Issue

15th Issue (Mar, 2010)

Buddhist Psychological Ethics:
Correlation between Mind and Ethics

Wong Weng Hon

Introduction

Not only Buddhism expounds the correlationship  between human psychology or the function of human mind and ethics of moral restraint and virtues, all major world’s religions also promulgates the correlationship between the mind and human external moral or  immoral conduct. A close examination and discernment into any esoteric religion unravels that whoever knows the correlation between human mind and ethics knows the Absolute Reality. Buddhism, as one of the world’s great religion of Gotama Buddha, is no exception.

Buddhism esoteric philosophy emphasizes that there are two-fold aspects of human mind or consciousness. The false mind or consciousness of self-centric ego produces an ordinary worldling of moral defects characterized by greed (lobha), hatred (dosa)  and delusion (moha). The true Mind of Anattᾱ consciousness (known as the Buddha-mind in Mahᾱyᾱna tradition) is the Enlightened Mind of the Gnostic with the supreme attributes of non-greed (alobha), non-hatred (adosa) and  non-delusion (amoha). Thus, we witness that there is an intimate, reciprocal correlationship between human psychology and ethics .

Evil Mind Evil Action

In the Dhammapada, Gotama Buddha preaches thus :

Mind is the forerunner of (all evil) states . Mind is the chief;
mind made are they. If one speaks or acts with wicked
mind, because of that, suffering follows one,
even as the wheel follows the hoof of the draught-ox.1  

Dhpd.1

The nature of the mind or human consciousness determines one’s morality or immorality. The above utterance of Gotama Buddha stresses that an unwholesome mental consciousness  (akusalacitta) correspondingly produces unwholesome action (akusalakamma). For instance, the mind of greed (labha)  generates an immoral act of theft or taking of what is not given. The wicked mind engenders a wicked action. The wicked  action is punishable under the state criminal law as well as by the Law of Kamma in the hereafter. Punishment is suffering (dukkha). It is also retributed under the spiritual Law of Kamma (Cῡlakammavibhanga-sutta 135)2   in the next life. Kammic retribution is suffering.

The Moral Law of Kammic Accountablity  is compared to the metaphor of  the Ox pulling a carriage: Any kammic consequence (vipᾱka) is as definite as the relationship between the wheel of the carriage and the feet of the pulling ox which are inseparable. The wheels will follow the feet of the ox positioned in front of the carriage. Likewise, the evil kamma of a person will follow the doer of kamma until it is ripened in the form of reward or retribution. The state of the mind precedes the external action of Man. The human action is committed through body, speech or thought. The Mind is the forerunner and the human external action or conduct is the followed up consequence. The beauty of the Law of Kamma is that it redresses the injustice and rewards the just.

Good Mind Good Action

Likewise, Gotama Buddha preaches that wholesome mind precedes wholesome action of Man. This is advice is uttered by Gotama Buddha thus :

Mind is the forerunner  of ( all good) states. Mind  is chief; mind-
made are they. If one speaks or acts with pure mind, because
of that, happiness follows one, even as one’s shadow that never
leaves.3

Dhp. 2

In this utterance of the Exalted Gotama Buddha, the metaphor of Man and Shadow is employed to stress that the shadow is never separate from a man wherever he goes. Man is warned of the kammic efficacy that we are heirs of the kammas.

The two aforementioned utterances of the Gotama Buddha awakens us to the fact that it is mind of Man that determines one’s morality. The defiled mind of greed (lobha) and hatred (dosa)  rooted in delusion (moha) makes Man morally fallible and vulnerable. Conversely, the purified mind of Man of non-greed (alobha), and non-hatred (adosa)  rooted in delusion make Man morally infallible and invulnerable. The chief determinant of human vices or virtues is the human mind. The mind is the supreme  Chief  or Lord that determines human destiny of happiness or suffering; accomplishment or failure; prosperity or impoverishment. Man is the heir of his own kammas. Human destiny is not predeterministive, nor accidental nor fortuitously originated . Human destiny is determined by man’s own wisdom and virtue. Wisdom and virtue are mind-made. Wisdom and virtue bless us. We are blessed by our own wisdom and virtue. We take refuge in the Buddha and not from the Buddha. Human psychology and ethics are dependently co-arisen. Since human psychology and ethics are impermanent and mutable, Man can change his destiny for the better or for the worse.

