Jewel Symbolism

 This talk was given at retreat for young men in Padmaloka Retreat Centre, June 2024

Jewels and me

I was ordained by Bhante Sangharakshita on June 11^th 1988. On June 10^th, the day before my private ordination I had a very vivid vision in my meditation. I saw a small man sitting on a rock in the middle of a lake and he said to me “the important thing about jewels is the light”.

The reason why jewels were in my consciousness at all, was because I had decided to take up the Ratnasambhava meditation practice. Ratnasambhava means “The Jewel Born” – he who is born from a jewel. The jewel that Ratnasambhava is born from is the same as the jewel in the parable if the Jewel in the Garment, from the White Lotus Sutra, which we are looking at this weekend.

Earlier that year, 1988, I was here in Padmaloka on a month-long retreat – in those days we were invited on a month-long retreat here before being invited to a three-month ordination retreat at Guhyaloka. On that month long retreat I kept having spontaneous images in meditation of descending to the bottom of the ocean and entering a cave which was glittering with jewels and there I would encounter Ratnasambhava. That’s why I was taking up the meditation on Ratnasmabhava.

I don’t think I knew at the time that the image of caves under the sea full of jewels is associated with the mythical creatures called Nagas, who feature quite prominently in Mahayana Buddhism, including in the White Lotus Sutra. Nagas are depicted as half human half reptile and can change into being human. They are associated with wisdom – wisdom coming from the depths.

So, jewel symbolism has been an important element in my spiritual quest for a long time. But what is jewel symbolism about? Well of course, jewels are precious, very valuable – so symbolically they come to stand for that which is most valuable, that which is most precious.

It is important to note that a symbol can have more than one meaning, or to put it another way, an object or image can have many different symbolic meanings. It is not a simple case of this means that and only that. So, when we look at the symbolism in a parable there can be more than one meaning. Or when we look at the symbolism of jewels there can be many meanings.

Parable of Jewel in the Garment

In this story of the Drunkard and the jewel, also known as the jewel in the garment, in the White Lotus Sutra, the jewel represents that which is most precious in our consciousness, our inner world, and it can also be seen to represent the Dharma teachings and guidance we have received from the Buddha.

Here is the parable:

“It is, O Lord, as if some man having come to a friend's house got drunk or fell asleep, and that friend bound a priceless gem within his garment, with the thought: Let this gem be his. After a while, O Lord, that man rises from his seat and travels further; he goes to some other country, where he is befallen by incessant difficulties, and has great trouble to find food and clothing. By dint of great exertion, he is hardly able to obtain a bit of food, with which (however) he is contented and satisfied. The old friend of that man, O Lord, who bound within the man's garment that priceless gem, happens to see him again and says: How is it, good friend, that thou hast such difficulty in seeking food and clothing, while I, in order that thou shouldst live in ease, good friend, have bound within thy garment a priceless gem, quite sufficient to fulfil all thy wishes? I have given thee that gem, my good friend, the very gem I have bound within thy garment. It is something foolish, my good friend, to be contented, when thou hast with (so much) difficulty to procure food and clothing. Go, my good friend, betake thyself, with this gem, to some great city, exchange the gem for money, and with that money do all that can be done with money.”

The friend is one way of thinking of the Buddha. He refers to himself as a Kalyana Mitra – a spiritual friend as we say. The drunkard falling asleep is a symbol of unmindfulness, lack of awareness of what is most important.  Buddhism sees our suffering and deluded behaviour as coming from ignorance rather than wickedness. Spiritually speaking we are like children who don’t know any better. There is a difference between sleep and drunkenness though. Sleep is necessary to our animal nature. There are aspects of us which are instinctual and stay unconscious. Drunkenness is an active avoidance of awareness. Not only do we have forces within us that operate automatically in terms of fight and flight, but we add to that deliberately by pursuing delusions in an effort to find happiness. The jewel is the potential that we all have, to Awaken, to attain Enlightenment. It is Shraddha or faith to begin with and later becomes awareness and Insight into the nature of reality and finally an embodied realisation of that reality. The friend symbolises the Buddha who points out our potential to us and gives us the gift of the Dharma.

Psychologically speaking, we could interpret the poverty and the wandering around for the sake of material well-being as symbolising or representing the projection on to external objects and situations the qualities which belong to the poor man all along. The poor man is spiritually impoverished. Seeking outside ourselves for the qualities we already possess is one way of thinking of psychological projection.

This is often what happens in romantic relationships and sometimes in relation to spiritual teachers. We project on to our partner or on to a spiritual guide, qualities that we eventually need to recognise as our own. The jewel hidden in the garment.

We can also see the parable as an entirely internal process. We are the drunkard and simultaneously we are the Buddha and the Jewel. We wander about in search of security and well-being in all sorts of places. We search for happiness in relationships, in careers, in possessions, in power, in opinions and views, in escapism. But all the while another aspect of our consciousness is aware that we are not satisfied, not contented and that there is more to life and more to us than mental restlessness. And the potential for greater awareness is always present. It’s as if we have a lower and a higher mind.

Why is the jewel hidden in the garment? Often our relationship to our own spiritual potential or the depths of our being is a superficial one.  The jewel is something that has to be brought into the light of awareness and then can be seen for its true value. In the work of the German romantic writer, Novalis, there are lots of references to jewels being hidden beneath the earth, in darkness and unpolished. Spiritual jewels need to be mined through meditation, ethics, and receptivity to teachings. Jewels need to be brought out into the light and not hoarded but shared with others. That of course reminds us of the jewel of compassion, which is the jewel or mani in the well-known mantra om mani padme hum. The jewel held to the heart of Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of compassion.

Bhante Sangharakshita makes the point that the jewel doesn’t come into our possession at some particular time – it is always there. Parables are not to be taken literally and always take place outside of time. The jewel is our deepest, true nature. It is that which makes us truly human. The potential to become more and more aware and loving. It is what is most valuable. To fully activate our humanity means fully activating our potential for greater awareness and love. This corresponds to some degree with Bhante’s teaching about the need to find emotional equivalents to our intellectual understandings. The jewel could be seen as the spark that ignites our motivation to practise the Dharma and transform ourselves. This spark could be called faith or shraddha.

Jewel symbolism is very common in Buddhism and the jewel, as is appropriate, is multi-faceted in its meanings.

