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A talk
given by Ajahn Pasanno, co-abbot of Abhayagiri Monastery,
during a visit to Cittaviveka, October 2001
I came to England to attend the meetings of the Elders of the
community that were held at Amaravati. One of the striking
impressions from them was of the first meeting when we were
together in the Temple. It was a meeting for the Theras and
Theris -- those of us, monks and nuns, who have been in the
robes for over ten years. There were thirty-seven of us; it
was quite powerful to have that amount of experience in one
place. Just sharing a space with people who have that kind of
commitment to the Holy Life was a real treat, to recognise the
strength of the commitment and practice that is in the
community.
The other day I was asked what we had decided in those
meetings. But that wasn't the point of them. I don't think
anybody was trying to decide anything, to come out with great
new edicts. But the fact that we were able to come together in
harmony, talk with each other in harmony and then to disperse
in harmony, that was enough, that was extraordinary in itself.
Just having people coming from different ends of the globe
with different kinds of practice and different ideas of what
the training is, and just to delight in each other's company
and not to get into arguments was enough. So the time spent at
Amaravati was extremely fruitful. I think it's good for
everybody to know, to realise that the Sangha does come
together from time to time, that there is an underlying
harmony and commitment which is really worthy of delighting
in.
Whether we're looking at the external form of the Sangha, the
people who are practising, or whether we are looking at
ourselves, so often we're measuring, comparing, trying to come
up with something, trying to pin down a detail of what we're
accomplishing, of what we're gaining. Oftentimes we overlook
the fundamentals of our own personal practice or what the
fundamentals for a community to practise and dwell in are.
Certainly what Ajahn Chah would emphasise over and over again,
and this is corroborated in the suttas, is the foundation of
sila (virtue) and samma ditthi (Right Understanding). If the
practice of either a group or an individual is going to
flourish and grow, they need to rely on those fundamentals.
When we think of sila (virtue), oftentimes we think of taking
the precepts. That's one aspect of virtue, having precepts,
having rules of conduct which we adhere to, but it's not
really the whole picture of what virtue is. It's good to have
parameters that you take as standards for conduct, but it's
essential to be able to reflect, 'Well, what are those
precepts for?' Whether they're the five precepts for
lay-people living in the world, whether they're the eight
renunciate precepts, whether they're the Siladhara precepts,
whether they're the two hundred and twenty seven precepts of
the Bhikkhus, what are the principles that underlie them?
Certainly the qualities of harmlessness, of honesty, of
restraint, of integrity, of composure, of trustworthiness,
these are what really underlie them. You can expand on them in
terms of precepts and training rules, but those fundamental
wholesome qualities are what the precepts are for. One takes
precepts on in order to learn and understand how our conduct
affects the world around us and how it affects ourselves.
What kind of intention comes up in the mind that impels us
towards particular actions? Because the intention, the
volition within the mind, within the heart is compelling us to
act, to perform in certain ways. As long as we don't
understand that we keep following patterns that are a product
of habit or conditioning and are not really grounded in wisdom
and clarity. Until we can understand intention we'll be
following moods, feelings, habits and conditioning. So
precepts and training help us to reflect on what is going on
internally so that we can learn. That's exactly what the
meaning of the Pali word which we translate as a 'precept' is.
Sikkhapada means a foundation for training or learning; sikkha
means learning or training, and pada is basis or foundation.
This shines light on what a Buddhist precept is for. It's not
for forcing us into a particular mould, pattern, or a
disciplinary code; it's something that's assisting us in
understanding ourselves and what our actions do, where they
come from and what they lead to.
There are other aspects of sila (virtue), which we may not
consider very much. Oftentimes when we think of sila, we think
of precepts and rules, but from the Buddhist perspective,
that's never enough, it has to encompass all of our actions of
body and speech -- how we engage with the world around us. So
another aspect of sila is sense-restraint. When we come into
contact with the world around us -- sights, sounds, smells,
taste, touch -- do we get excited? Do we get agitated? Do we
follow our impulses of liking and disliking? Or do we have a
composure that allows us to reflect upon that sense-contact?