Heirs of Dhamma

Hence, Gotama Buddha enlightens us that human beings are the heirs of Dhamma4 (Dhammadᾱyᾱ-sutta).  Dhamma is determined by the states of the  human mind. The Mind is  the Chief ;the mind is the Lord. Lord is known in the mind and by the mind.  Whoever knows the mind knows one’s Lord. The Lord is the Absolute Reality. The defiled mind produces vices ; the pure mind produces virtues.  Human beings are blessed by their own  virtues and are cursed by their own  vices. Whoever does not transgress the Five Precepts (Sevitabba-asevitabb-sutta and Punnovᾱda-sutta)5 are blessed with accomplishment, satisfaction and growth or prosperity. Good mind begets good kamma; evil mind begets evil kamma. Good kamma bears good fruit; evil kamma bears bad fruit.

The Five Precepts (Pancasῑla-s) are moral restraints from killing, theft, improper sexual relation, untruthfulness and intoxication. Whoever transgresses the Five Precepts are retributed with suffering . We ought to take refuge in the Buddha and not from the Buddha. Our Dhamma is our own protection  or shelter or island. We take refuge in the Buddha-nature within. The Buddha-nature is Non-self (Anattᾱ)6.  Non-self is the Unity of the Existence of  the Five Aggregates (Pañcakkhandhᾱ : Mahᾱhatthipadopama-sutta)7 . Do not regard the form to be yours neither are the feelings  yours; neither are the perceptions, volitions and consciousness  yours.

Nibbᾱnic Mind

The supreme human consciousness is the mind of Anattᾱ. The mind of Anattᾱ is the Nibbᾱnic mind of non-greed, non-hatred and non-delusion (Vitakkasanthᾱna-sutta)8 that produces the Four Sublime States of boundless lovingkindness , compassion, appreciative joy and equanimity (Brahmavihᾱra-s : Anuruddha-sutta)9 that generates the Ten Wholesome Course of Actions (Dasasῑla-s : Mahᾱkammavibhaṅga-sutta)10. The Ten Wholesome Course of Actions are moral restraint from killing, theft, improper sexual relationship, telling lies, back-bitting, harsh speech, gossiping, non-greed , non-hatred and non-delusion. The mind can be purified to generate Brahman-vihᾱra-s and to course wholesomely in the Dasasῑla-s by the diligent, ardent and resolute efforts of development and self-cultivation of the Noble Eight Fold Path with intuitive discernment of the Four Noble Truths (Saccavibhaṅga –sutta)11.

Buddhist Fundamental Doctrines

The Noble Eight Fold Path consists of Right Understanding, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right  Action, Right Livelihood, Right Efforts, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration. The Four Noble Truths comprise the Truth of Suffering, the Cause of Suffering, the Cessation of Suffering and the Path to ending of Suffering. The Truth of Suffering is that sentient beings suffer because of attachment and aversion because of discriminative wisdom. Discriminative wisdom is the perversion of regarding the illusion and unreality of the multiplicity as real. The cause of suffering is the ignorance (avijjᾱ) of the Three Universal Characteristics (Tilakkhana-s) of existence.

Multiplicity and Unity

 The Three Universal Characteristics are Impermanence (Anicca), Suffering (Dukkha) and Non-self (Anattᾱ). All phenomena of the multiplicity are impermanent because they are mutable. What are mutable are impermanent. Non-self is the Unity of dependently co-arisen existence. Non-self or Unity is permanent and immutable. The ending of suffering is effected by wisdom dispelling ignorance. The Path to be trodden to eliminate ignorance is  the Noble Eight Fold Path. The most crucial or critical aggregate among the eight aggregates  is Right View (Sammᾱ Diṭṭhi). Right View is the perfect vision  of the Absolute Reality. The Absolute Reality is the Middle View of the multiplicity (phenomena) in the Unity (Principle) and Unity in the multiplicity. The Middle View is seeing the multiplicity with the right view of Unity. The systematic parts are contained in the systematic Unity. The systemic Unity contains the systemic parts.  It is the acknowledgement of the ultimate Truth (sammuti sacca) without denying the conventional truth (paramattha sacca).

The discernment of Unity annihilates attachment and aversion of grasping (upᾱdᾱna) upon the five aggregates as this is I; this is mine; this belongs to me (Mahᾱpunnama-sutta)12.  The acceptance of the multiplicity is to enable effective communication and intercourse between Man and Man. Perfection of wisdom is the insightful penetration into the bipolar Reality of the co-existence of the conventional truth of empirical phenomena and the ultimate truth of Principle. The Heart Sῡtra depicts this bipolar Reality as Form is Emptiness and Emptiness is Form. The Form is the many and the Emptiness is the One.

