Morality
The
goal is Inner peace; but the foundation is
Morality.
It
should never be forgotten – and of this the Freudian school must be reminded
– that morality was not brought down on tables of stone from Sinai and
imposed on the people, but is a function of the human soul, as old as
humanity itself. Morality is not imposed from outside; we
have it in ourselves from the start – not the law, but our moral nature
without which the collective life of human society would be impossible.
That is why morality is found at all levels of society.
It is the instinctive regulator of action which also governs the
collective life of
the herd.
But
moral laws are valid only within a compact human group.
Beyond that, they cease. There the old truth runs:
Homo Homini lupus. With the growth of civilization we
have succeeded in subjecting ever larger human groups to the rule of the
same morality, without, however, having yet brought the moral code to
prevail beyond the social frontiers, that is, in the free space between
mutually independent societies. There, as of old, reign
lawlessness and license and mad immorality – though of course it is only the
enemy who dares to say it out loud.
“Virtue is but the pedagogical prelude to the culminating insight, which
goes beyond all pairs of
opposites.
Virtue quells the self-centred
ego and makes the transpersonal
centeredness possible;”
Morality consists of 4 areas that a person can exercise to achieve a string
of events to help create a ‘tendency’ for morality to become a natural
habit. They are:
It's
not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words
that come out of your mouth." Matthew 15:11
· Right Speech
- Everything you say to both your Self and others
· Right Action - Everything you do to both your Self and others
· Right
Effort
- The mind is naturally weak and there are 4 exercises to firm the mind;
-
removing from it any unwholesome qualities it may have
-
closing it to any unwholesome qualities it does not have,
-
preserving and multiplying those wholesome qualities that are present in the
mind,
-
and
opening it to any wholesome qualities that are missing.
· Right Occupation – Having a career that supports one’s self and others,
while not harming any sentient beings.
What is it, then, that inexorably tips the scales in
favour of the extra-ordinary? …
It is what is commonly called vocation:
an irrational factor that destines a man to emancipate himself from
the herd
and from its well-worn paths.
TEJ 199
The fact that many a man who goes his own way ends in
ruin means nothing to one who has a vocation.
He must obey his own law,
as if it were a daemon whispering to him of new and wonderful paths.
Anyone with a vocation hears the voice of the inner man: his is
called.
This is why the legends say that he possesses a private daemon who
counsels him and whose mandates he must obey.
TEJ 200
Let
him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his
hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
Ephesians 5:28
Work done as a sacrifice for Vishnu has to be performed, otherwise work
causes bondage in this material world.
Bhagavad-Gita 3.9
In
Buddhism, there are
5 precepts,
which are the moral guidelines that Buddhists adhere to.
These are the equivalent to the Ten Commandments.
There are 5 for regular people:
1.
Harmlessness
2.
Trustworthiness
3.
Celibacy
4.
Right speech
5.
Sobriety
For
junior monks and people wishing to purify themselves further, such as anyone
partaking of a 10-day Vipassana meditation course, an additional 3 precepts
are required. They are:
6.
Not
eating after 12:00 noon
7.
No
perfumes, jewelry, luxurious garments, entertainment, etc.
8.
Not
sleeping in a luxurious bed
For
monks and nuns who are committed to the monastic life there are 227
precepts to follow.
Why
Red?
The
colour red expresses the values of morality in so many ways.
It’s the
colour of passion and of anger, which so often leads to breaking the moral
code of conduct. Red is the colour of blood, which often enough can be the byproduct
or consequence (whether it be yours or another’s) of not abiding with the
rules of morality,
as well red also
symbolizes danger.
For
ease of remembering and recalling the lessons of morality though, the best
value of the colour red is associating it with the word
‘Stop’.
Red
– Infrared – low end of
the spectrum – synonymous with Instinct
Using the analogy of the spectrum, we could compare the lowering of
unconscious contents to a displacement towards the red end of the colour
band, a comparison which is especially edifying in that red, the blood
colour, has always signified emotion and instinct."
In
choice, you
have 4 decisions.
|
·
To do something good
· To do something bad
· To not do something good, or
· To not do something bad.
|
The
most critical of these to focus on is to
not do bad things, as in
‘STOP’
doing bad things if you already are doing them.
It
is good to do good things, to be charitable, to open doors for others’, etc…
but the most important thing you can do in all situations, is to not do bad
things.
"Do
good, don’t do bad, observe your mind"
Understand what is the path
on which you have started walking.
The Buddha described it in very simple terms:
Abstain from all sinful, unwholesome actions,
perform only pious wholesome ones,
purify the mind;
this is the teaching of enlightened ones.
ONCE REALIZED, YOU CAN'T UNDO THE REALIZATION
Practicing morality purifies action and speech.
As we practice morality,
our understanding of what is right and
wrong becomes clearer,
and ultimately we are able to see
even more clearly the infinite
other opportunities there are for improvement that exist.
Your
conscience
will be your guide.
You will have a new sense of peace and progress that
feels good.
By following the happiness
you will naturally,
instinctively and
perpetually continue practicing
good deeds and abandon impure deeds by realizing through experience the laws
of cause and effect.
One benefit that will actualize as a result of applied
time and effort is awakening to
the realization of being uncomfortable practicing impure thoughts and deeds.
It feels like putting on dirty clothes after taking a bath.
By knowing and experiencing the law of karma we experience what it is
like being healthy after a life of being unhealthy.
Nothing tastes as good as being healthy feels.
What we once thought was enjoyable (abusing, gossiping, harming,
etc.) now repulses us.
The Perfections
In
Buddhism there are two lists of perfections (paramitas).
One has 6
perfections
and a few others
have 10.
The original six originate from the
Lotus Sutra,
spoken by
Buddha himself. The lists
with 10 include the original six and
have 4 other
perfections added, with
slight
variations
between denominations of Buddhism.
