Yesterday’s lesson was on Covetousness, which is the 1st of the 3 non virtuous actions performed by intent, the other 2 being Ill-Will (harbouring the intention to harm others or to have unpleasant things happen to others) and finally, Wrong Views.
However, before we talk about Covetousness, let’s remind ourselves that the strongest forms of suffering in Samsara are those that are felt within; they come about as a result of our thoughts. These will, in turn, lead to physical ailments such as high blood pressure, hypertension and a whole raft of other illnesses, as these are symptoms that arise when one is under the influence of mental suffering i.e. stress/worry.
As previously mentioned, if we can understand the philosophy behind Buddhist thought and indeed the true nature of the human mind which the Buddha taught, we become better placed to avoid these situations as we will be able to find peace within ourselves. This will avoid a lot of the unnecessary suffering that is generated by our untrained minds.
A. PRELIMINARY TEACHINGS – THE SCIENCE OF THE MIND – THE CORRELATION BETWEEN MENTAL STATES & PHYSICAL AILMENTS
Much research has gone into the amazing effects of having correct and virtuous thoughts, which not only helps us in terms of our spiritual practices, but also in achieving personal well-being on all fronts. The Buddha taught the 4 foundations of mindfulness: –
- Once one understands how and why suffering comes to our bodies (“Mindfulness of the Body”), it eradicates a significant source of our physical suffering.
- Once we have a proper understanding of how our “feelings” arise (“Mindfulness of Feelings”), one can eradicate yet more of our suffering that arises from emotions.
- If we can have a proper understanding of our “consciousness” (“Mindfulness of the Mind”), that eradicates yet another significant chunk of our mental suffering.
*If we can have a proper understanding of the Dharma (“Mindfulness of the Dharmas”), that again eradicates the remaining of our suffering.
Through such a suite of mindfulness, one can actually completely eradicate all of one’s problems.
Let’s take an example of feelings or emotions when they arise, for instance, anger. We should ask ourselves where does the anger or unhappiness come from?
Medical science seek to solve the medical problem by saying it comes about from events that one encounters, which results in stimulation of the brain waves in a certain way which, upon being so triggered, will lead to a whole raft of symptoms. They will prescribe medication that will help to subdue the symptoms. But that succeeds only in treating the symptoms, not the source of the phenomenon that leads to the symptoms. It is akin to applying anaesthetic, which can only ever be a short term solution.
This is why it is important to watch our own minds’ reactions to each and every phenomena. The mind/ consciousness is gradually acknowledged to be different from the brain, and western medical science is interacting increasingly with Buddhism and finding the teachings of the Buddha helpful in the area of pyschiatry and psychology.
As Geshe la understands it, scientists at Harvard have found, through studies, a high correlation between one’s own ability to be at peace and one’s health, and have been looking into the benefits of meditation (instead of medication!), taking a leaf from the book of the Dharma. This, to us Buddhists, is really something worthy of rejoicing, as the teachings of the Lord Buddha can be applied to benefit humanity, regardless of race, language or religious creed. This continues the trend of over the 2,500 years or so, whereby the teachings of the Buddha have helped humanity in many ways.
This development is to be particularly welcome, bearing in mind that many have harboured reservations in the past, given that the narrative is based on the Buddha’s teachings and some may view these as Buddhist evangelism. But the advent of scientists becoming an advocate of these concepts has succeeded in bringing these benefits to many more more in this world. It is after all the aim of Buddhism to relieve all sentient beings from suffering, and it really matters not whether those benefiting from these teachings believe in Buddhism.
Coming back to the 10 non virtuous actions, they all come from the poisons of anger/hatred, attachment and aversion etc. Yet, ironically, we human beings tend to blame such phenomenon of negative emotions, on people or things external to ourselves! Therefore, if negative moods arise, such as anger, it is important to remember that this comes about due to a misappreciation of the truth of a certain situation.
We introduced the concept of emptiness at the last lesson and we see that it is often due to our ignorance that hampers our ability to appreciate the true situation, and that in turn, leads us to react in a way that we think helps (or provides justification for) the situation which may include our harsh words and acts of retaliation against the antagonist(s), but this in fact harms ourselves.
Let’s illustrate this with another example. A grown up son, who is normally respectful and pleasant to his mother, picks up a stick to try to beat his mother. The mother, whilst finding it surprising, will first react by wondering what has got into him. She will think: perhaps he is mentally ill, or perhaps he is drunk. A mother will NOT be one of anger/ aversion, and thinking of hitting him back. That is why Buddha’s teachings turn our focus on all sentient beings as akin to our mothers – after all it is entirely possible that they were our parents (or relatives or friends) in lives past.
In the Chinese language and indeed in Chinese history, there is a saying that goes “an eye for an eye” （以牙还牙）. But this practice is actually tantamount to passing the ability to control ourselves to someone else! Someone else, whose whim can decide whether we are to be angry or not! But if we understand that the person(s) who wish for us to angry, but we do not react in that manner, that person will not be able to achieve his/ her (admittedly non-virtuous/ beneficial) objective.
In Lama Tsongkhapas works, it is emphasised that it is important for one to be able to control one’s anger, as a moments’ anger has great potential to destroy roots of virtue. That is why forbearance in Buddhism is a important armour to prevent us from reacting with anger to one’s attacks. One should learn not to react with aggression to the another, but to take it with equanimity. Apart from forbearance, it is also to try to practise compassion during these times. It is actually due to the antagonists own ignorance, his/ her own poisons and inability to understand the truth of all phenomenon, that makes the antagonist act that way, as a mother would view her child’s activity. There are therefore many benefits to practising Forbearance and Compassion on such occasions.
