In relation to things, it gives rise to inordinate greed and acquisitiveness. In relation to ourselves, it leads to attempts to enhance our self-image by acquiring wealth and status. In relation to other people, it engenders envy, competitiveness, and lust for power.
The Buddha says that these compulsions, the causes of our suffering, originate because we implicitly take ourselves to possess a truly existent self. The wisdom of selflessness is designed to dispel the delusion of self and thereby free us from suffering. To develop this wisdom, we closely examine the factors around which the idea of self congeals, the “five aggregates” of bodily form, feeling, perception, volitional activities, and consciousness. By mindfully attending to them, we see that all the aggregates—the factors of our being—are impermanent, composite, and ever changing. Each lacks the persistency essential to selfhood and thus turns out to be selfless. Insight into the selfless nature of the five aggregates breaks the bondage of craving, enabling us to realize transcendent liberation, nirvana.
While classical Buddhism proposes insight into the selfless nature of personal identity as the key to liberation, this same insight can be given an extended application to purge us of the greed, lust for domination, and complacency responsible for our current predicament. To extend the wisdom of selflessness, we shift its focus from an analysis of the composite nature of personal identity to an exploration of the wide web of conditionality. If things lack substantial existence because they are impermanent and composite, they also lack substantial existence because they arise and persist in dependence on an intricate network of conditions. Insight into the interdependency of phenomena reveals that the very being of things is a system of relations. Things exist not as self-sufficient entities but as temporary nodules in a fluid current of energies.
Reflection on conditionality begins with oneself. We consider how our own body is constituted of the food we eat, which depends on soil, water, and sunshine; on the labor of those who grow the food and the transport that brings it to market. Our body depends on air, water, and heat. We wear clothes made from cotton and wool and synthetics. The cotton depends on cotton fields, and on those who work the fields, and those who weave it into threads and turn the threads into fabric and the fabric into clothes. Our own bodies are the end product of an evolutionary chain that goes back to the Big Bang, to the stars, galaxies, and stardust. This body encapsulates every stage in the long march of evolution, from the first cells that appeared billions of years ago in the ancient oceans. Every organ, tissue, and cell records in its DNA the entire history of life. Our culture is the end product of human civilization, from the first groups of hunter-gatherers to the first settled agrarian communities to the mighty empires of the ancient world, all the way up through the science, art, and technology of the 21st century. All the inhabitants of this planet are intertwined, from corporate CEOs in the skyscrapers of Manhattan to factory workers in China to farmers in Iowa to meatpackers in Wisconsin to the techno-wizards of Bangalore to the armed kids in the Congo to the indigenous peoples of Brazil and Borneo.
From the human realm we can move outward in widening circles until our insight encompasses all forms of sentient and nonsentient life. Seeing how all living beings are bound together in the most intricate symbiotic relationships, we respect all forms of life. Seeing how all living beings are engaged in a continuous exchange of materials with their surroundings, we regard the environment as sacrosanct—precious for its instrumental value, as the sphere in which life unfolds, and precious for its intrinsic value, as a domain of mysterious intelligence, beauty, and wonder.
The Buddha says that these compulsions, the causes of our suffering, originate because we implicitly take ourselves to possess a truly existent self. The wisdom of selflessness is designed to dispel the delusion of self and thereby free us from suffering. To develop this wisdom, we closely examine the factors around which the idea of self congeals, the “five aggregates” of bodily form, feeling, perception, volitional activities, and consciousness. By mindfully attending to them, we see that all the aggregates—the factors of our being—are impermanent, composite, and ever changing. Each lacks the persistency essential to selfhood and thus turns out to be selfless. Insight into the selfless nature of the five aggregates breaks the bondage of craving, enabling us to realize transcendent liberation, nirvana.
While classical Buddhism proposes insight into the selfless nature of personal identity as the key to liberation, this same insight can be given an extended application to purge us of the greed, lust for domination, and complacency responsible for our current predicament. To extend the wisdom of selflessness, we shift its focus from an analysis of the composite nature of personal identity to an exploration of the wide web of conditionality. If things lack substantial existence because they are impermanent and composite, they also lack substantial existence because they arise and persist in dependence on an intricate network of conditions. Insight into the interdependency of phenomena reveals that the very being of things is a system of relations. Things exist not as self-sufficient entities but as temporary nodules in a fluid current of energies.
Reflection on conditionality begins with oneself. We consider how our own body is constituted of the food we eat, which depends on soil, water, and sunshine; on the labor of those who grow the food and the transport that brings it to market. Our body depends on air, water, and heat. We wear clothes made from cotton and wool and synthetics. The cotton depends on cotton fields, and on those who work the fields, and those who weave it into threads and turn the threads into fabric and the fabric into clothes. Our own bodies are the end product of an evolutionary chain that goes back to the Big Bang, to the stars, galaxies, and stardust. This body encapsulates every stage in the long march of evolution, from the first cells that appeared billions of years ago in the ancient oceans. Every organ, tissue, and cell records in its DNA the entire history of life. Our culture is the end product of human civilization, from the first groups of hunter-gatherers to the first settled agrarian communities to the mighty empires of the ancient world, all the way up through the science, art, and technology of the 21st century. All the inhabitants of this planet are intertwined, from corporate CEOs in the skyscrapers of Manhattan to factory workers in China to farmers in Iowa to meatpackers in Wisconsin to the techno-wizards of Bangalore to the armed kids in the Congo to the indigenous peoples of Brazil and Borneo.
From the human realm we can move outward in widening circles until our insight encompasses all forms of sentient and nonsentient life. Seeing how all living beings are bound together in the most intricate symbiotic relationships, we respect all forms of life. Seeing how all living beings are engaged in a continuous exchange of materials with their surroundings, we regard the environment as sacrosanct—precious for its instrumental value, as the sphere in which life unfolds, and precious for its intrinsic value, as a domain of mysterious intelligence, beauty, and wonder.
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This is not abstract theory but the groundwork for a transformative discipline. To see into the interconnectedness of all living things is to see how all living things are part of a unified field that contains all, and at the same time to see that this entire field is embodied by each being, constituted of its cells, organs, nervous system, and consciousness. Correct cognition entails appropriate action. It issues in an ethic that bids us consider the long-term effects our deeds exert on other people, on all beings endowed with sentience, and on the entire biosphere.
In minimal terms, this means that we cannot tolerate behavior that endangers vast sections of the world’s population. We cannot use the earth’s resources in ways that result in the mass extinction of species, with unpredictable results. We cannot spend billions on the fratricidal activity of war, while a billion people suffer from hunger, sleep on the streets, and die from easily curable illnesses. We cannot burn fuels that irreversibly alter the climate, or discharge toxic substances into our water and air, without initiating chain reactions that will eventually poison ourselves.