That sense of composure is called indriya-samvara. It's talked
about as having enough composure and restraint so that with
the sense-contact, the sensory-impingement that we're
experiencing we have enough clarity to not follow the patterns
of desire or grief, like or dislike that would normally arise
if we weren't restrained in the senses. The usual story of our
lives is of the constant ups-and-downs of our moods, of liking
and disliking, being happy or being unhappy because of what we
experience around us.
We had a fair amount of meetings at Amaravati, and then
outside the meetings we were connecting with people we hadn't
seen for quite some time. With one of the monks I was talking
about the times living at Wat Pah Pong with Ajahn Chah. He was
telling me about an occasion when he was at Wat Pah Pong in
the morning time before the meal. That could be a highly
charged time, a time when Ajahn Chah said 'you don't admonish
anybody -- wait until they're full and happy.' Anyway, this
monk did not heed Ajahn Chah's advice and got into an argument
before the meal over the distribution of food. The passions
could arise over it because there would be a few monks who
would volunteer to distribute food, they'd go down the line
putting the food into the bowls. And there were those who used
mindfulness and consideration, and those who just slopped it
in. So this monk got into an argument with one of the other
Venerables and was still fuming about it after the meal had
finished and he'd washed his bowl. Then he heard a voice
behind him say, 'Good morning.' He turned around and it was
Ajahn Chah, who never spoke English. He heard this 'Good
Morning' and saw Ajahn Chah smiling at him. So he thought,
'Isn't that wonderful!' He was so touched by that and
uplifted. The whole mood of being angry and upset blew over
completely and he was just feeling joy from Ajahn Chah's
friendly contact.
So he had a pleasant day and then that evening he went over to
Ajahn Chah's dwelling. There were several other monks there
and he asked if he could massage Ajahn Chah's feet. When the
bell for evening chanting went Ajahn Chah told all the other
monks to go to evening chanting and said to this monk, 'You
can stay massaging my feet.' So he was sitting massaging Ajahn
Chah's feet, everything was all warm and friendly when the
evening chanting started. Normally when you're in the
chanting, especially in Thailand where it's usually chanted in
Pali and then translated into Thai, you're sort of bored and
wondering when it's going to end. But he said that night,
listening to it from outside, it was just an ethereal sound
coming from the Dhamma Hall. It was just this wonderful
evening, the moon was coming up, the sound of the chanting,
sitting there with Ajahn Chah; he was having these waves of
joy coming over him, even tears were coming to his eyes he was
so happy. Then, all of a sudden, Ajahn Chah took his foot and
kicked him in the chest! Hard enough to knock him flat on his
back and send him flying. Ajahn Chah rebuked him very
strongly, saying, 'You're really a fool. Somebody says
something you don't like and you get angry. Somebody walks
over to you and says 'Good morning' and you get happy. You
hear things that you like and you feel good. That's not the
way of a practitioner! You're just going to spend your life
going up and down with moods and feelings about the
impingements around you. If you want to practise you're going
to have to learn to have some sense-restraint and some
composure, and not get caught up in things.'
Point taken! A very, very direct admonishment and teaching.
And it's true, when we experience the things that we like we
enjoy them and we want them to stay, and when we experience
the things that we don't like we try to push them away. We get
caught into the movement in the mind and heart of going back
and forth, pushing 'this' away and trying to get 'that'
experience. We don't have an internal foundation, an abiding
place of clarity, this fundamental mindfulness and wisdom that
comes from sense-restraint and composure with the contact of
the senses. Sense-restraint is a fundamental virtue for
someone who really wants to experience the fruits of this
practice. This is important because if we think virtue is just
going to come from keeping rules, getting the system down --
and then we'll be all right -- that's not it, there's a whole
other realm that we need to consider.
