Issue

14th Issue (Dec, 2009)

Buddhism and Self-Cultivation (Part 1)

Wong Weng Hon
MA in Buddhist Studies

Introduction

Having been bombarded repeatedly with clashes of civilizations in our currently imperiled world and having read the Verse 50 of the Dhammapada, one of the Buddhist canonical texts of the Theravᾱda Buddhism, I was conscientiously inspired  and exuberantly motivated to express my esoteric  thoughts about ‘Buddhism and Self-cultivation’  in this essay. The verse 50 of the Dhammapada is reproduced as follows :

Na paresam vilomᾱni
Na paresamkatakatam
Attano’va avekkheyya
katᾱni akatᾱni ca
Dhp. 50
Translation:
One should not pry into the faults of others,
Into things done and left undone by others.
One should rather consider
what by oneself is done and left undone
Trans. by K.Sri Dhammananda

The above edifying message was uttered by Gotama Buddha to a rich Indian lady from Sᾱvatthi. She was a strong supporter and disciple of the ascetic  Pᾱthika.

Once, she was spiritually exuberant after hearing the Gotama Buddha’s discourse. The wonderful and glorious Dhamma permeated her entire body. She exclaimed before the Exalted Buddha, “ Excellent ! Excellent.”  Hearing the compliment and applause of the lady disciple, his guru, ascetic Pᾱthika, was very jealous of her praise for the Buddha. Being emotionally unrestrained, he rushed out with rage from the room. He cursed and abused verbally both the lady disciple and the Buddha before he left angrily. Seeing that the lady was extremely embarrassed  and ashamed of the ugly behaviour of the ascetic Pᾱthika, Gotama Buddha consoled her. He admonished the attending audience of his discourse not to be worried by the abuses or threats of others.  Instead we ought to be concerned about our own wholesome and unwholesome actions (kammas). Having heard the admonition of the Exalted One, the lady attained the first stage of Sainthood 1.

The aforementioned Gotama Buddha’s admonition uttered about 2,600 years in India is still pertinent and relevant today. It can still be a teaching moment  for all of us today.  The clashes of human relations resulting in the collisions of civilizations locally, nationally, regionally and globally today are fueled by human moral fallibility and vulnerability. They are rooted in greed, hatred and delusion. The most serious moral defect of Man is  to be hyper-sensitive and reactive towards the moral flaws  of fallibilities and vulnerabilities of others. The miscreants  demonize the moral faults or defects  of others rather than rectify their own faults. The elephant before us is not visible and yet the mosquitoes far away are visible. Worst of all, the perceptions of moral flaws or defects of the foes are translated into physical violence of extremism that has become the cultural norm of present day religious or political extremists.

Religious Function

Religion requires us to see our own faults, amend our old ways, change ourselves and self-improve.  Most importantly, the old habits  conditioning our unwholesome kammas (actions) are to be obliterated. They are not to be repeated. Repentance is the key to moral and spiritual transformation to create inner spiritual revolution in us. The most effective strategy of repentance is to avoid evil, do good and purify ourselves. This is the principal Buddha’s formula for human development and self-cultivation. Nothing is more gracious than repentance in terms of mental purification of cleansing ourselves mentally. The immediate fruit of repentance is self-rectification. Self-rectification is transformation of our habitual samsᾱric self into the human original Nibbᾱnic Self. The most effective expedient skill to do so is  right mindfulness (sammᾱ sati) and clear awareness of Anattᾱ (Selflessness; Egolessness)2. Anattᾱ strategy to annihilate self-centric ego of grasping or clinging  is the core of Buddhist concept of human development and self-cultivation.  

In Buddhism, the Anattᾱ strategy of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness shepherds the practicing Buddhists to enter into the straight path of personal development and self-cultivation of the Noble Eight Fold Path3. Buddhistly put, without seeing our own faults and rectifying ourselves rather than being concerned about the abuses and threats of others, a Buddhist is derailed from the straight path of the Noble Eight Fold Path. The Noble Eight Fold Path comprises Right Understanding, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Actions, Right Livelihood, Right Efforts, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration.

Noble Eight Fold Path

The Buddha’s formulation of the Straight Path of Noble Eight Fold Path commencing with Right View. Right View (Sammᾱ Diṭṭhi)4 is metaphorically compared to the light offered to a cave man (the ignorant person) walking in a dark cave. Without the light, the caveman can not walk properly in the dark cave. Right Understanding is two-fold. Firstly, it is the mundane Right Understanding of the conventional relative truth of the multiplicity of the empirical world. Secondly, it is supramundane Right Understanding of the Three Universal Characteristics of Existence (Tilakkhana-s)5 related to Dependent Co-arising (Paṭiccasamuppᾱda)6  and the Four Noble Truths (Cattᾱri Ariya Saccᾱni)7.

Moral Causality

The most important conventional relative truth is the knowledge of moral law of cause and effect. The  law of moral causality states that one reaps what one sows. One is precisely awarded or blessed  by one’s wholesome actions (kusala-kammas); one is precisely  retributed or punished  by one’s unwholesome actions (akusala-kammas)8. If this moral law of accountability is heeded and practised, the first domain of Buddhist personal development and self-cultivation of avoiding evils and doing good will be consummated. This implies that the first half of the moral battle of a Dhamma farer is won.

Spiritual Battle

The second half of the moral battle is spiritual. It is fulfilled by the attainment of the insightful wisdom (paññᾱ) of  intuitive penetration into the Three Universal Characteristics of Existence. The Three Universal Characteristics of Existence comprise the intuitive discernment of Impermanence (Anicca), Selflessness (Anattᾱ) and their soteriological connections with the cessation of suffering. Cessation of suffering is Buddhist liberation (vimutti).