For the spiritual life to unleash its full potential as a fountainhead of grace and blessings, the wisdom of selflessness on its own is not sufficient. Wisdom has to be joined with another force that can galvanize the will to act. The force needed to empower wisdom is compassion. Both wisdom and compassion shift our sense of identity away from ourselves toward the wider human, biotic, and cosmic community to which we belong. But where wisdom involves a cognitive grasp of this fact, compassion operates viscerally.
The systematic development of compassion begins with the cultivation of lovingkindness. Lovingkindness is said to be the basis for compassion because, in order to sympathize with those in pain, we first must empathize with them and desire their welfare. The feeling of love for beings—ourselves included—makes us care about their happiness and well-being. Then, when they meet suffering, our hearts are stirred and we reach out to help them.
Compassion evolves from lovingkindness by narrowing the focus from beings in a generic sense to those afflicted by suffering. To develop compassion systematically, one brings to mind people in pain and distress, generating the wish “May they be free from suffering.” Perhaps the most suitable type of people with which to begin the practice are children. They should be real people, not imaginary, and one should choose specific individuals. If you don’t personally know such children, choose a few you may have read about in the news: the girl in Sri Lanka who lost her parents in the 2004 tsunami; the boy in the Congo forced to fight in armed conflict; the young woman in Cambodia sold into the sex trade; the neighbor’s son who is beset by an incurable illness. Feel each child as your own, and inwardly share their plight.
To expand the feeling of compassion, we next bring to mind a few mature people undergoing different forms of suffering. Again, these can be people one knows personally or has read about in the news. But we should avoid individuals whose misfortune will arouse indignation and those whose suffering is likely to cause worry and dejection. Having selected four or five people, we identify deeply with each, sincerely wishing that they be free from suffering. We repeat this process again and again, taking each person in turn, until compassion spontaneously swells up in our hearts. Then, in graded steps, we extend compassion over the whole earth and finally to afflicted beings in all realms of existence.
Traditional Buddhism describes boundless love and compassion as liberations of the heart (Pali, cetovimutti) that free us from ill will, cruelty, and indifference. They are called divine dwellings (brahmaviharas) because those who practice them radiate holy wishes for the welfare, happiness, and security of all beings.
In minimal terms, this means that we cannot tolerate behavior that endangers vast sections of the world’s population. We cannot use the earth’s resources in ways that result in the mass extinction of species, with unpredictable results. We cannot spend billions on the fratricidal activity of war, while a billion people suffer from hunger, sleep on the streets, and die from easily curable illnesses. We cannot burn fuels that irreversibly alter the climate, or discharge toxic substances into our water and air, without initiating chain reactions that will eventually poison ourselves.
For the spiritual life to unleash its full potential as a fountainhead of grace and blessings, the wisdom of selflessness on its own is not sufficient. Wisdom has to be joined with another force that can galvanize the will to act. The force needed to empower wisdom is compassion. Both wisdom and compassion shift our sense of identity away from ourselves toward the wider human, biotic, and cosmic community to which we belong. But where wisdom involves a cognitive grasp of this fact, compassion operates viscerally.
The systematic development of compassion begins with the cultivation of lovingkindness. Lovingkindness is said to be the basis for compassion because, in order to sympathize with those in pain, we first must empathize with them and desire their welfare. The feeling of love for beings—ourselves included—makes us care about their happiness and well-being. Then, when they meet suffering, our hearts are stirred and we reach out to help them.
Compassion evolves from lovingkindness by narrowing the focus from beings in a generic sense to those afflicted by suffering. To develop compassion systematically, one brings to mind people in pain and distress, generating the wish “May they be free from suffering.” Perhaps the most suitable type of people with which to begin the practice are children. They should be real people, not imaginary, and one should choose specific individuals. If you don’t personally know such children, choose a few you may have read about in the news: the girl in Sri Lanka who lost her parents in the 2004 tsunami; the boy in the Congo forced to fight in armed conflict; the young woman in Cambodia sold into the sex trade; the neighbor’s son who is beset by an incurable illness. Feel each child as your own, and inwardly share their plight.
To expand the feeling of compassion, we next bring to mind a few mature people undergoing different forms of suffering. Again, these can be people one knows personally or has read about in the news. But we should avoid individuals whose misfortune will arouse indignation and those whose suffering is likely to cause worry and dejection. Having selected four or five people, we identify deeply with each, sincerely wishing that they be free from suffering. We repeat this process again and again, taking each person in turn, until compassion spontaneously swells up in our hearts. Then, in graded steps, we extend compassion over the whole earth and finally to afflicted beings in all realms of existence.
Traditional Buddhism describes boundless love and compassion as liberations of the heart (Pali, cetovimutti) that free us from ill will, cruelty, and indifference. They are called divine dwellings (brahmaviharas) because those who practice them radiate holy wishes for the welfare, happiness, and security of all beings.
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Given, however, the gravity of the crisis that confronts us today, it is questionable whether the merely inward cultivation of such virtues is sufficient. If love and compassion don’t find expression in concrete action, they could remain purely subjective states, lofty and sublime but inert, unable to exert any beneficial influence on others. While able to lift us to the heights, they might bind us there, limiting our ability to descend and pour out their blessing power into the troubled, anxious world in which we live. In my understanding, the crisis of our age requires that wisdom and compassion jointly acquire an immanent, transformative function that can give a new direction to our collective life. The key to this transformation is what I call “conscientious compassion.” This is a compassion that does not confine itself to passively wishing good for others but courageously takes the steps necessary to help them: to remove their suffering and bring them real happiness. This is a compassion informed by the voice of conscience, which continually reminds us that too many of our fellow beings, human and animal alike, are unjustly condemned to lives of misery. Conscientious compassion boldly enters the fray of action, not afraid to engage with politics, economics, and programs of social uplift. It tells us that we need to treat people as ends rather than as means, ensuring that they are protected against exploitation and injustice. It is at once a compassion that acts and a sense of conscience that remains ever open to the pain of the world.
The spur to conscientious compassion is a keen recognition of our own responsibility for transfiguring life on earth. When we feel, deep inside, that others are not essentially different from us, our lives will undergo a sea change. Convinced that we can make a difference, we will actually exert ourselves to make that difference. We will then live, not for our narrow ends rooted in egocentric grasping, but for the welfare and happiness of the whole. While pursuing the transcendent good, we won’t neglect the ethical and cosmic good. Inspired by a wide and profound vision of our ultimate potential, we will work unflinchingly within this conditioned realm to build a global community committed to social justice, pledged to peace, and respectful of other forms of sentient life.