Designations Only

The conventionally perceived phenomena are merely conceptual designations. These conceptual designations, the production of judgmental reasoning of discriminative wisdom, facilitates human inter-communicational dialogues or intercourses. This is the pragmatic  value of the utility of concepts and designations that should not be denied even one has realized and acknowledged the ultimate Truth. The illusions of conceptions or designations  and the unreality of the conditioned phenomena are realized through the intuitive penetration or Gnosis  into the falsity of conceptual designations. Conceptual designations are created by mental fabrications resulted from false imagination of the unreal. False mind of self-centric ego produces false behaviour; True Mind of Anattᾱ produces virtuous behaviour. Thus, we witness the complimentary relationship between human mind and behaviour.

Abhidhamma

 Hence, we corroborate that human ethics are contigent upon how Man mentally conceives the world. Right view, producing right thought, conditions right actions. Right actions are  right ethical behaviour rooted in the non-deluded mind of wisdom of insight.  Wrong view, producing wrong thought ,conditions moral fallibilities and vulnerabilities. Buddhism teaches us the correlation between reciprocal relationship between human psychology and ethics. Defiling the mind, we destroy our morality. Purifying the mind, we liberate ourselves from immorality through Gnosis. The Buddhist Abhidhammapiṭaka furnishes a very detailed enumerated description of the reciprocal correlation between human consciousness and ethics.13 The Abhidhammattha  Sangaha is the epitome of the entire Buddhist philosophy of Psychology and Ethics.

Abhidhamma is extremely helpful for us to comprehend fully the Word of Gotama Buddha and realizes Nibbᾱna.14  Nibbᾱna can be defined in various aspects. The most pragmatic definition and knowledge of Nibbᾱna pertain to  the complete appeasement of the chatter of the human mind. The false mind is annihilated through Wisdom of Insight into the Unity of Existence (Anattᾱ; paṭiccasamuppᾱda) of the five aggregates or human personality. The right self-knowledge of human personality (microcosm) gives rise to the right vision of the true nature (dhammatᾱ) of the cosmos as it really is (macrocosm).

It is through the Abhidhammic work of analysis work that the Absolute Truth of Non-self or Emptiness of inherent existence (Anattᾱ; ‘Sῡnyatᾱ) is unravelled. It is through the Abhidhammic work of synthesis work that the Process Reality of Dependent Co-arising (Paticcasamuppᾱda) is unveiled. Abhidhamma  is the Buddhist science of perennial wisdom of process philosophy. Perennial wisdom of dynamic process becoming of the multiplicity in the Unity and Unity in the multiplicity is the underlying religion of all world’s religions. The Abhidhamma is not apart from one’s self-knowledge. Seek within. Seek yourself within but not without. The Absolute Reality will unfold itself 15.

Conclusion

 Mental consciousness and Ethics relationship is the universal moral cause and effect relationship (Kamma-vipᾱka-dhamma). What you sow, so shall you reap. The Buddha-nature of Anattᾱ or ‘Sῡnyatᾱ directs and empowers this moral law of accountability precisely with zero defect. In Monotheistic religions, it is said that the Holy Spirit of God (Equivalent with Mahᾱyᾱna Buddhist concept of Dharmakᾱya) that directs and empowers the destiny of Man. Though dissimilar paraphrasings and expedient means are employed, the  communal Truth of Wisdom is communicated. Every serious Truth seeker will discover the communal Truth of Wisdom for mankind. Truth is one and not two (ekam saccam na dutῑyam). All the Tathᾱgatas and Prophets speak with one Voice through dissimilar expedient pedagogies (upᾱyas) in terms of  apparently various world’s religions. Confucius says, “Between the four seas, we are all brothers and sisters.”  The Vedᾱnta stresses , “ Different paths (exotericism)  lead to the same esoteric destination.”  The common final destination is the inner Heart of Man which is the pure, infinite and non-manifestative consciousness of Man.

I pay homage to the nameless Lord.

Endnotes

1. Yamaka vagga , Dhp. 1. Dhammananda,K.Sri. The Dhammapada. K.L : Sasana Abhiwordhi Wardhana Society,  1992, p.41
2. The Collection of the Middle Sayings (Majjihima Nikaya). Trans. I.B.Horner. Oxford: The Pali Text Society, 1999.
3. Endnote 1 : ibid. p.42
4. Endnote 2 : ibid. p. 16
5. Endnote 2 : ibid. p.94
6. Endnote 2: ibid. P.315 and 319
7. Endnote 2 : ibid. p.230
8. Endnote 2: ibid p. 152
9. Endnote 2: ibid p. 190
10. Endnote 2: ibid: p. 254
11. Endnote 2 : ibid p. 295
12. Endnote 2 :ibid p. 65
13. Narada, A Manual of Abhidhamma (Abhidhammatha Sangaha) .K.L : Buddhist Missionary Society, 1979, Chapter 2, p.73
14. Ibid. Preface, p.iv
15. Ibid.