The Supramundane Right Understanding is the intuitive discernment of the Dependent Co-arising (Paṭiccasamuppᾱda) in terms of these Three Universal Characteristics. Its right Understanding annihilates the self-centric ego (attᾱ). Grasping or clinging (Upᾱdᾱna)9 to the personality view (sakkᾱya-diṭṭṭhi) illusively superimposes the human personality with the unreal self-centric ego (ahamkᾱra).  When self-centric ego directs and empowers all the six sense activities, the consequence is either attachment to likes or aversion towards dislikes.  Attachment conditions greed; aversion conditions hatred. Both are conditioned by delusion – the ignorance of not knowing the Absolute Reality of the Buddha.

Most critically, the self-centric ego of grasping or clinging veils the ignorant Man from seeing the  Buddha – the Truth of a Tathᾱgata. Gotama Buddha  promulgates that the intuitive discernment of the Buddha is the intuitive comprehension of Dependent Co-arisen Unity or Non-duality. Intuitive discernment of  Unity or Non-duality  is intuitive discernment of  Anattᾱ. Having intuitively discerned  Anattᾱ, one purifies the mind by annihilating completely the self-centric ego. Having actualized this supramundane Right Understanding, the remaining seven aggregates of the Noble Eight Fold Path are automatically, spontaneously, and effortly consummated. The consummation of the Noble Eight Fold Path is the fruitful undertaking of the Four Noble Truths.

Four Noble Truths

The first Noble Truth is the self-awareness that one suffers because of the ignorantly superimposed self-centric ego characteristized by grasping upon the five aggregates (form, feelings, perceptions, volitions and consciousness)  as this I; this is mine; this belongs to me10,11. The second Noble Truth of suffering is caused by ignorance of the Three Universal Characteristics  of Existence. The third Noble Truth is the insightful wisdom of apprehending the Three Universal Characteristics leading to the cessation of suffering. The fourth Noble Truth is the Noble Eight Fold Path to actualize the emancipation. Nibbᾱna is emancipation.

The consummation of the Noble Eight Fold Path mirrors that the spiritual development and self-cultivation of a liberated Buddhist is consummated. Metaphorically, the liberated Buddhist has emerged as a healthy and good tree bearing good fruits of Non-greed, Non-hatred and Non-delusion12 . These good fruits are manifested through four sublime virtuous states (brahmavihᾱra-s)  of boundless lovingkindness (mettᾱ), compassion (karunᾱ), appreciative joys (muditᾱ) and equanimity (upekkhᾱ). The power of these Brahmavihara-s enables the good and righteous liberated Buddhist to adhere effortlessly to the fundamental Five Precepts (Pañca-sῑla-s) and  Ten Wholesome Precepts (Dasasῑla-s)13 . The Precepts are  Buddhist Ethics  of self-dicipline.  Precepts include moral restraints entailing the corresponding exercise of virtues of  Benevolence, Generosity, Proper Sexual Conduct, Truthfulness, Gentleness, Non-divisiveness, Constructiveness, Giving, Friendliness and Wisdom. Avoiding evils and doing good is an integrated process of Buddhist development and self-cultivation of moral restraint of self-discipline of not to harm others. The moral restraint is complemented by the exercise of the corresponding virtues of helping or benefiting others.

The Buddhist Dasasῑla-s  necessitate a Buddhist to restrain   from killings and encourage him or her  to exercise the corresponding virtue of benevolence, to refrain from thefts and encourage him or her  to exercise generosity, to refrain from sexual misconduct and to exercise  proper sexual relation, to refrain from telling lies and to exercise truthfulness, to refrain from back-bitting  and to utter unifying speech, to refrain harsh speech and to speak gently, to refrain from greed and to give generously, to refrain from hatred and to be friendly and finally to eliminate delusion and to develop wisdom of right view.

To be continued in Part 2

Endnotes:

1.Dhammananda , K.Sri. The Dhammapada . K.L : Sasana Abhiwurdhi Wardhana Society,1992 , Puppha Vagga, p.137

2. Horner, I.B. The Collection of the Middle Length Sayings  (Majjhima Nikᾱya). Oxford : The Pᾱli Text Society, 1995. Vol.I , Mῡlapariyᾱ Sutta, p.3 ; Vol.III, Channovada Sutta, p.70

3. Ibid. Vol.I , Sammᾱ Diṭṭhi Sutta, p.57 and III, Sacavibhaṅga Sutta,p.295

4. Ibid.
5. Bodhi, Bhikkhu. The Connected Discourses of the Buddha:A New Translation of Samyutta Nikᾱya. Boston : Wisdom Publication, 2000, Salᾱyatanasamyutta, pp.1133-1136.

6. Note 2:  Ibid. Vol.I, Mahᾱtanhasaṅnkhaya Sutta, p.311

7. Note 2 : Ibid.

8. Note 2 : Vol.III, Cῡlakammavibhaṅga Sutta, p.248

9. Note 2: Ibid. Vol. I , Mahᾱhatthipadopama Sutta, p.230; Vol. II, Mahᾱ-rᾱhulovᾱda Sutta p.91

10. Note 2 : Ibid. Vol. I, Mahᾱpunnana Sutta, p.65; Vol. II, Mahᾱ-Rᾱhulovᾱda Sutta p.91

11. Note 9, Ibid.

12. Note 2 : Ibid. Vol. I, Vitakkasanthᾱna Sutta, p.167

13. Note 2 :Ibid. Vol. III, Sevitabba-asevitabba Sutta, p.94