To shift gears from contemplative compassion to conscientious compassion, we have to find a personal calling, a task that enables us to change the world for the better. Each of us has some task, some way to practice conscientious compassion. The question is: How do we find that task? To find it, a specific method can be prescribed (for which I am indebted to my friend Andrew Harvey). At the outset, practice the usual meditation on compassion, perhaps for 20 or 30 minutes. Then focus your attention on several of the formidable problems that loom before humanity today: futile and self-destructive wars, rampant military spending, global warming, violations of human rights, poverty and global hunger, the exploitation of women, our treatment of animals, the abuse of the environment, or any other concern that comes to mind. Reflect briefly on these problems, one by one, aware of how you respond to them. You can repeat this procedure for several days, even daily for a week. At some point, you will start to recognize that one of these problems, more than the others, tugs at the strings of your heart. These inner pangs suggest that this is the particular issue to which you should dedicate your time and energy.
But don’t be hasty in drawing this conclusion. Rather, continue to explore the issue cautiously and carefully, asking yourself: “Does this issue break my heart open and cause a downpour of compassion? Does this urge gnaw at my vital organs? Does it point the finger to the door and tell me to do something?” If your answer to these questions is “Yes,” that is your vocation, that is your sacred calling, that’s where you should put conscientious compassion into action. This doesn’t mean you neglect other issues.
The spur to conscientious compassion is a keen recognition of our own responsibility for transfiguring life on earth. When we feel, deep inside, that others are not essentially different from us, our lives will undergo a sea change. Convinced that we can make a difference, we will actually exert ourselves to make that difference. We will then live, not for our narrow ends rooted in egocentric grasping, but for the welfare and happiness of the whole. While pursuing the transcendent good, we won’t neglect the ethical and cosmic good. Inspired by a wide and profound vision of our ultimate potential, we will work unflinchingly within this conditioned realm to build a global community committed to social justice, pledged to peace, and respectful of other forms of sentient life.
To shift gears from contemplative compassion to conscientious compassion, we have to find a personal calling, a task that enables us to change the world for the better. Each of us has some task, some way to practice conscientious compassion. The question is: How do we find that task? To find it, a specific method can be prescribed (for which I am indebted to my friend Andrew Harvey). At the outset, practice the usual meditation on compassion, perhaps for 20 or 30 minutes. Then focus your attention on several of the formidable problems that loom before humanity today: futile and self-destructive wars, rampant military spending, global warming, violations of human rights, poverty and global hunger, the exploitation of women, our treatment of animals, the abuse of the environment, or any other concern that comes to mind. Reflect briefly on these problems, one by one, aware of how you respond to them. You can repeat this procedure for several days, even daily for a week. At some point, you will start to recognize that one of these problems, more than the others, tugs at the strings of your heart. These inner pangs suggest that this is the particular issue to which you should dedicate your time and energy.
But don’t be hasty in drawing this conclusion. Rather, continue to explore the issue cautiously and carefully, asking yourself: “Does this issue break my heart open and cause a downpour of compassion? Does this urge gnaw at my vital organs? Does it point the finger to the door and tell me to do something?” If your answer to these questions is “Yes,” that is your vocation, that is your sacred calling, that’s where you should put conscientious compassion into action. This doesn’t mean you neglect other issues.
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You remain open and responsive to other concerns, but you focus on the issue that tugs at your heart and bids you to act.
This enlargement of mission, I believe, may well mark the next decisive step in the evolution of Buddhism and of human spirituality in its wider dimensions. I see this as a shared endeavor that transcends specific faiths and provides a broad canopy under which different religions and spiritual movements (including secular humanism) can gather in harmony. In my thinking, for human spirituality to evolve to the next level it must resolve the sharp dualisms that prevail in older spiritual traditions: between worldly life and world-transcendence, outer activity and inner peace, cosmos and eternity, creation and God. Instead of devaluing one in favor of the other, the progression to a more complete stage of spirituality—one corresponding to our present understanding of life and the universe—calls for integration rather than separation. Our need is to embody the realization of enlightened truth securely within the horizons of humanity’s historical and cosmic adventure. Our mission is to enact enlightened truth in a way that contributes to the human and universal good.
Does this issue break my heart open and cause a downpour of compassion? Does this urge gnaw at my vital organs? Does it point the finger to the door and tell me to do something? If your answer to these questions is “Yes,” that is your vocation, that is your sacred calling, that’s where you should put conscientious compassion into action.
In making such a statement, I am aware that I am going beyond the boundary posts of traditional Buddhist doctrine, whether Theravada or Mahayana. However, I believe that any religion, including Buddhism, best preserves its vitality through an organic process of growth, and I don’t see such growth as necessarily entailing a fall from a primal state of perfection. While remaining faithful to its seminal intuitions, a spiritual tradition can absorb, digest, and assimilate new insights supplied by its intellectual and cultural milieu and by the advancing edge of knowledge. These influences can draw forth potentials implicit in the older teaching that could not emerge until the appropriate cultural transformations evoked them and allowed them to flower.
In a world torn by violence, oppressed too long by projects aimed at domination, I believe that a conscientious compassion guided by wisdom is the most urgent need of the hour. In adopting this integral approach to spirituality, however, I see our task as involving more than merely avoiding environmental devastation, providing others with enough food to eat, and paving the way to respect for human rights. In my understanding, our larger task is to give birth to a new vision and scale of values that replaces division with integration, exploitation with cooperation, and domination with mutually respectful partnership. The overcoming of clinging through the wisdom of selflessness, the development of empathic love, and the expression of both in conscientious compassion have today become imperatives. They are no longer mere spiritual options, but necessary measures for safeguarding the world and for allowing humankind’s finest potentials to flourish.
Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi lives and teaches at Chuang Yen Monastery in Carmel, New York. He is a translator of texts from the Pali canon and the cofounder of Buddhist Global Relief.
This enlargement of mission, I believe, may well mark the next decisive step in the evolution of Buddhism and of human spirituality in its wider dimensions. I see this as a shared endeavor that transcends specific faiths and provides a broad canopy under which different religions and spiritual movements (including secular humanism) can gather in harmony. In my thinking, for human spirituality to evolve to the next level it must resolve the sharp dualisms that prevail in older spiritual traditions: between worldly life and world-transcendence, outer activity and inner peace, cosmos and eternity, creation and God. Instead of devaluing one in favor of the other, the progression to a more complete stage of spirituality—one corresponding to our present understanding of life and the universe—calls for integration rather than separation. Our need is to embody the realization of enlightened truth securely within the horizons of humanity’s historical and cosmic adventure. Our mission is to enact enlightened truth in a way that contributes to the human and universal good.
Does this issue break my heart open and cause a downpour of compassion? Does this urge gnaw at my vital organs? Does it point the finger to the door and tell me to do something? If your answer to these questions is “Yes,” that is your vocation, that is your sacred calling, that’s where you should put conscientious compassion into action.