Parable of the Jewel in the Topknot

In the White Lotus Sutra, there are at least two other stories where a jewel is prominent. There’s the parable of the jewel in the topknot.

“A king seeing his troops successful in warfare, he is greatly delighted and rewards them according to their merits, giving them fields, houses, villages, cities, counties; or else clothing; personal ornaments; or various precious treasures of gold, silver, lapis lazuli, mother-of-pearl, carnelian, coral, or agate; or elephants, horses, carriages, servants, or subjects.

"Only the bright pearl on his cowl, that alone, he does not give away. Why not? Only the king can wear this pearl on his crown. If he gave it away, the king’s retinue would surely be greatly astonished.

 "Manjushri, eventually the wheel-turning king, seeing among his troops those who have been greatly successful, is overjoyed and at last gives them the incredible pearl, which he has long worn in his topknot and which he would never casually give away.”

This parable has pretty much the same message as the biblical instruction “do not cast pearls before swine”. In other words, don’t try to give what is precious to those who won’t or can’t appreciate it. Here the jewel represents the various teachings of the Buddha, or the jewel simply represents the Truth, or the nature of reality, and the king represents the Buddha, who waits until people are ready before revealing the full truth.

Again, we can look at this as a completely inner process. The soldiers and ministers of our mind are our concerns with worldly matters, defending ourselves, planning for our security and happiness. The king is our better self, which requires the right combination of conditions before it can be fully integrated. The jewel here is both the teachings we hear and our capacity to take them on board. If we try to go to the seemingly higher teachings before we have grasped the basics, we can only confuse ourselves. So, this is pointing to both the need for a teacher who can guide us and the need for patience when it comes to the spiritual life.

If we don’t have a teacher or some guidance we may mistake jewels for gravel, and mistake gravel for jewels. We may be inclined to overvalue what is not valuable and undervalue that which is really precious.

Both of these jewels, the jewel of our potential and the jewel of deeper meanings in life can be revealed to us suddenly as a result of some misfortune or a mystical experience or some combination of circumstances. But we still need to then learn about the path and how to practice and how to grow in awareness and loving kindness. This is what is meant by vision and transformation. The vision of life’s spiritual purpose or meaning may come to us somehow but the transformation will require effort from us. Effort to be receptive and effort to understand and practice what we learn.

Jewels and Nagas

The third appearance of a jewel in the White Lotus Sutra is when a young Naga princess rises up from beneath the sea and makes an offering of a jewel to the Buddha. I mentioned the nagas before. They are mythical creatures in the form of half reptile, half human who live at the bottom of the ocean and they have vast treasures of jewels.

According to tradition and legend, the Prajñapāramita sutras (perfection of wisdom) had been given by the Buddha to a great nāga ,who guarded them in the sea, and they were conferred upon Nāgārjuna later by a naga. In Tibetan Buddhist literature, nagas are portrayed as guardians or owners of submerged treasure, which can be mere wealth or  "spiritual" treasures. So, the nagas are associated with wisdom and a gift of a jewel from the nagas is a gift of wisdom. The jewel is a symbol of wisdom from the depths, in this context. The fact that we have reflexive awareness, which is the nature of human consciousness, means that we have a kind of innate wisdom, which can be activated. That is the jewel of our potential to grow spiritually, the jewel of wisdom.

The Three Jewels

Perhaps the most well-known jewel symbolism in Buddhism is the Three Jewels of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. Our Order and Community is called Triratna, mean three jewels and on our kesa is an image of three jewels. So, for us the three jewels of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha are the most precious or valuable things in the world. The Buddha is both an historical figure, the one who instigated the whole tradition of Dharma teachings and created a spiritual community based on those truths and the Buddha also represents the potential for Enlightenment or Awakening, which it is possible for any human being to activate.  This is what we are reminded of in the Threefold Puja with the lines,

“What the Buddha overcame, we too can overcome,

What the Buddha attained we too can attain.”

The Dharma is the teaching of the Buddha and the path pointed out by him and the Dharma is also the truth, the reality, the way things really are. The spiritual community is the communication and co-operation between those who awaken their own potential for Enlightenment in the quest to realise the way things really are. We are jewels and if we are exposed to the light of the Buddha and the Dharma, our inner light shines through and the true value of our precious humanity can be seen more clearly. The important thing about jewels is the light.

Pure Lands

There are some Sutras of later Buddhism, which describe what they call a Pure Land. A pure land is a metaphor for the most ideal conditions in which to practice the Dharma. And Pure Lands are always described as being made of jewels – the trees are jewel trees, the fruit on the trees is jewel fruit, the ground is a ground of jewels, there are jewel chains marking different areas – jewels everywhere. When you read these descriptions of pure lands – if you take them literally, they are not very attractive. They sound like the jewellery section of a very high-class department store. But they are not to be taken literally. They are to be read by the faculty of imagination. It is as if you are meditating, and you start to spontaneously experience everything as utterly precious. You are precious, other people are precious, the possibility of spiritual growth is precious, everything that enables you to practice is precious, your body, your mind, your capacity for effort and understanding. Everything is precious and in that sense jewel-like. The Pure Land is an image or metaphor of a pure mind, a mind devoted to spiritual growth.

The symbolism of jewels is, appropriately enough, multi-faceted. Jewels can symbolise Enlightenment or the path to enlightenment or your own potential for enlightenment, or the ideal conditions for enlightenment. Of course, all of these meanings are intimately connected. It is the human potential for Buddhahood, the jewel referred to in the parable of the jewel and the drunkard, which enabled the emergence into this world of the Buddha, the Dharma and all the practitioners down the generations. And it is all those who have sincerely put the Dharma into practice who have created the conditions which we all benefit from.

Jewel Symbolism and Us

When the friend sees that the man in the parable is still scrabbling around to make a living and unaware of the jewel, he sort of tells him off. It is as if the parable is saying it is beneath the dignity of a human being to ignore or be unaware of our spiritual potential. Our potential to grow and develop spiritually is the most important thing about us, it’s what makes us human and to ignore it or squander it is shameful and undignified, and stupid even. To spend our lives in pursuit of ephemeral mundane things like wealth and status and power or fame is an undignified way to use our precious opportunity.

