This talk was given in 2001
I am talking about the chapters of the Dhammapada called Self, World and The Enlightened One. (Attavaggo, Lokavaggo, Buddhavaggo) I'm not going to go through the text systematically and I'm not even going to deal with the chapters in the order in which they appear. I'm going to talk about chapter 13 (World) first and then chapters 12 and 14.
Chapter 13 of the Dhammapada is titled Lokavagga, the World. The main point of the chapter is that we need to be less attached to the things of this world. We need to become less worldly. Being worldly is associated with being thoughtless or stupid. The idea is that we see the world through eyes of ignorance, mistake it for what it is not, and become attached. The translation says: “Look on the world as a bubble, look on it as a mirage; then the King of Death cannot even see you. Come look at his world! Is it not like a painted royal chariot? The wise see through it, but not the foolish.” (verses 170-171) We are being asked to take a fresh look at the world. Verse 168 says, “Get up (rouse yourself), do not be thoughtless”
There is a sort of urgency about these verses. It is reminiscent of the parable of the Burning House in the White Lotus Sutra. In that story the house is on fire but the children are continuing to play their games inside heedless of the danger they are in. The father has to entice them out with promises of other toys. The burning house is the mundane world and we are the heedless children playing our games. The father represents the Buddha and the toys are a whole variety of teachings that attract our interest.
I think perhaps both these images of the world are complementary; the painted royal chariot and the burning house. The painted royal chariot is all the wonderful seductive things of the world that we consume and accumulate. All the clothes we must have, the shoes and jackets etc., all the food we crave, all the gadgets, smart phones, computers, always better and faster and more mobile, all the cosmetics and creams that seduce our vanity, all the people we want to notice us, all the TV programmes and films we must see, all the things we think will make us happy if only we have a little more or better.
The Buddha is saying here; look, wake up, don't be stupid, it is all just so much show, a painted royal carriage . It is not what it seems to be. It's a mirage and you'll only cause yourself suffering by getting attached to it all. It's a burning house; more dangerous than you realise. What you need to do, he says, is stop being so thoughtless, follow the spiritual path, speak the truth and be generous. “Get up! Don't be heedless! Live practising the Dhamma, which is good conduct. One who lives practising the Dhamma (dhammacari) dwells happily (both) in this world and the other (world).” (Verse 168)
“There is no wrong that cannot be committed by a lying person who has transgressed one (good) principle (ie that of truthfulness), and who has given up (all thought of) the other world.” (verse 176)
Truly misers do not get to the world of the gods. (Only) the spiritually immature do not praise giving. The wise man rejoices in giving, and therefore is happy in the hereafter.” (verse 177)
If you do this then, he says, you will be like the moon breaking free form behind the clouds. You will light up the world. “When a foolish man becomes wise, he gives light to the world like the moon breaking free from behind the clouds. When his good deeds overcome his bad, a man gives light to the world like the moon breaking free from behind the clouds.” (verses 172-3) This is a challenging assertion of the intelligence of following the spiritual path and the ignorance and stupidity of not doing so. And it is also very practical. It speaks of not being thoughtless, of being truthful and being generous. Not being thoughtless means reflecting on life, reflecting on the nature of the world, and trying to discern what is of value, what is the best way to live. To be thoughtless is to accept the myth of secular materialism, the fallacy that consumption equals happiness, which is the prevailing wrong view in our world.
In verse 167, the Buddha says do not follow false doctrine. The Pali word translated as false doctrine is micchaditthi. Ditthi is a view or vision, a way of seeing and miccha is wrong or false. He is saying do not follow or live by a false view and wrong way of seeing things. The scriptures of this false doctrine are everywhere around us, on the magazine shelves, on TV, on the internet, at the cinema. There is a constant propaganda that is impossible to avoid and we have to be very thoughtful indeed, very mindful and aware, not to be taken in by it all and believe it and live by it. There is a very strong group pressure from the world around us to conform to this particular vision too. So the Buddha says, do not be thoughtless; wake up, think, reflect, be aware. And the urgency of his advice is very applicable to our current situation.
