Issue

12th Issue (June, 2009)

Complete Mental Appeasement to Eradicate Evil Doings

Wong Weng Hon

Introduction

Buddhism, like any other major world’s religions, such as Vedānta of Hinduism, Taoism, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam or Sufism shepherds us the way to realize and actualize mental appeasement (upasama) through the effacement of the illusively superimposed self-centric ego. Complete mental appeasement is theosophically paraphrased as the complete silence of the chatter of the human mind – the appeasement of all dispositions (sabbasaṅkharasamatha). The ordinary mind of a human being  is noisy (1). A noisy mind endangers and harms others as thought of evil or vice is arisen from a unappeased noisy mind .  An unappeased mind rooted in the ignorance (Pal.: avijjā Sans.: avidyā)  of the ultimate Reality (paramattha Sacca) is a perturbed mind. A perturbed mind is untamed and defiled with taints or cankers (āsavas).  A perturbed mind is driven by greed (lobha)  and hatred (dosa) rooted in delusion (moha). Greed  and hatred  are the roots of human vices, evil actions or crimes.  Buddhism, like any other world’s religion functions to appease or tame  the perturbed mind – to tame the untamed  diffusive  mind. The self-centric ego or grasping upon the five aggregates must be annihilated in order to appease the noisy mind known as mental obsessions (papañca) conditioned ignorantly by either attachment or aversion.

Two-fold Truth

The noisy mind can be completely appeased (2) if and only if the eternal Truth of dependently co-arisen Unity or Non-duality is intuitively discerned. Unity or Non-duality is Unity of Existence. The Unity of Existence is expounded by Gotama Buddha as the doctrine of Insubstantiality or Selflessness (Anattavāda). The Ultimate Reality of the Buddha is the ultimate Truth of the highest knowledge of the dependently co-arisen Unity of Existence. It can be intuitively discerned through the intuitive penetration into the Buddhist fundamental doctrine  of the Three Universal Characteristics (Tilakkhaṇas) of the ultimate Truth of Impermanence (Aniccatā) and  Insubstantiality (Anattatā), and  Suffering (Dukkha) (3).

The first  Universal Characteristics of Impermanent (Aniccatā) refers to the impermanent and mutable multiplicity of the empirical world. The second Universal Characteristic of Insubstantiality or Selflessness (Anattatā) refers to affirmation of Unity of Existence and denial of individual existents. The third Universal Characteristic refers to human vexation or anguish rooted in false play of  human self-centric ego. Intuitive discernment of the first two Universal Characteristics liberates a Buddhist Gnostic from suffering.  Universally put, all spiritual salvation is conditioned from the discernment of the Unity of Existence underlying the apparent multiplicity of the divergent forms of  signs, marks and characteristics.

The intuitive discernment of  Buddhist fundamental doctrine  lifts the veil of the conventional truth (Pal.: sammuti sacca ; Sans.: samvriti satya)  of the multiplicity to unveil the Reality of Unity of Existence or Insubstantiality or Selflessness. Insubstantiality or Selflessness  is  the ultimate Truth (paramattha sacca; paramārtha Satya) of dependently co-arisen Unity or Non-duality (Advaya). The conventional truth  is the multiplicity which are the diverse  things and transactions of everyday life or  events  of the phenomenal world (4). The multiple forms of the multiplicity are perceived by ordinary worldlings  as discrete or self-contained entities. Discrete or self-contained entities are illusory and unreal. Only the Unity of Existence called Insubstantiality or Selflessness is the one and only  Reality. Anything other than Unity of Existence is self (attā) which is not compatible with the ultimate Truth of Insubstantiality or Selflesness (Anattā).

The Unity of Existence or Non-duality is the eternal Truth of Dependent Co-arising (Pal.:Pațticcasamuppāda; Sans.: Pratītyasamupada) (5). Unity or Non-duality is Insubstantiality or Selflessness. Discernment of Unity or Non-duality produces the right view of interconnectedness and interrelatedness among human beings as  brothers and sisters in one single human family. Buddhist concept of non-discriminative lovingkindess and compassion is universal brotherly love arisen from non-discriminative wisdom on the basis of this timeless Truth of Unity of Existence or Non-duality.

No Individualities

Every person,  event, occurrence, outcome, happening, organization, community, society, nation, the world or every other thing or being   is a dependently co-arisen phenomenon (pratītyasamutpanna dharma). Every conditioned phenomenon is also conditioning  and being conditioned by other conditioned phenomena. All conditioned phenomena  are integrated into an infinite unity of existence sustaining the infinite cosmos. A dependently co-arisen phenomenon is itself a dynamic process becoming (sanātana dhamma) (6) constituted from the unity of contigent conditions. It is integrated with all other conditioned phenomena making up the infinite cosmic process Reality of dynamic process becoming designated generally as the Oneness of Being.