Coming down to our own situation, it is for us to realise the preciousness of what we have discovered in the Dharma and the Sangha. It is for us to realise what rich, abundant lives we have and what precious opportunities we have.

The appreciation of our conditions and gratitude for what we have received and are receiving is the necessary attitude for making progress. If we are unaware of our own good fortune, then we are like the man in the parable, wandering around trying to grab the bare necessities, while all the time we have within our hearts something much more precious than any mundane wealth or status.

Here we are on a weekend retreat at Padmaloka – in such great conditions, getting teachings about the Buddhadharma, having time to meditate and reflect, sharing what is most important to us with like-minded people and being well looked after. We are in a little Pure Land, glittering with jewels and all we need to do is be as present as possible, open our hearts to the gifts we are being offered and allow our own inner jewels and inner light to emerge and radiate, so that our love and understanding grows and connects with the understanding and love radiating from those around us. This is the path to contentment and happiness for ourselves and the path to creating a world that is more at peace with itself and therefore more creative and worthwhile.

 

Deepening Harmony

 

This talk was given at an men's Area Order weekend at Adhisthana February 2023

I will start not with an anecdote or story from my own experience, but with my own opinion on the question of harmony in our Triratna Buddhist Order. My own speculative opinion. Is there a deepening harmony in our order? Is there a deepening or maturing harmony or unity in our Order. This question reminds me of something Bhante once said when asked a question about deep communication – he said that for deep communication you need deep people!

For deep harmony we need deep people too. For mature harmony we need spiritually mature people. In my opinion we do have a lot of spiritually mature people in our Order and therefore a lot of deepening and maturing harmony too. When I first joined the Order in 1988 my experience of chapter meetings and regional order weekends was that they often had a strong element of conflict with lots of angry disagreement and arguments. These days, as far as I can tell, there is much less, if any, of that.

I think that gradually over the years the ordination training processes, the ordination courses, the private preceptor system and the private preceptor retreats have been a few of the institutions that have all contributed to a deepening harmony.

Even more significant perhaps is that many of us have now been practising sincerely and effectively for decades and this has led to the presence in the Order of many individuals of considerable spiritual maturity, (not that long service necessarily equals spiritual maturity!). This, in my opinion, means that at the heart of the Order there is considerable unity and harmony, because there is trust, goodwill, spiritual maturity and a lot of very long-standing friendships.

Many of us have connections that go back decades and often those connections are based on shared experiences of either living or working together or being on retreat together or even of having been in conflict.

My life has been interwoven with the lives of many of you here in one way or another. And this is a story that is repeated throughout our Order. On Conventions there is a palpable feeling of friendship and connection that creates a very joyful atmosphere.

There are many strong bonds between us, and those bonds have been further strengthened, deepened and matured by the work that we have individually done on ourselves over the years and even decades.

So, yes, in my opinion, the Order, our precious and fragile Order, does have a deepening and maturing harmony and unity at its heart. One thing about harmony is that it is very quiet, even silent often, and can easily go unnoticed, whereas disharmony tends to be loud, even dramatic and is always sure to be noticed and to draw attention to itself. This is how the world is – it is conflict, war and destruction that get all the attention, whereas, peace, friendliness and constructive initiatives get much less attention.

I have said that it’s my opinion that there is considerable harmony and unity in the Order. I wanted to emphasise that it’s an opinion, because I don’t expect or need it to be everybody’s opinion. Opinions, after all, are speculative and based on the limited information afforded to us by our own observation and experience or maybe what we have heard or read. We all have different experiences, which are likely to lead us to different opinions.

I think the key thing about opinions is that we need to hold them lightly, not get too attached to them, too identified or obsessed with them. Being identified with opinions or views is what leads to arguments and arguments can often lead to hostility and hostility is the fuel that ignites the fires of disharmony. When we are personally identified with a view or opinion, then criticism of it is experienced as criticism of oneself and even a threat to our sense of self.

In one of his sets of fifteen points for Order Members, Bhante says “don’t argue, discuss”. The difference between an argument and a discussion is that in an argument we want to win, or even have to win, whereas in a discussion we are simply trying to arrive at the truth.

This distinction is drawn out in a different way by the Buddha in the Kosambiya Sutta (MN 48). Here is the opening of the Sutta,

Thus, have I heard. On one occasion the Blessed One was living at Kosambī in Ghosita’s park. Now on that occasion the bhikkhus at Kosambī had taken to quarrelling and brawling, and were deep in disputes, stabbing each other with verbal daggers. They could neither convince each other nor be convinced by others; they could neither persuade each other nor be persuaded by others

Then a certain bhikkhu went to the Blessed One, and after paying homage to him, he sat down at one side and informed him of what was happening.

Then the Blessed One addressed a certain bhikkhu, “Come bhikkhu, tell those bhikkhus in my name that the Teacher calls them.”

“Yes, venerable sir,” he replied, and he went to those bhikkhus and told them, “The Teacher calls the venerable ones.”

“Yes, friend,” they replied, and they went to the Blessed One and after paying homage him, they sat down at one side.

The Blessed One then asked them, “Bhikkhus, is it true, that you have taken to quarrelling and brawling, and are deep in disputes, stabbing each other with verbal daggers. That you can neither convince each other nor be convinced by others; that you can neither persuade each other nor be persuaded by others

“Yes, venerable sir,”

“Bhikkhus, what do you think? When you take to quarrelling and brawling and are deep in disputes, stabbing each other with verbal daggers, do you on that occasion maintain acts of loving-kindness by body, speech and mind in public and in private towards your companions in the holy life?”

“No, venerable sir.”

“So bhikkhus, when you take to quarrelling and brawling and are deep in disputes, stabbing each other with verbal daggers, on that occasion you do not maintain acts of loving-kindness by body, speech and mind in public and in private towards your companions in the holy life? Misguided men, what can you possibly know, what can you see, that you take to quarrelling and brawling and are deep in disputes, stabbing each other with verbal daggers? That you can neither convince each other nor be convinced by others; that you can neither persuade each other nor be persuaded by others? Misguided men, that will lead to your harm and suffering for a long time.”

 

Then the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus thus: “Bhikkhus there are these six memorable qualities that create love and respect and conduce to helpfulness, to non-dispute, to concord and to unity. What are the six?