He also exhorts us to speak the truth. “He who speaks falsely – there is no evil he will not do” It's not enough to be thoughtful, to think the truth, we must also speak the truth. Our relations with each other need to be truthful. The truth is that we want to improve and that often we fail to live up to our ideals. Sometimes we are tempted to hide the truth about ourselves. Either we pretend that we don't care, we don't really want to change at all, take me or leave me, or we pretend that there is nothing to be changed, we are pretty much perfect as we are. Or we are tempted to pretend that we don't really believe we can change. We are just not up to it. But the truth is is usually much simpler. The truth for any spiritual aspirant is that there is work to do, we can do it, and when we do we change. Part of the work is recognising that there is work to be done, that we have faults and weaknesses that we need to change. So the Buddha urges us to be truthful.
As well as thought and speech there is action and the Buddha urges generosity. “Truly misers do not get to the world of the gods. (Only) the spiritually immature do not praise giving. The wise man rejoices in giving, and therefore is happy in the hereafter.” The world of the gods is the devaloka and can be taken to mean higher states of consciousness, such as experienced in meditation. He is saying that generosity leads to happiness and higher states of consciousness. Generosity is the opposite of the acquisitiveness, accumulating and consuming that is the practice of thoughtlessness.
In this chapter the Buddha is encouraging us to go forth from worldliness and practice renunciation. That is not an attractive message for most of us. But if we say practice generosity which leads to happiness for yourself and others that is much more attractive. The two messages amount to the same thing, but I think for most of us it is more useful and effective to think in terms of generosity rather than renunciation. In time we will see the connection and be less frightened by the prospect of letting go of over-attachment to things and people. In the meantime we can just practice generosity, for its own sake and as an antidote to the prevailing ethos of consumerism. This is what is in our own best interests as well as in the best interests of other people and the planet.
Chapter 12 of the Dhammapada tells us what is in our best interests. This chapter is titled The Self (attavagga). The word self is not used here in any philosophical or metaphysical way, but in the ordinary sense that we use it in our speech when we say myself, yourself and so on. The basic message of the chapter is that you are responsible for your own life and for your own spiritual practice. Nobody else can practice for you and you cannot do it for them either. “By oneself evil is done; by oneself one is injured. Do not do evil, and suffering will not come. Everyone has the choice to be pure or impure. No one can purify another.” (verse 165)
A second point is that you should work on yourself first before trying to teach or advise others. And especially you should not make doing good deeds an excuse for not changing your own bad habits. “First establish yourself in what is suitable, then advise others. The spiritually mature person should not besmirch himself (by acting otherwise).” (verse 158)
“(Consequently) one should not neglect one's own (spiritual) welfare for the welfare of others, great as that may be. Clearly perceiving (what constitutes) one's personal welfare, one should devote oneself to one's own good.” (verse 166)
This (verse 166) does not mean that you should have nothing to do with other people or you should never try to help them. It means that you should be aware of what you need to work on, what you need to change and get on with the task, rather than concerning yourself with the faults and habits of others. They will have to purify themselves. As verse 165 says, no-one can purify another. You cannot be ethical on behalf of others and they cannot be ethical on your behalf.
“Easily done are things which are bad and not beneficial to oneself. What is (both) beneficial and good, that is exceedingly difficult to do.” (Verse 163) What is being highlighted here is the need for effort. Each individual has to make an effort to change, to grow, to practice the precepts, to be mindful. It takes an effort of will to move beyond greed, ill-will, and spiritual ignorance. It takes an effort of will to change habits, whether habitual ways of seeing ourselves and the world, or habitual unskilful activities or habitual unskilful speech. It takes an effort of will to lead a spiritual life, because it is more natural for us to follow the appetites and tendencies of our lower nature. But it is in our best interests to make that effort.
We all want to be happy, we are dear to ourselves, we don't want to suffer. This is as it should be, but often we just don't realise what will really make us happy. We are not aware enough. As we become more aware, we begin to realise that our happiness depends on qualities and activities such as generosity, love, patience and so on. The means of happiness and well-being are in our own hands and we have to act. We need to be loving and kind to others, we need to be generous, we need to be patient and so on and by developing these qualities and acting in this way,we do what is for our own well-being, we promote our best interests. And because of the nature of reality, because we are all interconnected, our own best interests spiritually are also everybody else's best interests. But the first step is awareness.
Verse 157 says, “If you hold yourself dear, guard yourself diligently.” This means be mindful. Notice what you are thinking, feeling, saying and doing. Notice. This indicates the necessity of meditation, and the necessity of taking the awareness gained in meditation into our everyday lives. Through meditation we gain self-knowledge and this gives us the raw material for our spiritual practice. We can then take responsibility for ourselves and take the Buddha's advice to heart. “(Consequently) one should not neglect one's own (spiritual) welfare for the welfare of others, great as that may be. Clearly perceiving (what constitutes) one's personal welfare, one should devote oneself to one's own good.” (Verse 166) If we devote ourselves to spiritual practice,if we make the effort of will required, then we can be assured of success. Eventually our progress will become so well established that it is irreversible and then we are well and truly on the Path to Buddhahood.