In making such a statement, I am aware that I am going beyond the boundary posts of traditional Buddhist doctrine, whether Theravada or Mahayana. However, I believe that any religion, including Buddhism, best preserves its vitality through an organic process of growth, and I don’t see such growth as necessarily entailing a fall from a primal state of perfection. While remaining faithful to its seminal intuitions, a spiritual tradition can absorb, digest, and assimilate new insights supplied by its intellectual and cultural milieu and by the advancing edge of knowledge. These influences can draw forth potentials implicit in the older teaching that could not emerge until the appropriate cultural transformations evoked them and allowed them to flower.
In a world torn by violence, oppressed too long by projects aimed at domination, I believe that a conscientious compassion guided by wisdom is the most urgent need of the hour. In adopting this integral approach to spirituality, however, I see our task as involving more than merely avoiding environmental devastation, providing others with enough food to eat, and paving the way to respect for human rights. In my understanding, our larger task is to give birth to a new vision and scale of values that replaces division with integration, exploitation with cooperation, and domination with mutually respectful partnership. The overcoming of clinging through the wisdom of selflessness, the development of empathic love, and the expression of both in conscientious compassion have today become imperatives. They are no longer mere spiritual options, but necessary measures for safeguarding the world and for allowing humankind’s finest potentials to flourish.
Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi lives and teaches at Chuang Yen Monastery in Carmel, New York. He is a translator of texts from the Pali canon and the cofounder of Buddhist Global Relief.
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Dhammapada Verses 54 and 55
Anandattherapanha Vatthu
Na pupphagandho pativatameti
na candanam tagara mallika va
satanca gandho pativatameti
sabba disa sappuriso1pavayati.
Cadanam tagaram vapi
uppalam atha vassiki
etesam gandhajatanam
silagandho anuttaro.
Verse 54: The scent of flowers cannot go against the wind; nor the scent of sandalwood, nor of rhododendron (tagara), nor of jasmin (mallika)2; only the reputation of good people can go against the wind. The reputation of the virtuous ones (sappurisa) is wafted abroad in all directions.
Verse 55: There are the scents of sandalwood, rhododendron, lotus and jasmin (vassika)3; but the scent of virtue surpasses all scents.
1. sappuriso/sappurisa: good and pious people; virtuous persons. The virtuous are the Noble Ones (the ariyas) and the virtuous worldlings (kalyana puthujjana).
2. mallika: Arabian jasmin.
3. vassika: Spanish jasmin.
The Story of the Question Raised by the Venerable Ananda
While residing at the Jetavana monastery, the Buddha uttered Verses (54) and (55) of this book, with reference to a question raised by the Venerable Ananda.
While the Venerable Ananda was sitting by himself one evening, the problem relating to scents and perfumes came to his mind and he pondered: "The scent of wood, the scent of flowers, and the scent of roots all spread with the current of wind but not against it. Is there no scent which would spread with the current of wind as well as against it? Is there no scent which would pervade every part of the world?" Without answering the question himself, the Venerable Ananda approached the Buddha and solicited an answer from him. The Buddha said, "Ananda, supposing, there is one who takes refuge in the Three Gems (the Buddha, the Dhamma, the Samgha), who observes the five moral precepts, who is generous and not avaricious; such a man is truly virtuous and truly worthy of praise. The reputation of that virtuous one would spread far and wide, and bhikkhus, brahmins and laymen all alike would speak in praise of him, wherever he lives."
Then the Buddha spoke in verse as follows:
Verse 54: The scent of flowers cannot go against the wind; nor the scent of sandalwood, nor of rhododendron (tagara), nor of jasmin (mallika); only the reputation of good people can go against the wind. The reputation of the virtuous ones (sappurisa) is wafted abroad in all directions.
Verse 55: There are the scents of sandalwood, rhododendron, lotus and jasmin (vassika); but the scent of virtue surpasses all scents.
Buddha dharma teachings channel:
https://invite.viber.com/?g2=AQAKw1y3rv%2F6sk61PI2W4izuIiaEZj8YZujhY1tSzL%2B07s7rFnVFDAd0bAYFaMLw
====================
Anandattherapanha Vatthu
Na pupphagandho pativatameti
na candanam tagara mallika va
satanca gandho pativatameti
sabba disa sappuriso1pavayati.
Cadanam tagaram vapi
uppalam atha vassiki
etesam gandhajatanam
silagandho anuttaro.
Verse 54: The scent of flowers cannot go against the wind; nor the scent of sandalwood, nor of rhododendron (tagara), nor of jasmin (mallika)2; only the reputation of good people can go against the wind. The reputation of the virtuous ones (sappurisa) is wafted abroad in all directions.
Verse 55: There are the scents of sandalwood, rhododendron, lotus and jasmin (vassika)3; but the scent of virtue surpasses all scents.
1. sappuriso/sappurisa: good and pious people; virtuous persons. The virtuous are the Noble Ones (the ariyas) and the virtuous worldlings (kalyana puthujjana).
2. mallika: Arabian jasmin.
3. vassika: Spanish jasmin.
The Story of the Question Raised by the Venerable Ananda
While residing at the Jetavana monastery, the Buddha uttered Verses (54) and (55) of this book, with reference to a question raised by the Venerable Ananda.
While the Venerable Ananda was sitting by himself one evening, the problem relating to scents and perfumes came to his mind and he pondered: "The scent of wood, the scent of flowers, and the scent of roots all spread with the current of wind but not against it. Is there no scent which would spread with the current of wind as well as against it? Is there no scent which would pervade every part of the world?" Without answering the question himself, the Venerable Ananda approached the Buddha and solicited an answer from him. The Buddha said, "Ananda, supposing, there is one who takes refuge in the Three Gems (the Buddha, the Dhamma, the Samgha), who observes the five moral precepts, who is generous and not avaricious; such a man is truly virtuous and truly worthy of praise. The reputation of that virtuous one would spread far and wide, and bhikkhus, brahmins and laymen all alike would speak in praise of him, wherever he lives."
Then the Buddha spoke in verse as follows:
Verse 54: The scent of flowers cannot go against the wind; nor the scent of sandalwood, nor of rhododendron (tagara), nor of jasmin (mallika); only the reputation of good people can go against the wind. The reputation of the virtuous ones (sappurisa) is wafted abroad in all directions.
Verse 55: There are the scents of sandalwood, rhododendron, lotus and jasmin (vassika); but the scent of virtue surpasses all scents.
Buddha dharma teachings channel:
https://invite.viber.com/?g2=AQAKw1y3rv%2F6sk61PI2W4izuIiaEZj8YZujhY1tSzL%2B07s7rFnVFDAd0bAYFaMLw
====================
Viber
Buddha
Buddha dharma teachings from the suttas and commentaries from Theravada tradition
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Free Buddha Dharma ebook
Vammika Sutta
Commentaries by Mahasi Sayadaw Gyi
This discourse of Vammika Sutta was delivered by the Venerable Mahasi Sayadaw on the 6th , 7th , 8th of November 1964 at San Mya Yaung Chi Sasana Yeiktha, Monywa.