Another aspect of virtue that the Buddha talked about is
having Right Livelihood -- whether one is a monastic or a
layperson. To consider how we live in the world, how we
maintain ourselves in the world, looking after our needs in a
way that is not harming or creating more suffering for others
or ourselves. For a monastic, there are the aspects of Right
Livelihood which are about establishing the relationship that
we have to the lay-community; not manipulating, not being
dishonest, not trying to get some kind of gain through
praising, giving something or being deceitful. For the
lay-community, there are elements of Right Livelihood around
what kind of things there's involvement with, particularly
avoiding those kinds of livelihood which are involved with
weapons or substances which would harm others, or ways of
doing things which are fundamentally dishonest. As human
beings we need to have a livelihood of some sort. There has to
be a fundamental honesty and integrity otherwise we undermine
our aspiration for peace.
Another aspect of virtue that the Buddha talked about is how
we relate to the requisites. Again, whether one is a monastic
or a layperson, there are our fundamental requisites of
clothing, of shelter, of food, and medicines for when we're
sick. So, with both the acquiring of those requisites and the
use of those requisites, we reflect on, 'what is my need?'
Rather than, 'what are the standards of the society?' or,
'what are my desires?' Particularly being in a modern society
that is based on consumption, 'what is just enough?' So that
takes real reflection and investigation -- 'what is it that is
just enough?' And not getting caught up into our desires, into
constantly seeking security, comfort and gratification. Not
trying to pump ourselves up in terms of our material
well-being so that we can have a sense of security and a sense
of self that is somehow elevated when one looks at one's
fellow human beings. We have to learn how to function in the
world, and to relate skilfully to the things that we rely on
for living in the world, the basic requisites that we consume
and rely on each day.
Considering our food, 'what is just enough for our
well-being?' How often do we consume something just because
there's nothing else to do? How many times do you just go to
the cupboard or the fridge because there's nothing else to do?
The Buddha said there's certain fundamental qualities which
are developed and need to be developed in terms of the use of
the requisites. Wisdom is the dominant quality that needs to
come to the forefront of consciousness, in terms of what is
enough and what's not enough. When one investigates with
wisdom, you start seeing all that food is supporting is just
the four elements, the basic elements which make up a sentient
being -- fire, earth, water and air. When we say there's fire
element, it doesn't mean there's fire burning somewhere, but
it's that element of heat or cool. Water is the element of
cohesion; the element of earth is the element of solidity.
Anything that we consume is just those elements also. Just
reflecting on the interplay of these elements we see they're
not a personal thing.
So wisdom is the quality that is needed in terms of relating
to the requisites. The dominant virtue that comes with the
relationship to livelihood is the quality of effort or energy,
applying effort or energy in the appropriate ways. The quality
that is dominant in terms of sense-restraint is the quality of
mindfulness, awareness, the ability to be attentive to moods,
to feelings, to contact, to sensation. The dominant quality or
virtue that is cultivated and needs to be relied upon for the
keeping of training precepts is faith. So these different
elements are cultivated through virtue. With sila as a
foundation for practice, we start to expand into something
that carries through into all the different aspects of our
cultivation.
The other element that Ajahn Chah emphasised was Right View (samma
ditthi). Right View can be expounded on in many different ways
but fundamentally it is understanding the nature of kamma, the
fact that all actions have some sort of result. That is a
fundamental basis for Right View; particularly from the
perspective of the mundane, day-to-day level of how we live.
It is being able to consider and reflect on how our actions
bring results.