Thus, no individualities or self-identities or other identities generally designated as discrete entities or autonomous or self-contained substantial existents exist independently or separately from the cosmic or universal Unity of Existence. They are always existing  as integral or  inseparate parts of the larger whole. Discrete entities are false imagination of the unreal.

The whole is the unity of parts. Individualities, self-identities or other identities are parts of Unity of Existence . They are always integrated within the whole like  the waves  and the Ocean. The waves and the Ocean are innately inseparable. Likewise, the individual signs, marks and characteristics are functionally inseparable from the totality of the larger Whole (7). Therefore, the wisdom (paññā) of the Tathāgata  awakens us from the slumber of our  ignorance (avijjā) that individualities never exist as separate entities from the larger whole.

Greed and hatred vanish when the multiplicity is seen ultimately in the Unity of the Whole or Totality – the systemic Unity of Existence (8). The systemic Unity of Existence is the existence of the Buddha (or God). When greed and hatred are not aroused by non-reification of objects, vice , evils actions or crimes are abandoned through the wisdom and love or compassion of Unity of Existence. Intuitive discernment of the systemic unity of the larger Whole or Totality appeases the human mind. Being mentally appeased, one ceases committing  vices, evil actions or crimes.

Self-protection

 The Unity of Existence is the attribute or essence of Insubstantiality (Anattā) or Emptiness (‘Sūnyatā)  of the empirical world or universe. Whoever perceives Anattā or ‘Sūnyatā, which is the universal Unity of Existence, perceives the eternal Truth of the Buddha. The eternal Truth of the Buddha is Dependent Co-arising. Gotama Buddha promulgates that whoever sees Me sees the Truth of Dependent Co-arising. Whoever perceives the Buddha will be completely mentally or dispositionally appeased completely. The mentally or dispositionally appeased one annihilates  his or her  self-centric ego. Whoever annihilates the self-centric ego will not commit any more vices, evil actions or crimes. The absolutely mentally or dispositionally appeased one is said to have consummated his or her attainment of the perfection of wisdom and virtue (sīla). Such a mentally  or dispositionally appeased one is said to be fully self-protected against moral flaws. Protecting oneself, one protects others (9). Protecting others , one will not harm others. In order not to harm others, one must cease committing the vices, the evils or crimes.

Know the Distinction

In order to intuitively penetrate into the ultimate Truth of Insubstantiality or Emptiness, it is essential for a soteriologically aspiring Buddhist to distinguish the distinction between the conventional truth from the ultimate Truth (10). The conventional truth of the multiplicity deludes the ordinary worldlings. It  excites or agitates their minds arousing their greed (lobha) and hatred (dosa) rooted in cravings (taṇhā) and delusion (moha). Unregulated or unrestrained greed or hatred is loss of moral restraint or self-protection which harms others through evil actions, vice or crimes.

Ontological Commitment

Gotama Buddha highlights  to us that human moral fallibilities and vulnerabilities are rooted in ontological commitment to all phenomena (11). Ontological commitment is the substantial or judgmental or discriminative  view of ontology. Since child-birth, the ordinary worldlings (puthujjanas) are nurtured and educated with the theory of correspondence of truth. The theory of the correspondence of truth states that for every linguistic term or word, there exists a corresponding substantial existent. Consequently, they reify every concept, word, thing,  person, being, event, outcome, occurrence, idea, feeling and others as discrete entities through judgmental or discriminative reasoning.

Such substantial, judgmental or discriminative  ontology  is not only contrary to the Buddhist teaching of Dependent Co-arising (Pațiccasamuppāda), it is also incompatible with the knowledge of Monotheistic concept of God  and Brahman of Hinduism. In other words,  ordinary human beings are nurtured and  trained unknowingly  to be alienated from the eternal Truth of Brahman, Buddha or God.  All major world’s religions advocates a communal Truth of perennial wisdom that the divergent forms of the empirical world are illusory and unreal and only the Unity of Existence is real. Unity of Existence is Anattā.