The compilation of this discourse was made by U Nyo Maung. For the foreign yogis, this discourse the Mahasi Buddha Sasana Nauggha Organization had entrusted U Min Swe, the then Secretary of the Buddha Sasana Nauggha Organization to translate into English and it was translated in 1982. The first impression was out of print for quite sometimes and now Buddha Sasana Nauggha Organization has republished it after thirty-three years as the Second Edition. In this Edition, it included the photograph of Mahasi Sayadawgyi and his brief biography.
This gift of Dhamma has been made to the Buddhist followers in order for them to understand the teachings of the Buddha. The details of how a meditator will develop stage by stage of the Vipassana Naña, to the extent of attaining Arahatship and were explained follow achieving the realization of Nibbana, In this discourses.
Free download available:
http://www.mediafire.com/file/hji6m5z8j1cu2aw/
=============
Vammika Sutta
Commentaries by Mahasi Sayadaw Gyi
This discourse of Vammika Sutta was delivered by the Venerable Mahasi Sayadaw on the 6th , 7th , 8th of November 1964 at San Mya Yaung Chi Sasana Yeiktha, Monywa.
The compilation of this discourse was made by U Nyo Maung. For the foreign yogis, this discourse the Mahasi Buddha Sasana Nauggha Organization had entrusted U Min Swe, the then Secretary of the Buddha Sasana Nauggha Organization to translate into English and it was translated in 1982. The first impression was out of print for quite sometimes and now Buddha Sasana Nauggha Organization has republished it after thirty-three years as the Second Edition. In this Edition, it included the photograph of Mahasi Sayadawgyi and his brief biography.
This gift of Dhamma has been made to the Buddhist followers in order for them to understand the teachings of the Buddha. The details of how a meditator will develop stage by stage of the Vipassana Naña, to the extent of attaining Arahatship and were explained follow achieving the realization of Nibbana, In this discourses.
Free download available:
http://www.mediafire.com/file/hji6m5z8j1cu2aw/
=============
❤1👍1
Dhammapada Verse 56
Mahakassapatthera Vatthu
Appamatto ayam gandho
yayam tagaracandani
yo ca silavatam gandho
vati devesu uttamo.
Verse 56: The scents of rhododendron and of sandal wood are very faint; but the scent (reputation) of the virtuous is the strongest; it spreads even to the abodes of the deva.
The Story of Thera Mahakassapa
While residing at the Veluvana monastery in Rajagaha, the Buddha uttered Verse 56 of this book, with reference to Thera Mahakassapa.
Arising from nirodhasamapatti*, Thera Mahakassapa entered a poor section of the city of Rajagaha for alms-food. His intention was to give a poor man an opportunity of gaining great merit as a result of offering alms-food to one who had just come out of nirodhasamapatti. Sakka, king of the devas, wishing to take the opportunity of offering alms-food to Thera Mahakassapa, assumed the form of a poor old weaver and came to Rajagaha with his wife Sujata in the form of an old woman. Thera Mahakassapa stood at their door; the poor old weaver took the bowl from the thera and filled up the bowl with rice and curry, and the delicious smell of the curry spread throughout the city. Then it occurred to the thera that this person must be no ordinary human being, and he came to realize that this must be Sakka himself. Sakka admitted the fact and claimed that he too was poor because he had had no opportunity of offering anything to anyone during the time of the Buddhas. So saying, Sakka and his wife Sujata left the thera after paying due respect to him.
The Buddha, from his monastery, saw Sakka and Sujata leaving and told the bhikkhus about Sakka offering alms-food to Thera Mahakassapa. The bhikkhus wondered how Sakka knew that Thera Mahakassapa had just come out of nirodhasamapatti, and that it was the right and auspicious time for him to make offerings to the thera. This question was put up to the Buddha, and the Buddha answered, "Bhikkhus, the reputation of a virtuous one as my son, Thera Mahakassapa, spreads far and wide; it reaches even the deva world. On account of his good reputation, Sakka himself has come to offer alms-food to him."
Then the Buddha spoke in verse as follows:
Verse 56: The scents of rhododendron and of sandal wood are very faint; but the scent (reputation) of the virtuous is the strongest; it spreads even to the abodes of the deva.
* Nirodhasamapatti: sustained deep mental absorption following the attainment of nirodha, i.e., temporary cessation of the four mental khandhas.
Words of the Buddha channel:
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Mahakassapatthera Vatthu
Appamatto ayam gandho
yayam tagaracandani
yo ca silavatam gandho
vati devesu uttamo.
Verse 56: The scents of rhododendron and of sandal wood are very faint; but the scent (reputation) of the virtuous is the strongest; it spreads even to the abodes of the deva.
The Story of Thera Mahakassapa
While residing at the Veluvana monastery in Rajagaha, the Buddha uttered Verse 56 of this book, with reference to Thera Mahakassapa.
Arising from nirodhasamapatti*, Thera Mahakassapa entered a poor section of the city of Rajagaha for alms-food. His intention was to give a poor man an opportunity of gaining great merit as a result of offering alms-food to one who had just come out of nirodhasamapatti. Sakka, king of the devas, wishing to take the opportunity of offering alms-food to Thera Mahakassapa, assumed the form of a poor old weaver and came to Rajagaha with his wife Sujata in the form of an old woman. Thera Mahakassapa stood at their door; the poor old weaver took the bowl from the thera and filled up the bowl with rice and curry, and the delicious smell of the curry spread throughout the city. Then it occurred to the thera that this person must be no ordinary human being, and he came to realize that this must be Sakka himself. Sakka admitted the fact and claimed that he too was poor because he had had no opportunity of offering anything to anyone during the time of the Buddhas. So saying, Sakka and his wife Sujata left the thera after paying due respect to him.
The Buddha, from his monastery, saw Sakka and Sujata leaving and told the bhikkhus about Sakka offering alms-food to Thera Mahakassapa. The bhikkhus wondered how Sakka knew that Thera Mahakassapa had just come out of nirodhasamapatti, and that it was the right and auspicious time for him to make offerings to the thera. This question was put up to the Buddha, and the Buddha answered, "Bhikkhus, the reputation of a virtuous one as my son, Thera Mahakassapa, spreads far and wide; it reaches even the deva world. On account of his good reputation, Sakka himself has come to offer alms-food to him."
Then the Buddha spoke in verse as follows:
Verse 56: The scents of rhododendron and of sandal wood are very faint; but the scent (reputation) of the virtuous is the strongest; it spreads even to the abodes of the deva.
* Nirodhasamapatti: sustained deep mental absorption following the attainment of nirodha, i.e., temporary cessation of the four mental khandhas.
Words of the Buddha channel:
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Dhammapada Verse 57
Godhikattheraparinibbana Vatthu
Tesam sampannasilanam
appamadaviharinam
sammadanna vimuttanam
Maro maggam na vindati.