Geshe la then gave an example of the old days in the monasteries in Tibet where through skilful means, the learned Masters would teach young monks how to identify what is the truth before reacting. In those days, the learned Masters would have many students, and it was not uncommon for the young monks to bicker and have arguments. The Master would call them to him to find out the reason(s) behind the arguments, and would then explain to each and every one what the true situation was, and illustrate to them how, in such a situation of conflict, what wrong(s) they played in the episode. The incident would invariably be concluded with each party acknowledging his own fault in contributing to the debacle, with them apologising to one another. Once the truth is narrated from an objective perspective, each party is able to see that he would have contributed to the incident, and there is no one (single) party who is entirely at fault.
Whilst it is easier to teach children in the manner above, it is admittedly far more difficult for us as adults to be able to understand such a principle, identify such a phenomenon when it arises, and more difficult to apply the above powers of forbearance and compassion. This is due to the years of conditioning that we have gone through as a result of our environment and education etc.
Therefore it can be seen that forbearance is a skill that brings only benefit to all. In a family for instance, if both husband and wife can practise this, instead of being vengeful and angst-ridden, the family will be a peaceful and harmonious place for their children to grow up. We can therefore see that our Buddhist practices can be carried out in our daily lives. Contrary to popular belief, practice is not just about disappearing on a retreat in the mountains.
If we feel anger, we need to identify it as it arises. Once we recognise its arising, the battle is already half won, as we can then fight it with forbearance (if there is an external antagonist) and with compassion. To do so, we need to be clear about what the true facts are, and not react based on an incomplete (or erroneous) perception of the facts. In so doing, our own peace can extend to those around us, beginning with the family, to the society in which we live, and then to the world at large.
The Buddha recognised the different levels of ability of human beings to understand the Dharma. Which is why through his skilful means, he gave 84,000 different teachings to cater to the different levels of ability and different types of people. As Rome was not built in a day, our journey towards bettering ourselves must necessarily take small steps, which we hope to do as we learn together.
B. COVETOUSNESS
The Constituent Elements
Covetousness is very common and easy to transgress in daily life. This refers to a desire to obtain dominion over or possess something that does not belong to one, and acting upon it. This could refer to reputation, wealth etc, which one wishes to take over from another.
The “act” can refer not only to physical acts, but also include words or other conduct to deprive someone of that possession. We often see this happen between spouses, siblings, friends, and father-child relationships.
Like all the other non virtuous acts, there are 4 elements: –
The first, is that there must be an item or thing, that belongs to someone else.
Secondly, there is a desire to possess that thing, which in turn has 3 elements to it: –
- Thought: knowing that there is such a thing that exists which is the target of one’s covetousness.
*Motive: having the end game is to possess
- The poisons at work: Attachment/ Desire, and/or Aversion / Hatred, and/or Ignorance
Thirdly, there is the act in the form as described above, and it is given a wide interpretation.
Fourthly, there is the sense of completion (and no remorse) after the act after the thing/ item has come into one’s own hands.
- The Effects of Covetousness
Again, the serious categories will lead one into the hells, with the intermediate and lighter ones leading one to rebirth in the realm of the hungry ghosts and animals respectively. The serious ones are for instance, where one country goes to war and invades another at the instance of its leader.
It also imbues one with a propensity in one’s next life to covet others’ property in the next life and due to greed, makes it difficult for such a person to feel contented with what he/she has.
In addition, another form of retribution would be that one will, in one’s next life, lose whatever one inherits. For instance, even if one’s parents are wealthy, and one inherits wealth, such wealth will disappear quickly from one’s life – one is unable to successfully keep and/or enjoy one’s inheritance.
Geshe la also raised a caution regarding people looking for donations to help victims of natural disasters. He cautioned that whilst we are doing a good deed, we cannot be perceived to be putting pressure on others to donate funds, even if it is for a good cause by objective reckoning. This is because to do so would bring us into the realm of the non virtuous act of covetousness. This is true as well for any form of donation towards religious institutions – one cannot force others to make donations this way. Of course it is different if the donor is fully aware of what the donations are to be used for, and makes such a contribution voluntarily, then that’s ok.
For these reasons, the Monasteries have strict rules in place for receipt of donations. For example, when they receive donations, they will not utilise these funds in the account unless the donor or benefactor is asked (and obtained approval) for 3 consecutive times over a 6 month period. For instance, the donor may have made the monetary offerings earlier for “face” reasons, or he may have changed his mind since the initial donation, or he may have had a change in circumstances some time later due to his business facing challenges which may require him to use these funds.
The reason for this strict rule is because of what the Buddha laid down – if a donor is not truly willing, or if a donor is going to suffer hardship by reason of his donation, then the Monastery should not accept such a monetary offering. This is all the more important if the donor is a generous benefactor, and the sums involved are significant. These rules are also relevant to ensuring that the Sangha do not transgress the non-virtuous action of Covetousness.
Geshe la illustrated this principle with an account from the days of Nalanda University. Many of the learned masters we know of including Nagarjuna, had once been in charge of the Treasury. This was because they were learned in the laws of Karma, and had to apply their knowledge so as to ensure that no transgressions would be committed in the course of administering their seemingly secular e.g. Finance functions.
C. CONCLUDING REMARKS
Geshe la concluded by saying that the Buddha’s teachings have potential to bring light to everyone’s lives. In small but incremental ways, the teachings of the Buddha, if understood and applied in our day to day lives, will bring happiness to us and to those around us. It is therefore hoped that everyone who learns something from these teachings, can spread them afar to those who have the karmic connections to us, and we pray that all of you and all those karmically linked to all of you, will benefit from these teachings.
May all beings be well and happy.
The Maha Tare Team