I don’t have time to go into the six principles the Buddha mentions. You’ll have to look them up yourself. I just want to draw your attention to three things in this opening to the sutta.

I think it’s noteworthy that when the Bhikkhus come to him the first thing he does is repeat what he has heard and ask them if it’s true. He makes no assumptions and establishes that they are ‘on the same page’, so to speak, before proceeding. Is it true? Is an important first question, especially if we hear something critical about another person. The question – is it true? – could, maybe, avoid a lot of hurt and disharmony. I’m sure the Buddha didn’t think the first monk was lying to him. But sometimes there are subtleties and circumstances that are not immediately obvious – so, is it true? Is a good starting point.

Then the Buddha gets down to the crux of the matter and this is, perhaps, the single most important point in this talk. He asks them – when you are in dispute, stabbing each other with verbal daggers, do you at the same time maintain Metta, an attitude of loving kindness, in body, speech and mind, in public and in private, towards your companions in the holy life? What a question to ask! No beating about the bush there!

Imagine being asked – when you are deep in dispute or discussion on some online forum or in your chapter or Centre Team – do you maintain acts, and words and thoughts of loving kindness in public and in private towards those you are in dispute with.

This is the test as to whether it is an argument or a discussion, whether it is a case of hostilities in which both parties are intent on winning or a discussion in which all parties are interested in exploring something together.

Metta or an attitude of loving kindness is the absolutely essential key to deepening or maturing harmony in the Order. Metta in public and in private. Friendliness in public and in private. A heart of loving care and concern for the spiritual welfare of our fellow Order Members experienced and expressed in public and in private. This is what the Buddha says and the first three of his six principles for harmony or unity reinforce that. To maintain acts of loving-kindness by body, speech and mind in public and in private towards your companions in the holy life.

Having established that the Bhikkhus are engaging in hostile arguments and lacking in metta, the Buddha admonishes them.

Misguided men, what can you possibly know, what can you see, that you take to quarrelling and brawling and are deep in disputes, stabbing each other with verbal daggers?

He is not pleased with them. He even stops calling them Bhikkhus. May be he thinks they are not worthy to be called Bhikkhus (or Order Members!). I think the Buddha is being a bit ironic when he asks – what can you know, what can you see ? At least it’s a rhetorical question.

What he is saying in effect is that your behaviour shows that you are not spiritually mature. This phrase “knowing and seeing” or “knowledge and vision” occurs quite a lot in the Pali Canon and usually in a very positive sense, indicating Insight or Stream Entry. The seventh link of the positive nidanas is yathabhutajnanadarshana – knowledge and vision of things as they really are. Knowledge and vision, knowing and seeing are the hallmarks of spiritual maturity. The Buddha is telling these misguided men that they are not spiritually mature and are in fact heading in the opposite direction – leading to their own harm and suffering for a long time.

From this we can gather that disharmony in the Order and hostility between Order Members isn’t just bad for the Order, it is also very detrimental to the individuals involved – leading to their own harm and suffering for a long time. I would even venture to say that it is even more harmful and destructive for the individuals concerned than it is for the Order as a whole. The Order rolls on but the individuals can be left with wounded hearts for months, years or even decades.

The silver lining to this cloud is of course that the opposite holds true as well. Where there is friendliness, goodwill, metta, genuine care and concern for the spiritual welfare of others, there will be very beneficial consequences for both the individuals and the Order and for a long time.

The point as Bhante puts it is that we need to discuss rather than argue. But perhaps that is not so easy – what begins as a discussion can sometimes easily and quickly become an argument. This is because we can so quickly get attached to or identify ourselves with a particular position.

As Bhante puts it:

“There will always be the possibility of argument so long as ego is there. Ego will always tend to try to creep in, to smuggle itself into discussion and when that happens, discussion will turn, unfortunately, into argument.” (15 points for old and new Order Members, p.16)

Another way of talking about this whole issue of unity or harmony is in terms of skilfulness and unskilfulness. In the Dvedhavittaka Sutta (MN 19) the Budhha says “ Bhikkhus, before my enlightenment when I was only an unenlightened Bodhisatta, it occurred to me “ suppose I divide my thoughts into two classes, Then I set on one side thoughts of sensual desire, thoughts of ill will and thoughts of cruelty and I set on the other side thoughts of renunciation, thoughts of non-illwill and thoughts of non-cruelty” . He goes on to explain how he worked with his mind by discouraging unskilful mental states and encouraging skilful mental states and he adds “Bhikkhus, whatever a Bhikkhu frequently thinks and ponders upon, that will become the inclination of his mind.”

It’s very simple and straightforward –“whatever a Bhikkhu (or an Order Member) frequently thinks and ponders upon, that will become the inclination of his mind.” Fortunately, we have the Ten Precepts to guide us in this practice of distinguishing skilfulness from unskilfulness, to guide us in what to focus on in our thoughts, actions and communication.

The Ten Precepts are not just a guide for us individually, but also, perhaps, the single most unifying practice we have as Order Members. Order Members do a variety of meditation practices from Just Sitting right through to elaborate visualisation practices. Order Members have their preferences in what to study or read about the Dharma. Order Members have lots of different lifestyles.

But one thing all Order Members have in common is that at the time of our ordination we undertook to observe the Ten Precepts, Every Order Member has vowed to give expression to their going for refuge by practising the Ten Precepts. So, these Ten Precepts are a very significant and unifying factor for us. They are a major contribution to harmony in the Order, especially if we frequently think upon and ponder them, so that they become the inclination of our mind.

It is very important for us individually and as an Order that we do practice the Ten Precepts. It’s important that we know how to practise the precepts, how to develop and take further our practice of the precepts. You could say it’s important that we have knowledge and vision of the precepts. It is easy for us to assume that because we have read and studied the Ten Pillars, that we have done all that is necessary to support our understanding and practice of the precepts. But have we?

Perhaps we could take a fresh look at the Ten Precepts and take a fresh look at how we practise them. We do this frequently in relation to meditation and we do this in refreshing our knowledge of the Dharma. Perhaps we could likewise reflect on whether we are relating to the precepts in a way appropriate to our general level of practice.

Could we say of ourselves, as Bhante said of himself, “as the years go by I see more and more clearly, how profound is the significance, and how far reaching the implications – both theoretical and practical of each apparently simple precept.” Could we say that we see more and more clearly the profound significance of the precepts? I just want to say one thing about the practice of the precepts before I go on to the principles of skilful communication.