Chapter 14 of the Dhammapada is titled The Awakened One or The Buddha. This chapter covers a huge area, from the most basic practices to the highest attainment. There is a verse here that some of you will be familiar with. It is one of the “verses that protect the Truth”. It is also the verse that Bodhidharma is reputed to have quoted to explain Buddhism to the emperor of China. The emperor heard that this great spiritual teacher had arrived from India or the West as they would have seen it, so he sent for Bodhidharma, expecting no doubt to have a very interesting philosophical discussion. He asked Bodhidharma what the teaching of the Dharma was and Bodhidharma replied: “Not to do evil, to cultivate the good, to purify the mind. This is the teaching of the Buddhas.” (verse 183) To which the emperor said, “That's so simple that even a child could understand it”, and Bodhidharma said, “Yes, so simple that even a child can understand it and so difficult that even an old man of eighty can't put it into practice.”
Bodhidharma is pointing to the central issue in the spiritual life, namely that our intellectual understanding can far outstrip our ability to practice. This can lead to complacency for some people and frustration for others. It can lead to complacency when we think that having grasped an idea is sufficient. We can think that because we now know the three marks of mundane existence or the five hindrances or whatever, we don't need to do anything else. This sort of intellectual brightness, which can be very sophisticated, is in fact t very intelligent. That way lies a spiritual cul-de-sac.
For others the inability to put into practice what they have understood leads to frustration. They perhaps think, with Socrates, that to know the good is to do the good. This is manifestly not the case. We are not entirely rational beings, nor are we fully conscious. We need to temper our frustration with sympathy for ourselves in our dilemma and patience with ourselves as we gradually make the effort to change. The next verse of the Dhammapada emphasises this. It says: “Patient endurance is the highest asceticism.”
There is always some sort of struggle in the spiritual life, some effort to make, whether we are struggling with our own recalcitrant nature, struggling with ideas and concepts, struggling with ritual and devotion, or struggling with the failure of other people to meet our expectations. For a long time there will be some conflict or struggle, some effort to make and therefore we need patience, bucketfuls of patience. Patience is another word for loving kindness (metta) when we meet obstacles on the Path. Metta towards ourselves and others in the face of hindrances and frustration is patience.
Then the spiritual life is looked at from another angle. “Many people, out of fear, flee for refuge to (sacred) hills, woods, groves, trees and shrines. In reality this is not a safe refuge. In reality this is not the best refuge. Fleeing to such a refuge one is not released from all suffering.” (Verses 188 and 189) Here we are introduced to the image of refuge, the metaphor of going for refuge. It goes on to say: “He who goes for refuge to the Enlightened One, to the Truth, and to the Spiritual Community, and who sees with perfect wisdom the Four Ariyan truths - namely, suffering, the origin of suffering, the passing beyond suffering, and the Ariyan Eightfold Way leading to the pacification of suffering - (for him) this is a safe refuge, (for him) this is the best refuge. Having gone to such a refuge, one is released form all suffering.” (verses 190-2) A true safe refuge is something we can rely on, something dependable, something that won't let us down. A false refuge is something that we can't depend upon, that will let us down.
To go for refuge to something means it gives meaning to our lives, we live for it, we organise our lives around it, we give our energy and attention to it. To go for refuge to the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha means to put the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha at the centre of our lives, to organise our lives around them and to give our time and attention and energy to embodying them in our lives. But as the text says, many people, out of fear, flee for refuge elsewhere. For us it may not be sacred hills, woods, groves,, trees and shrines, which are relatively positive and harmless. We may put something else at the centre of our lives. We may give meaning to our lives in other ways; career, family, lover, money, children, possessions etc. but all these things will pass, none can be completely depended upon.
According to the Dhammapada the only safe refuge, the only safe refuge, the only thing that can be completely depended upon, the only thing that can really give full meaning to your life is Enlightenment, Nirvana, the state of Buddhahood. And to put this at the centre of your life means going for refuge to the Buddha, as the Ideal for humanity, the Dharma as the Truth about existence, and as the Path leading to Buddhahood, and the Sangha or spiritual community of all those who have successfully trodden the path. One thing that is very noticeable about the Dhammapada is that it doesn't put in any qualifications, no “ifs” or “buts”. It just says this is the truth, this is the way things really are and you are left to make of it what you will.