Verse 57: Mara cannot find the path taken by those who are endowed with virtue, who live mindfully and have been freed from moral defilements by Right Knowledge.1
1. Arahats having eradicated moral defilements are no longer subject to rebirths; so Mara, for all his power, cannot find out where such arahats go after death. (The Commentary)
The Story of Thera Godhika
While residing at the Veluvana monastery, the Buddha uttered Verse (57) of this book, with reference to Thera Godhika.
Thera Godhika was, on one occasion, diligently practising Tranquillity and Insight Development, on a stone slab on the side of Isigili mountain in Magadha. When he had achieved one-pointedness of the mind (jhana) he became very ill; that impaired the effectiveness of his practice. In spite of his sickness, he kept on striving hard; but every time he was making some progress he was overcome by sickness. He was thus inflicted for six times. Finally, he made up his mind to overcome all obstacles and attain arahatship even if he were to die. So, without relaxing he continued to practise diligently; in the end he decided to give up his life by cutting his throat; at the point of death he attained arahatship.
When Mara learned that Thera Godhika had died, he tried to find out where the thera was reborn but failed to find him. So, assuming the likeness of a young man, Mara approached the Buddha and enquired where Thera Godhika was. The Buddha replied to him, "It will be of no benefit to you to learn of the destination of Thera Godhika; for having been freed of moral defilements he became an arahat. One like you, Mara, for all your power will not be able to find out where such arahats go after death."
Then the Buddha spoke in verse as follows:
Verse 57: Mara cannot find the path taken by those who are endowed with virtue, who live mindfully and have been freed from moral defilements by Right Knowledge.
Dhammapada, beloved and favorite teachings of the Buddha channel:
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====================
Godhikattheraparinibbana Vatthu
Tesam sampannasilanam
appamadaviharinam
sammadanna vimuttanam
Maro maggam na vindati.
Verse 57: Mara cannot find the path taken by those who are endowed with virtue, who live mindfully and have been freed from moral defilements by Right Knowledge.1
1. Arahats having eradicated moral defilements are no longer subject to rebirths; so Mara, for all his power, cannot find out where such arahats go after death. (The Commentary)
The Story of Thera Godhika
While residing at the Veluvana monastery, the Buddha uttered Verse (57) of this book, with reference to Thera Godhika.
Thera Godhika was, on one occasion, diligently practising Tranquillity and Insight Development, on a stone slab on the side of Isigili mountain in Magadha. When he had achieved one-pointedness of the mind (jhana) he became very ill; that impaired the effectiveness of his practice. In spite of his sickness, he kept on striving hard; but every time he was making some progress he was overcome by sickness. He was thus inflicted for six times. Finally, he made up his mind to overcome all obstacles and attain arahatship even if he were to die. So, without relaxing he continued to practise diligently; in the end he decided to give up his life by cutting his throat; at the point of death he attained arahatship.
When Mara learned that Thera Godhika had died, he tried to find out where the thera was reborn but failed to find him. So, assuming the likeness of a young man, Mara approached the Buddha and enquired where Thera Godhika was. The Buddha replied to him, "It will be of no benefit to you to learn of the destination of Thera Godhika; for having been freed of moral defilements he became an arahat. One like you, Mara, for all your power will not be able to find out where such arahats go after death."
Then the Buddha spoke in verse as follows:
Verse 57: Mara cannot find the path taken by those who are endowed with virtue, who live mindfully and have been freed from moral defilements by Right Knowledge.
Dhammapada, beloved and favorite teachings of the Buddha channel:
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Daily teachings of the Dhammapada, beloved and favorite teachings of the Buddha
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Dhammapada Verses 58 and 59
Garahadinna Vatthu
Yatha sankaradhanasmim
ujjhitasmim mahapathe
padumam tattha jayetha
sucigandham manoramam.
Evam sankarabhutesu1
andhabhute puthujjane2
atirocati pannaya
sammasambuddhasavako.
Verses 58 - 59: As a sweet-smelling and beautiful lotus flower may grow upon a heap of rubbish thrown on the highway, so also, out of the rubbish heap of beings may appear a disciple of the Buddha, who with his wisdom shines forth far above the blind (ignorant) worldlings.
1. sankarabhutesu: rubbish heap of beings.
2. andhabhute puthujjane: blind worldlings. The worldlings are like the blind because they are lacking in knowledge.
The Story of Garahadinna
While residing at the Jetavana monastery, the Buddha uttered Verses (58) and (59) of this book, with reference to a rich man named Garahadinna and the miracle of the lotus flowers.
There were two friends named Sirigutta and Garahadinna in Savatthi. Sirigutta was a follower of the Buddha and Garahadinna was a follower of the Niganthas, the ascetics who were hostile to the Buddhists. At the instance of the Niganthas, Garahadinna often said to Sirigutta, "What benefit do you get by following the Buddha? Come, be a follower of my teachers." Having been told thus many times, Sirigutta said to Garahadinna, "Tell me, what do your teachers know?" To this, Garahadinna replied that his teachers knew everything; with their great power they knew the past, the present and the future and also the thoughts of others. So, Sirigutta invited the Niganthas to his house for alms-food.
Sirigutta wanted to find out the truth about the Niganthas, whether they really possessed the power of knowing other people's thoughts, etc. So he made a long, deep trench and filled it up with excreta and filth. Seats were then placed precariously over the trench; and big empty pots were brought in and covered up with cloth and banana leaves to make them appear as if they were full of rice and curries. When the Niganthas arrived, they were requested to enter one by one, to stand near their respective seats, and to sit down simultaneously. As all of them sat down, the flimsy strings broke and the Niganthas fell into the filthy trench. Then Sirigutta taunted them, "Why don't you know the past, the present and the future? Why don't you know the thoughts of others?" All the Niganthas then fled in terror.
Garahadinna naturally was furious with Sirigutta and refused to talk to him for two weeks. Then, he decided that he would have his revenge on Sirigutta. He pretended that he was no longer angry, and one day asked Sirigutta to invite, on his behalf, the Buddha and his five hundred disciples to partake of alms-food. So Sirigutta went to the Buddha and invited him to the house of Garahadinna. At the same time, he told the Buddha about what he had done to the Niganthas, the teachers of Garahadinna. He also expressed his fear that this invitation might be a reprisal and so the invitation should be accepted only after due consideration.
The Buddha, with his supernormal power, knew that this would be the occasion for the two friends to attain Sotapatti Fruition, and therefore accepted the invitation. Garahadinna made a trench, filled it with live coals and covered it with mats. He also kept some empty pots covered with cloth and banana leaves to make them appear as if filled with rice and curries. The next day, the Buddha came followed by five hundred bhikkhus in single file. When the Buddha stepped on the mat over the trench, the mat and live coals miraculously disappeared, and five hundred lotus flowers, each as large as a cart wheel, sprang up for the Buddha and his disciples to sit upon.