1.
Generosity
-
eliminates selfishness
2.
Morality
-
keeps one thoughtful of others
3.
Patience
-
helps one control an angry mind
4.
Effort
-
makes one diligent and faithful, and controls laziness
5.
Concentration
-
develops a sharp and insightful mind
6.
Wisdom
-
illuminates ignorance allowing us to more easily give up bad practices while
offering penetrating insight
A
strong sense of morality makes a person unwavering in their actions.
These are the 2 lists of the 10 perfections as held by the 2 main branches
of Buddhism are:
|
Therevada
1.
Dāna
parami : generosity, giving of oneself
2.
Sīla
parami : virtue, morality, proper conduct
3.
Nekkhamma parami :
renunciation
4.
Paññā parami : transcendental
wisdom, insight
5.
Viriya (also spelt vīriya) parami
: energy, diligence, vigour, effort
6.
Khanti parami : patience,
tolerance, forbearance, acceptance, endurance
7.
Sacca
parami : truthfulness, honesty
8.
Adhiṭṭhāna (adhitthana) parami
: strong determination, resolution
9.
Mettā
parami : loving-kindness/loving kindness
10.
Upekkhā (also spelt upekhā)
parami : equanimity, serenity
|
Mahayana
1.
Dāna
paramita: generosity, giving of oneself
2.
Śīla
paramita : virtue, morality, discipline, proper conduct
3.
Kṣānti (kshanti) paramita :
patience, tolerance, forbearance,
acceptance, endurance
4.
Vīrya
paramita : energy, diligence, vigour, effort
5.
Dhyāna paramita : one-pointed
concentration, contemplation
6.
Prajñā paramita : wisdom, insight
7.
Upāya paramita: skillful means
8.
Praṇidhāna (pranidhana) paramita: vow, resolution, aspiration,
determination
9.
Bala paramita: spiritual power
10.
Jñāna paramita: knowledge
|
Generosity
is the most difficult of the
perfections. By making whatever
efforts you can, and trying to make generosity habitual, generosity will become
easier. Some men would rather give
a pound of flesh up than a pound of gold.
Thinking of those who have less than we do in the conscious light of
kindness rather than blame develops generosity.
If our motivation for giving is pure, this is good action (karma).
If the motivation is impure, then this is bad action (karma).
"For myself, success is to
leave the
woodpile a little higher than I found it."
-- Paul Harvey
A
householder needs money to support himself.
The danger, however, is that earning money becomes a means to inflate the
ego: one seeks to amass as much as possible for oneself, and feels contempt for
those who earn less. Such an
attitude harms others and also harms oneself, because the stronger the ego, the
further one is from liberation.
Therefore one essential aspect of right livelihood is giving charity, sharing a
portion of what one earns with others.
Then one earns not only for one’s own benefit but also for the benefit of
others.”
"Few men have
the virtue to
withstand the highest bidder"
-- George Washington
Patience
gives us great inner strength. It
helps us discover the real cause of problems and not to simply
react by blaming
temporary circumstances. If we are
patient, we are less likely to get upset quickly when things don’t go our way
and less likely to act badly toward others.”
Effort
“Proper
effort is not the effort to make something particular happen.
It is the effort to be aware and awake in each moment, the effort to
overcome laziness and defilements, the effort to make each activity of our day
meditation.”
“Joyful
effort incorporates our attitude toward our spiritual practice.
If our attitude is only to follow a set of rules rigidly and blindly,
then we are probably quite miserable!
If, however, we remind ourselves thoroughly of the great benefit to
ourselves and others from practicing what Buddha taught, this helps us cultivate
joyful effort. Then we approach the
Buddha’s path with great joy at having found such a wonderful way of life.
Joyful effort includes great determination to keep practicing, even when
we are depressed or facing problems.
It encourages us to keep trying and helps us maintain our resolve when we
feel weak. Joyful effort is also
the best antidote to laziness, not just when we are meditating, but in all
activities of our daily life.”
The
most important indicator of morality is – Intention.
For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts,
murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:
These
are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a
man.
Matthew 15: 19-20
When intention is good then rules become less important.
If your intentions are pure then your actions will
be
pure.
This rule alone is enough
to follow.
In
Buddhism, there is no place for using effort. Just be ordinary and nothing
special. Eat your food, move your bowels, pass water and when you’re tired go
and lie down. The ignorant will laugh at me, but the wise will understand.
How to Purify One's Morality
Morality
is restraint and discipline of body and speech. On the formal level this is
divided into classes of precepts for lay people and for monks and nuns. However,
to speak in general terms, there is one basic characteristic -- that is
INTENTION. When we are mindful or self-recollected, we have right
intention. practicing self-recollection and mindfulness will generate good
morality. It is only natural that when we put on dirty clothes and our bodies
are dirty, that out minds too will feel uncomfortable and depressed. However, if
we keep our bodies clean and wear clean, neat clothes, it makes our minds light
and cheerful. So too, when morality is not kept, our bodily actions and speech
are dirty, and this is a cause for making the mind unhappy, distressed and
heavy. We are separated from right practice and this prevents us from
penetrating in the essence of the
Dhamma in our minds. The wholesome bodily
actions and speech themselves depend on mind, properly trained, since mind
orders body and speech. Therefore, we must continue practice by training our
minds.
“It
is a universal path, acceptable to people of any background, race, or
country. But the problem comes in defining sin and piety.
When the essence of Dhamma is lost, it becomes a sect, and then each sect
gives a different definition of piety, such as having a particular external
appearance, or performing certain rituals, or holding certain beliefs.”[1]
A rule
or principle prescribing a particular course of action or conduct.
When
you break the 5th precept the other 4 become
really easy to break as
well.