We are all of course aware of the importance of confession as a support to skilfulness, but I would also like to emphasise rejoicing in skilfulness as a support. I think it would be good for us to rejoice in our own skilfulness and that of others more.

In the parable of the return journey in the White Lotus Sutra the poor man spends years shovelling dirt, before gradually getting accustomed to the jewels and wealth of the rich man’s house. When it comes to ethical practice, we do of course have to shovel away the dirt – although after many years of practice we could expect a quick sweep with dustpan and brush would be enough. In addition to shovelling or sweeping away the dirt, we need to accustom ourselves to the treasure and wealth which is ours. The treasure and wealth of our skilfulness. It’s important to acknowledge to ourselves that we are skilful, that we are capable of even greater skilfulness, and it is not beyond the realms of possibility for us to enter the rich man’s house and fully partake of our Dharmic inheritance.

In short, we need to encourage ourselves and each other by rejoicing in our skilfulness and not focussing exclusively on our backsliding. We need to build on what we have done rather than always focus on what we have not done. Encouragement is essential to progress.

Let’s look at the speech precepts or the principles of skilful communication. We frequently chant the ten precepts and are all familiar with the principles of truthful, kindly, helpful and harmonising communication. By the way, I imagine you have noticed that this is not the order in which the speech precepts appear in the Pali Canon or the Mahayana sutras. You are probably also aware that Bhante speaks of the speech precepts as a hierarchy, going from truthful to harmonious in ascending order. This is also not traditional. This is Bhante’s gift to us. The usual order, using our terminology is truthful, harmonious, kindly and beneficial.

We could add two more principles of skilful communication to this list – listening and timeliness.

There is no communication, skilful or otherwise, without listening. And listening, in order to be a principle of skilful communication, needs to include more than simply taking in information. Listening highlights the aspect of awareness or mindfulness as applied to communication and therefore it involves a full awareness of the other person, not just their words. In this sense, listening is much more difficult to practise when the communication is in writing or via the internet or phone.

Not everyone is capable of expressing themselves fully or even adequately in writing. I would hazard a guess that most of us are only articulate in a rudimentary fashion when it comes to writing. Being able to convey, not only content, but feeling, atmosphere and subtle nuances in writing is probably an art that most of us have not achieved. This is something to take into account when communicating in writing and even more so when we receive a written communication.

I have sometimes mediated between people who were in conflict and nearly always the main issue was that they were not listening to each other. When the element of listening is introduced, sometimes the issue is solved almost magically.

The next principle of skilful communication is truthfulness. Truthfulness is an obvious necessity and something the world needs more than ever, now that the subversion of truth has become such a potent force in politics and media, and misinformation is a monetised commodity. We have corporations like Twitter (now X) and Facebook who are willing to allow lies to spread around the world so long as their profits are not adversely affected. Perhaps we could ask ourselves, is it skilful for us as Order Members to support these corporations by using their products?

As we all know truthfulness is not just about being factually accurate but also about not exaggerating, understating or omitting things. In the Cunda Sutta the Buddha defines false speech as a person “consciously speaking falsehood for his own ends, or for another’s ends or for some trifling worldly gain.” That’s a definition of misinformation.

I’m going to skip kindly speech for now. I think the precepts that encompass the principles of beneficial and harmonious communication are the two key precepts for Order Members.

Again, going to the Cunda Sutta (AN10:176) here is how the precept on beneficial speech is laid out in its positive formulation. Someone who is observing the precept: “speaks at the proper time, speaks truth, (it has to be true to be beneficial), speaks what is beneficial, Speaks on the Dharma and discipline; at the proper time speaks such words as are valuable, reasonable, succinct and beneficial.”

So, when we recite “With helpful communication, I purify my speech”, the word ‘helpful’ stands for all of this – communicating at the proper time, communicating the truth, communicating what is beneficial, communicating the Dharma and discipline, communicating words that are valuable (literally to be treasured), communicating what is reasonable, and succinct or to the point.

The principle of timeliness, timely communication, is included here. Timely, of course means at the right time - we could say it's about being appropriate in our communication.

 

In the Abhayarajakumara Sutta (MN 58) the Buddha makes this the key principle of skilful communication. Timeliness, which doesn’t appear explicitly in our recitation of the precepts, is the key principle of skilful communication. It is not enough for communication to be truthful and beneficial; it must be at the right time. The Abhayakumara Sutta does not mention harmonious speech at all, but it is clear that being appropriate or timely would conduce to harmony as well as to the welfare of the individual. For the Buddha this precept encapsulates the whole of skilful communication.

This precept about beneficial or helpful communication is very far reaching and to practise it thoroughly requires a lot of reflection and awareness of others. Imagine before you write a response to someone’s post online or respond to an email, you first of all ask yourself, what do I want to communicate? Why do I want to communicate it? Who am I communicating with? Am I being truthful? Am I communicating for the spiritual welfare of someone? Am I being reasonable? And is this the appropriate time? perhaps we would have less to say. Maybe we should start a slow internet movement (SIM), like the slow food movement. Everyone takes a long time before responding to anything! According to Bhante, in his talk on right speech, silence is the highest form of communication.

The Cunda Sutta says that the person who is unskilful in this way “indulges in idle chatter. He speaks at an improper time, speaks falsely, speaks what is unbeneficial, speaks contrary to the Dhamma and discipline; at an improper time, he speaks such words as are worthless, unreasonable, rambling and unbeneficial.”

 

This precept is about more than frivolous speech in the sense of someone who prattles on about what's on TV or about sport or fashion or the like. It is about that kind of chattering, of course - Samphappala literally means 'talking nonsense'. But the more expanded version of the precept mentions communication that is unhelpful, unreasonable, rambling. It's communication that is contrary to the Teachings and practices of Buddhism – contrary means opposite in nature, direction or meaning.

 

This is more than just talking nonsense. It's nonsense that is definitely unhelpful, false and purveying wrong views. And it is also said to be spoken at the wrong time. This doesn't mean that there is a right time for talking rubbish! It means that in idle chatter there is a strong element of being unaware of who you're speaking to and the circumstances and conditions around you.