Gotama Buddha’s whole life ministry is to warn his disciples and devotees not to be ontologically committed to all phenomena which we perceive as the multiplicity of the empirical world. The multiplicity of the world is falsely imagined  by us. They are substantially presented to us in terms of concepts and languages thus strengthening our grasping  upon all objects perceived internally and externally. Nevertheless, Gotama Buddha admonishes us that having discovered the illusion and unreality of the multiplicity designated through the concepts and languages, we should not deny their pragmatic  utilities  in our mundane lives. They have been created to facilitate human intercommunications for social as well as business intercourses. The golden advice by Gotama Buddha is that we should use concepts and language, which do not mirror the Truth, without ontological commitment. Elimination of  ontological commitment entails non-grasping upon the five aggregates (12) as  this is I; this mine; this belongs to me.

Conclusion

Hence,  the knowledge of the absolute Truth of dependently co-arisen Unity or Non-duality or the Process Reality of cosmic Unity of Existence is the soteriological wisdom. Wisdom  eliminates ontological commitment to all phenomena or the multiplicity. The elimination of ontological commitment obliterates self-centric ego (ahaṃkāra)  or grasping (upādāna) upon the multiplicity of myriad things or beings in the universe. The obliteration of the self-centric ego or grasping upon the multiplicity completely appeases the noisy human mind. When the noisy human mind is completely silenced clearing away the taints of mental obsessions (papañca), one’s non-dual-wisdom (pañññā) of averting evils and doing  good will be consummated.

 Elimination of ontological commitment is mental purification. Mental purification is the perfect knowledge of the eternal Truth of the Buddha – the Insubstantiality or Emptiness of the five aggregates (Pañcakkhandhā). The cessation of suffering (dukkha nirodha) in the mundane world of the present life is the wisdom of the complete self-protection and the boundless compassion to protect others from being harmed physically, emotionally and mentally by oneself. Gotama Buddha preaches thus: Protecting oneself, one protects others; protecting others, one protects oneself (SN19). The Chinese Ancient resonates : Being nice to others is being nice to oneself.

Endnotes:

1. A noisy mind is a mind that is easily perturbed by both the pleasant and     unpleasant external environmental stimuli resulting in mental obsessions.
   Buddhistly viewed, a noisy mind is dispositionally unappeased.
2. A completely appeased mind is a mind free of self-centric ego. It is the  pure and  infinite consciousness known Buddhistly as Nibbāna.
3. Impermanence, Insubstantiality and Suffering are the Three Universal Characteristics of the empirical world. The multiplicity of the world is subject to change. Being changeable, it is impermanent.
   Every phenomenon is conditioned from the unity of impermanent and
   mutable contigent conditions devoid of any permanent self-nature.
   or a permanent substance. A conditioned phenomenon is insubstantial.
   Insubstantiality connotes selflessness , egolessness or emptiness of any
   inherent existence or intrinsic nature.
   Suffering is the consequence of not discerning the ultimate Truth
   of Impermanence and Insubstantiality.
   Knowledge of the Buddhist fundamental doctrine of Three Universal
   Characteristics is soteriological significant.
4. Mipham, Jamgon. Introduction to the Middle Way: Chandrakirti Madhyamakavatara, p.1
5. Dependent Co-arising may be defined in two ways:
   Theravāda tradition: Dependent Co-arising is neither absolute existence nor absolute non-existence.
   Mahāyāna tradition :  Dependent Co-arising equals Emptiness. Emptiness is the unity of a single cause and a set of conditions.
6. Process becoming means dependent co-arisen becoming which is neither absolute existence nor absolute non-existence; neither eternalism nor annihilationism ; neither identity nor difference; neither appearing nor disappearing  
7. Individual signs, marks or characteristics are not real nut illusory because they always exist in unity with the larger world. It conveys the ultimate Truth that the multiplicity is unreal and only Unity is real. Religion trains us to see the real Unity behind the unreal multiplicity. Unity of the whole or Totality is the synonym of Insubstantiality or Emptiness.
8. Systemic unity of existence conveys the ultimate Truth all phenomena are interconnected and interrelated co-existence.
9. Nyanaponika Thera. Protection Through Satipațțhāna. Kandy: Buddhist
   Publication Society, 1990.
10. J. Kalupahana, David. Mūlamadhyamakakārikā of Nāgārjuna:The
    Philosophy of the Middle Way. Dehli: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers
    Private Limited, 2004, MMK14.9, p.333.
11. Witmer,Gene. Dictionary of Philosophy of Mind-ontology. http://www.art.sci.wustl.edu/~philos/mindDict/ontology.html, accessed 15.4.09, p.1
    Gene Witmer defines ontology as ‘ The study of what there is, an inventory of what exists. Ontological commitment is a commitment to an existence claim.
12. Kalupahana, David J. A History of Buddhist Philosophy: Continuities and Discontinuities. Dehli: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Private Limited, 1994,   p.156.