I was reading a manuscript by somebody I know in California
who was asked to write a book about his life. This person has
a very strong practice, but he came to it through a lot of
pain and suffering, through confusion, drug-addiction and
jail. He talks about what brought him to a spiritual practice;
it was really seeing, 'Oh, yeah. What we do has results'. It
was interesting reading the point where he decided, 'I've
really got to start meditating.' He was in jail for one more
time, having to go through withdrawal one more time and
thinking, 'I can keep repeating this or I can look for a way
out.' Most of us don't go to those extremes, but we still have
to come to that point where we really see, 'I don't have to
follow the patterns that I have set for myself. What I'm
experiencing, whether it's painful or pleasurable, I've had a
hand in that. It didn't just drop down from the sky; it wasn't
foisted on me by some divine intervention, it was very much
about what I chose to do. I chose to incline my mind and
actions in that way'. The more clearly we see that, then the
more able we are to really take responsibility for our
actions.
One of the reflections that the Buddha encouraged us to chant
on a daily basis ends on the refrain 'I am the owner of my
actions, heir to my actions, born of my actions, related to my
actions, all that I do, for good or for ill, of that I will be
the heir'. This is a fundamental truth: this is the basis of
Right View. There are all sorts of ways we try to duck out of
it, duck around it, moan and groan about what we're having to
put up with and how miserable things are, but it comes back to
what we're putting into the universe. Our actions have
results.
There's a very nice story of an American who went to study in
a Zen monastery. He wasn't quite sure what he was doing there,
but he knew he was supposed to be practising, so he tried to
meditate and follow the routine. He was there for many weeks
and when he was ready to leave the Abbot of the monastery
invited him to have an interview. The person was both a bit
nervous and honoured as this was an old, very well known
temple in Japan and the Abbot was highly respected.
Fundamentally the Abbot said, 'You've been practising and
training here, that's very good, but you have to understand
one thing, come with me'. So he took him to the entrance way
to the monastery. There was a very old scroll set up there.
The Abbot said that the calligraphy was a poem that was
written by one of the founding teachers six or seven centuries
before. The essence was this -- There's nothing really to do.
There's nothing really to gain. There's nothing really to
become. There's nothing really to achieve. And although this
is true, still, when it rains the ground gets wet, and when
there's a fire things get hot.
This is what you need to understand. Everything has results.
Although on an ultimate level of Buddhist philosophy, there's
a concept of emptiness and non-attainment, that isn't how you
live. You have to live in a realm of cause and effect. When
you go out in the rain, you've got to have an umbrella. When
it's hot, you've got to protect yourself. In the same way, our
actions have results, and if we act on impulses that are
unskilful, then we'll reap the fruits of that. Also, when we
act on those intentions and feelings which are wholesome, the
fruitful benefits will come from that; well-being, harmony and
peace will come from that. It's with the same kind of surety
that if you spill water on the carpet, it's going to get wet
-- it's just that sure.
So, really being attentive to our actions, recognising that we
can choose between that which is going to bring benefits into
the world around us, creating well-being and happiness for
ourselves and others, or those things that are unskilful and
will create disharmony, create a sense of dis-ease within our
heart or conflict with others. To be really clear because we
have to live with the fruits; that's a fundamental Right View.
These two qualities, virtue and Right View, are what Ajahn
Chah used to emphasise over and over and over again. These are
what we need for laying the foundations for practice. You
might ask, 'Well, why didn't he talk about meditation?' Well,
he did. But if we don't get those foundations of virtue and
Right View, then our meditation is not efficacious.
If you're doing a building (I'm doing a lot of building work
these days!), if you're laying the walls out and you're just a
little bit off when you're at one end, by the time you get to
the other side of the building it can be a foot off. It makes
for a wonky building! It's just so important to get those
foundations, those bases right, precise and clear, then
everything else falls into place. With virtue and Right View
as the foundation, then our meditation falls into place. The
qualities of reflection and investigation, of wisdom, they
fall into place. It's natural. One of the images that the
Buddha used was of when the rain falls on the mountain. It
then gathers in rivulets, it gathers in streams, it gathers
into rivers and it flows out into the sea. It's just natural;
it's ordinary. In the same way the cultivation and the looking
after of our virtue and Right View leads us into the deep body
of wisdom and freedom.
Forest Sangha Newsletter: July 2002, Number 61 |