 

There is a huge amount of trivia and opinionatedness that we can be exposed to, and this is something we need to be aware of and do something about, if we want to access the depths and gain some insight into the nature of existence. This is probably one of the most difficult and urgent training tasks facing all Order Members. We are at the mercy of media technology and it's going to demand quite an effort to free ourselves from the unhelpful and addictive aspects of this. There is a battle for our attention in progress and at present, we are generally on the losing side.

 

Next is the principle of harmonious communication. First of all, this means avoiding divisive communication, avoiding communication that is likely or intended to cause division between people.

 

Then according to the Cunda Sutta someone who is practising this precept “brings together the discordant, restores harmony, harmony is his delight, he exults in, is passionately fond of harmony; he utters speech that makes for harmony.” The word translated as harmony is ‘samagga’. Others translate it as ‘unity’ or ‘concord’ or even ‘cordiality’.

 

The positive precept, you’ll notice, has two aspects, an active and an emotional. It is about actively restoring, promoting and creating unity and harmony and it is also about simply delighting in and rejoicing in unity and harmony, - delighting in, exulting in, being passionately fond of harmony. This is the spirit of the precept. It’s not just about avoiding back-biting and gossip. It’s a passionate pursuit of harmony.

 

It has been further developed in the Mahayana to include the Sangrahavastu of priyavadita and the nirukti pratisamvid. One of the practices of a Bodhisattva is what is called the ‘act of gathering’, which basically means creating a spiritual community. And part of this is skilful communication, harmonising communication, clear communication, even helping people to understand the meaning of words and what is to be taken literally or metaphorically. Bhante has done all of this for us. We are the result of his Bodhisattva ‘act of gathering’. In our practice of this precept, we can aim to take it to the heights of this Bodhisattva practice and continue to deepen and enhance this act of gathering that Bhante set in motion.

 

The other principle of skilful communication is what we call kindly communication. When you read the Pali terms used to describe this principle, it becomes clear that it is something like polite or courteous communication or even gracious, as we used to recite. The Cunda Sutta says that the person practising this precept, “speaks such words as are gentle, pleasing to the ear, and affectionate, as go to the heart, are courteous, desired by many, and agreeable to many.” If you go to the Pali dictionary and look up all the positive terms associated with this precept you find – gentle, pleasing, affectionate, amiable, charming, agreeable, pleasant, courteous, polite, lovely, delightful.

 

It’s as if this precept is not so much about what you say as about how you say it, the tone of voice and language used. It is about finding the right way to convey the message of Metta. And of course this is doubly difficult in written communication. In his second set of fifteen points for Order Members, Bhante does touch on this under the heading of ‘be more ceremonious’, when he talks about manners.

 

These are the six ways that we are training ourselves in skilful communication – listening, truthfulness, timeliness, helpfulness, harmonising and kindness. Our training in skilful communication can be very strongly challenged if other people are very critical of us or even verbally attack us or insult us or disagree with us. Our hackles rise, we become quickly defensive and start to sharpen the verbal daggers. This is the natural egoistical response and in the face of this we have to make quite a strong effort.

 

In the Akkosa Sutta (SN 7:2) the Buddha is abused and insulted by Akkosaka Bharadvaja. The Buddha responds by asking him if when he offers food to guests and they decline to take it, who does it belong to. Of course, Bharadvaja says it still belongs to him. The Buddha then says, "In the same way, brahmin, that with which you have insulted me, who is not insulting; that with which you have taunted me, who is not taunting; that with which you have berated me, who is not berating: that I don't accept from you. It's all yours, brahmin. It's all yours.”

 

He then goes on to say, “Brahmin, whoever returns insult to one who is insulting, returns taunts to one who is taunting, returns a berating to one who is berating, is said to be eating together, sharing company, with that person. But I am neither eating together nor sharing your company, brahmin. It's all yours. It's all yours."

Usually when we hear this kind of story we identify with the Buddha and have a laugh at Bharadvaja’s expense. However, what the Buddha is really saying to Bharadvaja is your mental states belong to you, you need to take responsibility for them. And this of course applies to us whether we are the ones on the receiving end of verbal abuse or the ones dishing it out.

 

We are all capable of being an Akkosaka Bharadvaja, in our thoughts, if not in words and it may be useful to reflect whether we want to partake of the meal. If the meal is a verbal slanging match, whether in person or in writing, is it a meal that will nourish us spiritually or are we causing ourselves harm and suffering and that for a long time. The Buddha is also pointing out that we not only have a choice about how to respond to whatever communication comes towards us, but we also have a choice about whether to engage with it at all.

 

Most of us rarely, if ever, have to deal with that kind of insult or attack, but whether we do or not, we still have the challenge of being skilful in our communication and not in a superficial way but in a way that really promotes the unity and harmony of the Order.

 

I said at the beginning that deep harmony requires deep people. That means that our personal practice of skilfulness, meditation, study, retreats and friendship will all contribute to the unity and harmony of the Order as we individually change and grow and become more and more spiritually mature.

 

What we really need is to go deep enough to have a lived experience of the truth of pratitya samutpada. If we could thoroughly understand the implications of pratitya samutpada, if we could realise and have a lived experience of pratitya samutpada we would quite spontaneously delight and rejoice in harmony.

 

When more and more of us experience ourselves in terms of the laws of conditionality, or in terms of shunyata or in terms of inter-conditionality or interdependence – whatever concept we use – when more and more of us have a lived experience of this reality, then there will truly be a deepening and maturing harmony among us. In the meantime let’s improve our practice and knowledge and vision of the Ten Precepts, the single most unifying practice of our Order.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Commentary on the Dasadhamma Sutta

This talk was given at the UK & Ireland Triratna Order Convention August 2022

Commentary on the Dasadhamma Sutta

Dasadhamma Sutta (AN 10.48): Ten Things translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu

 

"There are these ten things that a person gone-forth should reflect on often. Which ten?

The first thing to note is that this is a practice, a reflection practice, and it is being recommended to those who have made a definite commitment. It is an appropriate practice within the context of that commitment. For the purposes of this talk I am assuming that Order Members have gone forth. There is an effective going forth which is the flipside of effective going for refuge. In this teaching the Buddha is pointing towards what we could call a Real going forth, which is the twin of Real going for refuge.

So, my rendering of the opening line is:

These are ten things that should be reflected on again and again by an Order Member.