It does give a little clue though as to why it's not so straightforward for many people. It says: “Many people, out of fear, flee for refuge to (sacred) hills, woods, groves, trees and shrines.” Fear is highlighted as the reason why people rush to false refuges. Fear takes many forms, insecurity about money and old age, anxiety, lack of confidence, worry. Whatever form it takes fear can be a powerful motivating factor in our lives, leading us to try to escape facing up to the existential situation.
The first step in dealing with fear is to recognise it, to name it even. When you know that fear is motivating your actions or holding you back from acting then that awareness can be a powerful ally in regaining perspective. Anger, jealousy, greed, all based in fear and insecurity. The perspective we need to gain is that our fear is subjective, it is not an objective view of reality. It is a fog that has descended on us. So when we see our fears as fears, and see how they are affecting our lives, we can begin to gain some objectivity. For that we may need the help of other people, as well as or own reflection. With more awareness and more objectivity we are then in a good position to start taking risks, we can risk failure, risk getting things wrong, risk disapproval or even risk getting things right. Every time we take a little risk, we overcome fear and transcend a previous self-view. Taking risks is a way to self-transcendence and greater confidence. What risks you need to take depends on what you are fearful of. Some people fear speaking in a group, some people fear being silent in a group. Some people fear socialising, some people fear being alone. Some people fear hard work, some people fear idleness...and so on and so on. You need t notice honestly what it is that you fear and then start taking little risks to overcome it.
But of course the big fears are existential fears. Perhaps the greatest fear is the fear of death. According to Bhante Sangharakshita, all fear is at bottom a fear of death. It is in the face of death that we feel the urgency to find meaning to our lives. And that is where Going for Refuge comes in. When we see and understand that Enlightenment, the perfection of Wisdom and Compassion, the evolution of our humanity into Buddhahood, when we see that this is what life is about, then we go for refuge to the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. And according to the Dhammapada “(for him) this is a safe refuge, (for him) this is the best refuge. Having gone to such a refuge, one is released form all suffering.” (verse 192)
Going for refuge to the Buddha means taking the Buddha as the embodiment of the highest spiritual Ideal. It doesn't mean admiring the Buddha, or thinking he was a good person like lots of other people down the centuries. The Buddha is a refuge for someone when they have complete faith in him as the embodiment of the highest ideal for humanity and are striving to emulate him. Going for refuge to the Dharma has two elements to it. We go for refuge intellectually by studying and trying to understand the Dharma as a teaching and we go for refuge to the Dharma spiritually by having personal insight into or realisation of the Truth. Going for refuge to the Sangha means looking to those who are more spiritually experienced for guidance and inspiration and it also means harmonious and open communication with our peers. Bhante Sangharakshita describes this communication as “a vital mutual responsiveness, on the basis of a common spiritual ideal” and he also says that this is essentially what makes a Sangha. A Sangha is a group of people who engage in “a common exploration of the spiritual world in compete harmony and honesty”.
Going for refuge to the Three Jewels of Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha involves faith and devotion, study and realisation, and receptivity and communication. If we wholeheartedly go for refuge to the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha and make the necessary effort of will to cease to do evil, learn to do good and purify the heart then eventually we will gain Insight into the nature of Reality. We will be victorious over greed, hatred and ignorance. Our minds will be free to be continuously creative, continuously self-transcending, like the skylark in Shelley's poem singing as he soars and soaring as he sings.
The Dhammapada speaks of the Enlightened one whose victory is irreversible and whose sphere is endless. There are no more limitations, no more fears and anxieties. It also speaks of the Enlightened one who is free from ensnaring, entangling, craving. Wanting and not wanting things, having preferences, likes and dislikes, all of this ensnares and entangles us in a realm of suffering. Our hearts and minds are restless in pursuit of ease and comfort and the restless pursuit gives us no rest, no ease or comfort. The Enlightened one is free of this restless craving that ensnares and entangles. They, according to the Dhammapada, are intent on higher states of consciousness.
“Happy is the appearance of the Enlightened Ones. Happy is the Teaching of the Real Truth (saddhamma). Happy is the unity of the Spiritual Community. Happy is the spiritual effort of the united.” (verse 194) May you all be happy
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