddhists including the Saṅgha members as well as for the laity. The Path shepherds the Buddhists to attain to the highest knowledge of non-judgmental or non-discriminative wisdom. The non-discriminative wisdom is  the intuitive discernment of  the Insubstantiality or Unity of existence of the five aggregates as this is not I; this is not mine ; this does not belongs to me. It enables one to annihilate one self-centric ego or grasping  upon the five aggregates. Non-discriminative wisdom is discerning the dependently co-arisen Unity or Non-duality underlying the multiple or diverse forms of the multiplicity. This knowledge of Buddhist Gnosis liberates a saved Buddhist from being mentally corrupted with greed (lobha), hatred (dosa) and delusion (moha). Devoid of greed, hatred and delusion, the delivered Buddhist is emancipated from misbehaviours or the commission of crimes.

Editor’s Note:

These Ten Wholesome Precepts of the Ten wholesome course of actions of Buddhists is a comprehensive personal development programme for an aspiring Dhamma farer. The first Seven Precepts constitute the exoteric dimension of Buddhism and final Three  Precepts embody its esoteric dimension. On closer examination, these Ten moral injunctions of Gotama Buddha encompass the personal development and self-cultivation of the entire Noble Eight Fold Path.

 Any ethical system of any world’s great religion is universally applied. Every religious ethical system is orientated towards moral restraint and virtue to exercise respect for the fundamental rights of others through the universal love of lovingkindness, compassion and appreciative joy supported by the non-judgmental  non-discriminative wisdom of Equanimity – the evenness of the human mind. The Buddhist ethics is no exception. Interestingly, the esoteric dimension of all world’s great religions is the final teaching of non-judgmental or non-discriminative wisdom. Without the non-dualistic of non-judgmental or non-discriminatve wisdom, the Truth of Brahman, Buddha or God can not be discerned by man in man himself. Whosoever knows himself knows the Lord. Buddhistly put, whoever knows his True Self is self-enlightened.