 

1.  'I have become casteless': a person gone forth should often reflect on this.

Bhante in giving a talk in India on the Yogachara located the origins of caste in the klishto- mano vijnana, the defiled mind consciousness. Caste is a human creation and a wrong view. It’s a human creation that is designed to be divisive. Of course, we, in the West, don’t have caste, but that doesn’t mean that the defiled mind consciousness is not busy expressing wrong views through the creation of divisive ideas and structures. For instance, the nation state is a human construct and is also often the source of divisiveness. How would it sound if the Buddha had said, ‘stateless’ or ‘nationless’ instead of ‘casteless’.

One of the many ways in which we create and consolidate our sense of self is by identifying strongly with some particular section of humanity, who become ‘us’ as opposed to the rest who are ‘them’. In this way we reinforce our delusions. Group identity also perpetuates divisions and hatreds and leads to conflict. When reflecting on ones group identity, it is important to remember that this is not about other people’s identity with particular groups, which may be important or even essential for them – especially if they don’t have the context of a spiritual commitment and spiritual community. This is a reflection for those who have gone forth. Envy, jealousy, pride, and a host of other little ‘maras’ are given fertile ground to breed in through our tendency to identify with a group or identify ourselves as a member of a group. So, this is about letting go of group identities, whether they are based on physical characteristics or in ideologies.

This first reflection about not having a caste is also about how we see and treat other people. The ideal is to be aware of each other person as a person, in their own right, regardless of our views about them or their status in society and even regardless of what group identity they are attached to. This is very difficult to achieve – if we are honest with ourselves, we will probably have to admit that more often than not we are relating to our interpretation of another person rather than to them in all their complexity. It is difficult to know another person, even those we assume we know well.

My rendering of this is:

 I no longer hold to any group identity, such as nationality, gender, sexual orientation, family, skin colour, class, ethnic origin, the wealthy, the poor, socialist, capitalist and so on. This should be reflected on again and again by an Order Member.

2.  "'My life is dependent on others’: a person gone forth should often reflect on this.

The second point is about the fact that the lay people feed the Bhikkhus because they trust that by feeding those who are pure they will gain merit. So the Bhikkhu is being exhorted to be worthy of that trust and of his free meal. As Order Members we become an example of a committed spiritual practitioner, whether we like it or not. We become the ‘Fourth Sight’ for others. This means we have a certain responsibility thrust upon us. We are seen as representatives of Buddhism and of the Triratna Order and exemplars of going for refuge to the Three Jewels, because we have made a public statement of faith in and commitment to the Three Jewels and confidence in the Order as a context for giving expression to that faith and commitment. If we tell lies, swear, eat meat, drink alcohol, or if we give generously, speak kindly, respond with patience or with anger; whatever we do or say or write will reflect on the Order and on the Dharma.

Also we depend on each other. The Order is the context in which we practise, and we trust each other to carry on going for refuge, so that the Order continues to be a genuine spiritual community. Our spiritual practice, our skilfulness and our unskilfulness affects the integrity of the Order and its effectiveness as a context for others to practise in.

My rendering:

Others put their trust in me because I have been ordained. I should live and practise in such a way as to be worthy of their trust, generosity and receptivity. This should be reflected on again and again by an Order Member.

 

3.  "'My behaviour should be different [from that of householders]’: a person gone forth should often reflect on this.

If we go forth from group identity and no longer identify ourselves in terms of roles and norms of the society around us, we will stand out as different. We will be noticeably more honest, friendly, helpful, and straightforward. Our views and behaviour will not necessarily be those of the majority. Our views and behaviour will not be quite so predictable, habitual and without subtlety as group views and behaviour. And we will be more open to changing what we think when there is reason to. The world and its views and concerns are powerfully impinging on us all the time and if we permit it, we will be receiving an immersive conditioning in views, attitudes, opinions, and behaviours that are not based on the Dharma. This can be quite insidious, and it requires a lot of awareness to notice this gradual process. The slow stain of the world. It’s not just our behaviour that needs to be different from those who have not gone forth, it’s also our communication and even out thinking.

I have vowed to live by the ten precepts. I should observe the precepts so that it is noticeable to others that my behaviour, communication and attitudes are ethical and governed by deeply held principles. This should be reflected on again and again by an Order Member.

 

4.  "'Can I fault myself with regard to my virtue?’: a person gone forth should often reflect on this.

This could be seen as an example of the sometimes negative bias of the Pali Canon. We could add ‘can I rejoice in myself with regard to my virtue?’. This fourth reflection is one that we may be tempted to give only a passing thought to, but it is actually quite demanding. It’s about being ethically sensitive. To really become ethically sensitive we need to quieten, to become more tranquil and equanimous, so that we can look objectively at our own behaviour, thought patterns and communication and assess them candidly. For many of us this implies a reduction of input and being more discriminating about what we input into our minds, as Bhante mentions in his sets of fifteen points for Order Members. The speed at which we live our lives, the volume of information we take in and the kind of information we expose ourselves to all have an impact on our ethical sensitivity.  This reflection is related to Hri (hiri) but that word is not mentioned in the text. The word used here is upavadati, which means blame and also something like ‘to tell (secretly) against’. The idea is that you have your own internal spy who knows what’s really going on and can tell you the truth if you are willing to listen. This is your conscience. Just by the way, I have noticed sometimes in discussions of the precepts that people like to talk about the ethics of others or of the Order, but shy away from scrutinising their own ethical life too closely. Sometimes this is because people don’t know how to go further with ethical practice and sometimes it’s avoidance. In this teaching the Buddha is asking us to take a good look at our own ethical lives. If we do, we may find that we are doing very well and therefore have a sound foundation to build on and take further.

How ethically sensitive am I? Am I aware of my conscience being troubled in any way? Could I rejoice in my ethical sensitivity? This should be reflected on again and again by an Order Member.

 

5.  "'Can my knowledgeable fellows in the holy life, on close examination, fault me with regard to my virtue?’: a person gone forth should often reflect on this.