Seeing this miracle, Garahadinna was very much alarmed and he said rather incoherently to Sirigutta, "Help me, dear friend. Out of my desire for revenge, I have truly done a great wrong. My bad designs have had no effect at all on your Teacher. The pots in my kitchen are all empty.
Garahadinna Vatthu
Yatha sankaradhanasmim
ujjhitasmim mahapathe
padumam tattha jayetha
sucigandham manoramam.
Evam sankarabhutesu1
andhabhute puthujjane2
atirocati pannaya
sammasambuddhasavako.
Verses 58 - 59: As a sweet-smelling and beautiful lotus flower may grow upon a heap of rubbish thrown on the highway, so also, out of the rubbish heap of beings may appear a disciple of the Buddha, who with his wisdom shines forth far above the blind (ignorant) worldlings.
1. sankarabhutesu: rubbish heap of beings.
2. andhabhute puthujjane: blind worldlings. The worldlings are like the blind because they are lacking in knowledge.
The Story of Garahadinna
While residing at the Jetavana monastery, the Buddha uttered Verses (58) and (59) of this book, with reference to a rich man named Garahadinna and the miracle of the lotus flowers.
There were two friends named Sirigutta and Garahadinna in Savatthi. Sirigutta was a follower of the Buddha and Garahadinna was a follower of the Niganthas, the ascetics who were hostile to the Buddhists. At the instance of the Niganthas, Garahadinna often said to Sirigutta, "What benefit do you get by following the Buddha? Come, be a follower of my teachers." Having been told thus many times, Sirigutta said to Garahadinna, "Tell me, what do your teachers know?" To this, Garahadinna replied that his teachers knew everything; with their great power they knew the past, the present and the future and also the thoughts of others. So, Sirigutta invited the Niganthas to his house for alms-food.
Sirigutta wanted to find out the truth about the Niganthas, whether they really possessed the power of knowing other people's thoughts, etc. So he made a long, deep trench and filled it up with excreta and filth. Seats were then placed precariously over the trench; and big empty pots were brought in and covered up with cloth and banana leaves to make them appear as if they were full of rice and curries. When the Niganthas arrived, they were requested to enter one by one, to stand near their respective seats, and to sit down simultaneously. As all of them sat down, the flimsy strings broke and the Niganthas fell into the filthy trench. Then Sirigutta taunted them, "Why don't you know the past, the present and the future? Why don't you know the thoughts of others?" All the Niganthas then fled in terror.
Garahadinna naturally was furious with Sirigutta and refused to talk to him for two weeks. Then, he decided that he would have his revenge on Sirigutta. He pretended that he was no longer angry, and one day asked Sirigutta to invite, on his behalf, the Buddha and his five hundred disciples to partake of alms-food. So Sirigutta went to the Buddha and invited him to the house of Garahadinna. At the same time, he told the Buddha about what he had done to the Niganthas, the teachers of Garahadinna. He also expressed his fear that this invitation might be a reprisal and so the invitation should be accepted only after due consideration.
The Buddha, with his supernormal power, knew that this would be the occasion for the two friends to attain Sotapatti Fruition, and therefore accepted the invitation. Garahadinna made a trench, filled it with live coals and covered it with mats. He also kept some empty pots covered with cloth and banana leaves to make them appear as if filled with rice and curries. The next day, the Buddha came followed by five hundred bhikkhus in single file. When the Buddha stepped on the mat over the trench, the mat and live coals miraculously disappeared, and five hundred lotus flowers, each as large as a cart wheel, sprang up for the Buddha and his disciples to sit upon.
Seeing this miracle, Garahadinna was very much alarmed and he said rather incoherently to Sirigutta, "Help me, dear friend. Out of my desire for revenge, I have truly done a great wrong. My bad designs have had no effect at all on your Teacher. The pots in my kitchen are all empty.
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Please help me." Sirigutta then told Garahadinna to go and look at the pots. When Garahadinna found all the pots filled with food he was astounded and at the same time very much relieved and very happy. So the food was offered to the Buddha and his disciples. After the meal, the Buddha expressed his appreciation (anumodana) of the meritorious act and then said, "Ignorant worldlings, lacking in knowledge, do not know the unique qualities of the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Samgha and so they are like the blind; but the wise, having knowledge, are like people with sight."
Then the Buddha spoke in verse as follows:
Verses 58 - 59: As a sweet-smelling and beautiful lotus flower may grow upon a heap of rubbish thrown on the highway, so also, out of the rubbish heap of beings may appear a disciple of the Buddha, who with his wisdom shines forth far above the blind (ignorant) worldlings.
At the end of the discourse, both Garahadinna and Sirigutta attained Sotapatti Fruition.
End of Chapter Four: Flowers (Pupphavagga)
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====================
Then the Buddha spoke in verse as follows:
Verses 58 - 59: As a sweet-smelling and beautiful lotus flower may grow upon a heap of rubbish thrown on the highway, so also, out of the rubbish heap of beings may appear a disciple of the Buddha, who with his wisdom shines forth far above the blind (ignorant) worldlings.
At the end of the discourse, both Garahadinna and Sirigutta attained Sotapatti Fruition.
End of Chapter Four: Flowers (Pupphavagga)
Buddha dharma teachings channel:
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====================
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Free Buddha Dharma ebook
On The Nature Of Nibbana
By Mahasi Sayadaw Gyi
The discourse on Nibbaña Patisamyutta Katha was delivered by the Venerable Mahasi Sayadawgyi on 8th waxing day of TawThalin 1326 B.E. (14th September 1984) at the Fan-Yin Dhamma Hall of the Mahasi Meditation Centre. The first Myanmar Edition was published in January 1975 followed by Second and Third editions in 2006 and August 2014 respectively.
In order for the foreign yogis and meditators to study, the Buddha Sasana Nuggaha Organization had entrusted this discourse in Myanmar to Sayagyi U Htin Fatt (Pen Name- Maung Htin) (1909-2006) to translate into English. The first English translated work was published in 1981 under the noscript “The Nature of Nibbana” and the Second Impression was published in May 1995 after 14 years.
Free download here:
http://www.mediafire.com/file/eakwfpn61g4j2b2/
=============
On The Nature Of Nibbana
By Mahasi Sayadaw Gyi
The discourse on Nibbaña Patisamyutta Katha was delivered by the Venerable Mahasi Sayadawgyi on 8th waxing day of TawThalin 1326 B.E. (14th September 1984) at the Fan-Yin Dhamma Hall of the Mahasi Meditation Centre. The first Myanmar Edition was published in January 1975 followed by Second and Third editions in 2006 and August 2014 respectively.
In order for the foreign yogis and meditators to study, the Buddha Sasana Nuggaha Organization had entrusted this discourse in Myanmar to Sayagyi U Htin Fatt (Pen Name- Maung Htin) (1909-2006) to translate into English. The first English translated work was published in 1981 under the noscript “The Nature of Nibbana” and the Second Impression was published in May 1995 after 14 years.
