Weekly Teaching – Q&A On Tibetan Buddhism, 4 Sep 2021

After beginning with the Refuge Prayer, Geshe la reminded us that as we progress with this season’s Dharma talks, we should gradually be able to identify a trend that any Buddhist teaching will always fit into the framework of the Four Noble Truths. He reminded the class that the Noble Truths in relation to suffering, the causes of suffering and the stopping of suffering, require us to identify what is suffering and its causes, so that we can effectively put a stop to creating those causes. It is within that framework that Geshe la, in these Dharma talks, is expounding upon the 10 non virtuous actions, because these are the actions that will lead to the sowing of negative karmic seeds that will have potential to ripen and eventually cause us suffering.

Geshe la then went into the 2nd of the 10 non virtuous actions, that being “taking what is not given”, or put in simpler (albeit perhaps under inclusive) terms, “not stealing”.

THE 2ND NON VIRTUOUS ACTION – TAKING WHAT IS NOT GIVEN

Geshe la started by explaining that this non virtuous action is not confined to the image of a thief wearing stockings over his head breaking into a home at night, or a robber with a weapon in hand, either stealthily or violently taking property belonging to others. Instead, this non virtuous action is far broader than the commonly understood crimes of theft and robbery.

Similar to the first non virtuous action of Killing, Geshe la explained that there must be 4 elements present before the karma of “taking what does not belong to one” is complete. In particular, they are

(i) the existence of an object that one desires to take

(ii) an intention to take that object

(iii) an action in furtherance of that intention and

(iv) finally, a sense of satisfaction following completion of that act.

In respect of the requirement of having an object at one desires, it would be a thing (whether a “right” or a physical thing) that belongs to a person other than oneself.

In terms of intention, there are actually three aspects to this: –

  • The first is motive.
  • The second is the thought or state of mind – there are occasions where one wishes to steal something e.g a.yak, but one ends up stealing something else e.g. a sheep, and in that case the karma of stealing the 1st item is not complete.
  • The third would be the presence of one of the three poisons of ignorance, aversion and/ or attachment which motivate such an act.

On the poison of ignorance, one can conceive of certain civilizations or communities that believe that the act of stealing or possessing another person’s property, is one’s right. That wrong view is said to arise from ignorance.

In terms of attachment (desire), that is easy to understand in that one desires something so much that does not belong to one but belongs to someone else.

In terms of aversion (hatred/ anger), it is easy to conceive of situations where someone, due to enmity, wishes to dispossess his or her enemy of a prized or valuable item.

In terms of the requirement of an action upon the intention, one has to be very careful because it doesn’t necessarily require a physical act. For example, if one harbours a conniving intent and puts in place a cunning plan starting off by “borrowing” another person’s item with a view to subsequently keeping it permanently for one’s own use, that would also amount to action, thereby satisfying that elements of action towards taking what is not given.

Finally, the elements of completion are where one, having taken possession of what is not given, one rejoices is and fuel satisfaction.

Geshe la explained that in modern society, it is very easy to commit this particular non virtuous action. Innocuous omissions such as using a highway without paying toll and/or using public (or one’s employer company’s) funds for personal enjoyment, or failure to pay taxes, will also fall within the category of taking something that is not given. When these acts involve funds or resources belong to not just one individual, but a collection of individuals or one’s country or one’s company, the negative karma is in fact weightier because it affects a larger number of entities from whom the thing is taken.

The above rule is illustrated in the teachings of the Lord Buddha and written in the sutras. For instance, even where a benefactor has stated an intention to make a donation (a monetary offering) and even where funds have actually been placed in the possession of a monastery or temple, those funds cannot be touched unless and until the administrators of the fund have sought confirmation from the benefactor thrice (3 times). And there is a reason behind this.

The practice is to guard against a situation where the benefactor had voiced the intention to make the donation on a whim. So the first request for confirmation is to make sure that the benefactor has not made a rash decision only to regret it later. The second occasion on which one questions the benefactor (usually after the effluxion of time) is to see if that intention to make the donation remains firm, and the third and last time (again after the evolution of yet further time) is to ensure that there has been no change in financial circumstances of the benefactor that would cause difficulty to him/her if the funds were to be applied toward the monasteries charitable purposes.

Interestingly, this rule exists because the administrators of the monastery or temple must strictly guard against the precept of “not taking what is not given”. These rules apply to monastic and the lay community alike. And it is precisely why these checks and balances are in place at monasteries where there is strict adherence to the precepts.

Having understood how easily one may (most times unwittingly) perform this particular non virtuous action, it is important for us to understand the effects if one does not avoid taking what is not given.

THE EFFECTS OF TAKING WHAT IS NOT GIVEN

Similar to the karma of killing, the effects of such non virtuous action will vary depending on the level and extent of negative intent. It can range between one taking a rebirth in the hells, in the realm of the hungry ghosts or in the animal realm, depending on the intensity of the negative intent.

There is also a karmic imprint that may lead to one experiencing poverty in the next life (or later on in this life) in the sense of not having the necessary conditions to accumulate wealth or even enjoy basic necessities (this may take the form of being born in a backward and poor country).

In addition, even if one has sufficient merit to attain a human birth again, one will have a tendency to continue this habit of the non virtuous action of taking what is not given. A possible illustration of this phenomenon in modern society, is where one sees amongst the many accused persons convicted of fraud, corruption or cheating, people who had hitherto occupied high stations in life such as high flying executives, people holding public office etc. They suffer from an unfortunate affliction that comes with a former negative karmic imprint.

Finally, even if one were born in a well to do household and had positive conditions earlier in life leading to success in earlier stages of this life, one may encounter unforeseen events that will rob one of one’s hard work earlier on in life. For instance, a successful businessman may, when it comes time for payment for his goods or services supplied, encounter unforeseen situations such as (post contract) supervening events making it impossible to receive payments, similar to a farmer having a good harvest but a natural calamity striking just before his harvest can be reaped.

One can therefore see the immense benefit in abandoning the taking of what is not given. The results of such positive action will be a natural tendency to act uprightly. We see this in many children who have a natural tendency from a young age, not to covet or want to take toys belonging to other children.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

Geshe la concluded by explaining to the class that whilst some may find the laws of karma frightening and in consequence, shy away from learning more about it, that ought not to be the case. Geshe la emphasised that we are all human and therefore imperfect, and knowledge of the laws of karma will help us to control them (to the extent we are able to control the afflictions from the past life’s imprints). To the extent we are not able to control ourselves, we will also at least be aware of our transgressions and be in a position to confess these downfalls and purify our negative karma, which in and of itself, is extremely important as purification of negative karma can assist us in preventing negative seeds from ripening into terribly horrific trees bringing suffering, bearing in mind the natural tendency for karma (both negative and positive) to gestate and grow. It also helps us to bring benefits to our friends and loved ones.

Geshe la emphasised that the root text of these teachings come from our lineage founder’s work, The Lamrim Chenmo (The Graduated Path to Englightenment), and hopes that by providing the class with a framework, it will assist those having an interest to learn more to understand the more advanced works.

We thank all Dharma friends for attending today’s session, and may all of you and your loved ones, and all sentient beings, be well and happy.

The Maha Tare Team