The fifth reflection is about the impression our behaviour would make on the rest of the sangha if they knew about it. It is referring to apatrapya (ottapa). This could give rise to further questions. Are there some things we keep secret from our friends in the Order? Do we have the opportunity to confide and confess to friends in the Order? Are we willing to be questioned and even admonished by our friends in the Order with regard to our observance of the precepts? Could we make greater use of the Order to help us to refine our ethical sensitivity and become more scrupulously skilful? Perhaps a paraphrase of something Bhante once said about living in communities could be applied here – being an Order Member is an opportunity, not an achievement. In other words, the Order is a context in which to practise and it is only meaningful when we use it in that way. It is worth noting that these last three reflections are all about ethical behaviour or skilfulness. This is a reminder that the ten precepts, which we vow to uphold at the time of our ordination are a very important practice if our effective going for refuge is going to blossom into Real going for refuge. The ten precepts include ethics, meditation and wisdom and are therefore an essential and sufficient practice, which is why they are so central to our ordination.

Would other Order Members or my preceptor(s) be troubled by any of my actions, words or attitudes, if they were aware of them? Or would they rejoice in my actions, communication and attitudes? This should be reflected on again and again by an Order Member.

 

 

6.  "'I will grow different, separate from all that is dear & appealing to me’:  a person gone forth should often reflect on this.

This sixth reflection is about both impermanence and separation. Our attachments are so comfortable and intimate, so much part of who we are, that it is often difficult for us to notice them. The fundamental attachment is, of course, the attachment to self and we can become aware of that through its grosser manifestations, sometimes. But often we will simply rationalise our egocentricity with, what to us, is a completely reasonable conceptualisation of our delusions. Arising out of our self-attachment, is attachment to possessions, status, groups and views. This sixth reflection is encouraging us to let go of our mental and emotional clinging, because the reality is that everything will be snatched from us by impermanence. This goes to the heart of how we cause ourselves pain. It may be obvious that generosity and a sense of abundance is the natural expression of non-attachment.

I will be separated from all that I hold dear, either at death or before. Am I aware of my strong attachments and how they hold me back? This should be reflected on again and again by an Order Member.

 

7.  "'I am the owner of my actions (kamma), heir to my actions, born of my actions, related through my actions, and have my actions as my arbitrator. Whatever I do, for good or for evil, to that will I fall heir’: a person gone forth should often reflect on this.

The seventh reflection reminds us that we can rely on the law of karma. All of our skilful actions, such as our meditation or devotion will definitely have consequences and we will experience the fruits of our efforts. If we want to experience contentment and happiness or become wise, we need to set up the conditions and undertake the actions that are appropriate, and the consequences will follow. In spite of knowing this in theory, I have always found myself surprised when I do actually experience the results of persistent practise. But it is what happens.

I experience the consequences of my own actions of thought, word and deed, good and bad. I should not depend on others for my contentment, and I should not blame others for my dissatisfaction.  This should be reflected on again and again by an Order Member.

 

8.  "'What am I becoming as the days & nights fly past?’: a person gone forth should often reflect on this.

“I wasted time and now doth time waste me”, Richard II. This is perhaps one of the most challenging of these reflections. There are two aspects to the reflection. Firstly, there is the relentless passing of time, taking us rapidly to the edge of a cliff where we cannot stop or pause, but are pushed onwards to plunge into ---what? – whatever arises in dependence on the conditions we are setting up as time races relentlessly on. Which of course brings us to the second part of the reflection – how are we spending our time? Or to put it another way, what conditions are we setting up? What are our minds engaged with predominantly? What is the usual tenor of our emotions? What do we do most of the time? How do we express ourselves verbally? What effect do we have on other people? Do we notice the effect on us of the internet, TV, radio, shopping, our conversations, our reading and so on? Are we content or restless? These reflections can lead us to further reflections on the nature of the spiritual path, the discipline needed, the motivations that drive us and how strong our commitment to the Three Jewels is ongoingly. These could be very challenging reflections and also very rewarding. They can take us into depth from the starting point of our very mundane activities.

The days and nights pass without pause. How do I spend my time? This should be reflected on again and again by an Order Member.

 

9.  "'Do I delight in an empty dwelling?’: a person gone forth should often reflect on this.

This is about spending time in solitude. Whether we delight in solitude or not it is necessary to have some solitude if this practice of reflection is going to be effective. Based on my own experience, which is of course limited, I do not believe I can continuously go for refuge effectively unless I have time away on solitary retreat frequently, i.e., at least once a year. Solitude is a very clear mirror, which shows us who we are in fine detail. This self-knowledge is the essential fuel of spiritual progress. Solitude is not simply a matter of being alone. Being alone comes easy to introverts. Solitude as a spiritual practice is about looking into our hearts and minds unflinchingly, seeing what is there, both the good and the bad, owning it as our own and learning about the next steps of our spiritual path. It is about reflecting on our life in the light of the Dharma and allowing the Dharma to permeate and shape our lives.

In solitude I can become deeply aware of myself:  my habits, my conscience, and my spiritual progress. Do I spend sufficient time in solitude? This should be reflected on again and again by an Order Member.

 

10.                "Have I attained a superior human attainment, a truly noble distinction of knowledge & vision, such that — when my fellows in the holy life question me in the last days of my life — I won't feel abashed?': a person gone forth should often reflect on this.

The tenth reflection imagines someone who is dying, with just a short time left to live and they are asked by others in the Sangha what all their years of practice have amounted to. What has it all meant? What is there to show for it? Have they evolved to a state of consciousness that is higher or more refined or more insightful than that of ordinary folk who have not taken up Dharma practice? Have they experienced some liberation from craving, ill-will and delusion? There are two aspects to this reflection: What has happened as a result of all the years of spiritual practice and am I aware of what has happened? Just as at the beginning of the path there is Dukkha and there is the awareness of Dukkha, at every stage of the Path, there is the breaking of the bonds that bind us to the wheel and there is the knowledge of the destruction of those bonds. Awareness of the fruits of practice at every stage along the way is a source of inspiration for further practice. As Order Members we can gain encouragement from what we have established so far and build on what is positive and insightful in our lives, rather than worrying about what we have not yet achieved.

Am I aware of the fruits of my spiritual practice? Could I say that I have become more aware, kind, confident, wise, positive, compassionate, and free? This should be reflected on again and again by an Order Member.

 

"These are the ten things that a person gone-forth should reflect on often."

These are the ten things to be reflected on again and again by one who is effectively going for refuge to the Three Jewels.