Free download here:
http://www.mediafire.com/file/eakwfpn61g4j2b2/
=============
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Waking Up in Dark Times
by Ajahn Sucitto
In order to shed light on the realities of climate change, says Ajahn Sucitto, first we should get more comfortable with the darkness.
A young person holding a lantern. The photo is very dark except for the photo and the face of the person.
I’ve been reflecting on the environmental crisis, and as I do, I find myself in the darkness, as I imagine we all are to some degree. And that says something, something we shouldn’t brush aside or try to make go away. This is a place for sharing truth—and the truth right now is darkness. I sometimes reflect on how I’ve been practicing meditation, morality, restraint, generosity, sharing, and simplicity for more than forty years with as much integrity as possible. I shouldn’t have to feel this bad, this hopeless, this helpless, this guilty. Yet when I look at this crisis, I’m in the dark.
Recently I’ve been on retreat in the woods at Citta-viveka Monastery. Back in the 1970s, we were very fortunate to have been gifted about 150 acres of woodland to look after. Much of it had been commercially planted with nonnative trees, and it had become void of wildlife. Consequently, we’ve been attending to it, trying to rewild it, and taking out invasive species. It took at least twenty-five years, but the woodland is making a comeback. The trees are growing, the birds have returned, and there are otters in the water. That makes me feel good—that’s something I was part of. The feeling is more than an idea; it arises because I can smell the fresh air and hear the life around me. I realize, That’s where I belong. I’m on this Earth. There’s love and respect for the natural world, as well as an attitude of restraint toward it. These mental qualities happen naturally through knowing where we are. We’re all in, and form a part of, a living system—it’s not just decorations, or a theme park, or a screen saver. It’s the real thing: it breathes, it’s messy. Something in me lights up at that.
The more fundamental extinction we’re facing is the extinction of truth. All the other forms of extinction come under that.
The other morning, as I was leaving my little hut at 5:00 a.m. to get to the meditation hall on time, it was dark, so I had to switch on a headlamp to find my way through the woods. The headlamp has various settings on it, so I thought that I’d turn the setting down, just keep it at “dim.” “Bright” is too harsh, too invasive. You don’t need to see that much apart from the little piece of land where your feet are walking. That’s all the light you need. After a while, I thought, Why not switch it off altogether? There are animals out there that live without headlamps. So I turned it off. It was very dark at first, but after standing there for a while, and getting used to it, the darkness softened into dimness. I heard and smelled the world around me; my skin started to prickle. And my feet began to find their way as I fumbled along. I came alive in the darkness.
As I was coming through the woods, I could sense I was approaching the lake. I heard the quacking of the ducks. Concerned I might walk into the lake, I switched my headlamp on. Quack-quack-QUACK-QUACK! The sound rose in intensity: the ducks—and all the other creatures—knew, Here comes “human.” The one who switches on the shining, hard light strapped to his head. The one who sticks his head out of Nature, looks at it, decides what he wants to do with it, manipulates it, and destroys what isn’t convenient for him. So everything runs away from us—as it should. Like this, we’re an enemy to the planet.
Individually, we probably don’t think of ourselves in that way. We regard ourselves as “animal lovers” and so on. But this view ignores the causes and conditions that have made us such a threat to the survival of the planet and its various life forms. The light of our civilization is so brilliant, so clear, that we assume we know how things are. The light enables us to move much faster, but we can’t fully see where we are, since the brightness blinds us to what’s outside our main beam.
by Ajahn Sucitto
In order to shed light on the realities of climate change, says Ajahn Sucitto, first we should get more comfortable with the darkness.
A young person holding a lantern. The photo is very dark except for the photo and the face of the person.
I’ve been reflecting on the environmental crisis, and as I do, I find myself in the darkness, as I imagine we all are to some degree. And that says something, something we shouldn’t brush aside or try to make go away. This is a place for sharing truth—and the truth right now is darkness. I sometimes reflect on how I’ve been practicing meditation, morality, restraint, generosity, sharing, and simplicity for more than forty years with as much integrity as possible. I shouldn’t have to feel this bad, this hopeless, this helpless, this guilty. Yet when I look at this crisis, I’m in the dark.
Recently I’ve been on retreat in the woods at Citta-viveka Monastery. Back in the 1970s, we were very fortunate to have been gifted about 150 acres of woodland to look after. Much of it had been commercially planted with nonnative trees, and it had become void of wildlife. Consequently, we’ve been attending to it, trying to rewild it, and taking out invasive species. It took at least twenty-five years, but the woodland is making a comeback. The trees are growing, the birds have returned, and there are otters in the water. That makes me feel good—that’s something I was part of. The feeling is more than an idea; it arises because I can smell the fresh air and hear the life around me. I realize, That’s where I belong. I’m on this Earth. There’s love and respect for the natural world, as well as an attitude of restraint toward it. These mental qualities happen naturally through knowing where we are. We’re all in, and form a part of, a living system—it’s not just decorations, or a theme park, or a screen saver. It’s the real thing: it breathes, it’s messy. Something in me lights up at that.
The more fundamental extinction we’re facing is the extinction of truth. All the other forms of extinction come under that.
The other morning, as I was leaving my little hut at 5:00 a.m. to get to the meditation hall on time, it was dark, so I had to switch on a headlamp to find my way through the woods. The headlamp has various settings on it, so I thought that I’d turn the setting down, just keep it at “dim.” “Bright” is too harsh, too invasive. You don’t need to see that much apart from the little piece of land where your feet are walking. That’s all the light you need. After a while, I thought, Why not switch it off altogether? There are animals out there that live without headlamps. So I turned it off. It was very dark at first, but after standing there for a while, and getting used to it, the darkness softened into dimness. I heard and smelled the world around me; my skin started to prickle. And my feet began to find their way as I fumbled along. I came alive in the darkness.
As I was coming through the woods, I could sense I was approaching the lake. I heard the quacking of the ducks. Concerned I might walk into the lake, I switched my headlamp on. Quack-quack-QUACK-QUACK! The sound rose in intensity: the ducks—and all the other creatures—knew, Here comes “human.” The one who switches on the shining, hard light strapped to his head. The one who sticks his head out of Nature, looks at it, decides what he wants to do with it, manipulates it, and destroys what isn’t convenient for him. So everything runs away from us—as it should. Like this, we’re an enemy to the planet.
Individually, we probably don’t think of ourselves in that way. We regard ourselves as “animal lovers” and so on. But this view ignores the causes and conditions that have made us such a threat to the survival of the planet and its various life forms. The light of our civilization is so brilliant, so clear, that we assume we know how things are. The light enables us to move much faster, but we can’t fully see where we are, since the brightness blinds us to what’s outside our main beam.
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