Prepared by
John D. Hughes, DipAppChem, TTTC, GDAIE
Anita Hughes, RN Div1
Leanne Eames BA, MA
Evelin Halls, DipFLC
Pennie White, BA, DipEd
Abhidhamma Class No. 34, 11 February 2003
Adosa
Glossary
adosa: hatelessness, goodwill, non-aversion
churlish: boorish, ill-bred, surly, niggardly, grudging
vexation: annoyance, distress, troublesomeness
Adosa, the 6th of the 19 sobhana sadharana cetasikas (beautiful ones), is one of the three sobhana hetus, (beautiful roots).
The Addhasalini (I, Book I, Part IV, Chapter 1, p.127) defines non-aversion (adosa), as follows:
... Absence of hate has the characteristic of freedom from churlishness or resentment, like an agreeable friend; the function of destroying vexation, or dispelling distress, like sandalwood: the manifestation of being pleasing, like the full moon...
The Visuddhi Magga XIV, 143, page 525 reads: Non-hate has the characteristic of lack of savagery, or the characteristic of non-opposing, like a gentle friend. Its function is to remove annoyance, or its function is to remove fever, as sandalwood does. It is manifested as agreeableness, like the full moon. (Buddhaghosa, Bhadantacariya, nd)
Whenever there is non-aversion there has to be non-attachment, alobha, as well as several other sobhana cetasikas which each perform their own function while they assist the kusala citta.
There are many forms and degrees of adosa; when it is directed towards living beings adosa takes the form of metta, loving-kindness. Adosa directed towards objects can be described as patience, for example, non-aversion or patience with regard to heat, cold, bodily pain or other unpleasant objects.
Dana is an act of kindness. When we are giving a gift with kusala citta we show kindness. When there is non-aversion there must also be non-attachment that performs its function of detachment from the object.
When we observe sila there is adosa accompanying the kusala citta. When we abstain from akusala kamma that harms both ourselves and others, we show an act of kindness. The Atthasalini I, Book I, Part IV, Chapter I, p129 (cited in Van Gorkom, 1999) states:
“Goodwill is that which does not ruin one’s own or another’s bodily or mental happiness, worldly or future advantage and good report.”
“Adosa is agreeable both for oneself and for others, it conduces to harmonious living among people. Through aversion or hate a person loses his or her friends, and through non-aversion he or she acquires friends.”
“... Absence of hate is the cause of the production of friends for through love friends are obtained, not lost...”
When non-aversion arises we endure what is unpleasant. The Buddha exhorted the monks to endure unpleasant objects. In the Middle Length Sayings, I, no.2, Discourse on All the Cankers [cited in Van Gorkom, 1999), the Buddha spoke about different ways of getting rid of the cankers and explained that one of these ways is endurance. It is to be understood that the cankers cannot be eradicated unless right understanding is developed:
And what, monks, are the cankers to be got rid of by endurance? In this teaching, monks, a monk wisely reflective is one who bears cold, heat, hunger, thirst, the touch of gadfly, mosquito, wind and sun, creeping things, ways of speech that are irksome, unwelcome: he is of a character to bear bodily feelings which, arising, are painful, acute, sharp, shooting, disagreeable, miserable, deadly.
Whereas, monks, if he lacked endurance, the cankers which are destructive and consuming might arise. But because he endures, therefore these cankers which are destructive and consuming are not. These, monks, are called the cankers to be got rid of by endurance.
When we feel sick or when we experience another unpleasant object through one of the senses we may feel sorry for ourselves and complain about it. We give in to aversion and we are apt to put off the development of kusala until we are in more favourable conditions.
Then we overlook the opportunities for the development of kusala which are right at hand: when there are unpleasant objects there is an opportunity to cultivate patience. We all are bound to suffer from hunger and thirst, heat and cold; these things occur in our daily life time and again.
The experience of an unpleasant object through one of the senses is vipaka, the result of kamma, and we cannot avoid vipaka. After the moments of vipaka have fallen away, there are kusala cittas or akusala cittas, depending on whether there is “wise attention” or “unwise attention” to the object. If we see the benefit of patience in all circumstances there are conditions for non-aversion instead of aversion.
When there is mindfulness of aversion it can be known as only a type of nama that has arisen because of its appropriate conditions. At the moment of mindfulness there is non-aversion, adosa, instead of aversion, dosa.
The Dhammapada says:
Hatred is not overcome by hatred
It is overcome by Love
This is the eternal Law.
(Dhammapada 5, cited in Sujiva, 1998)
References
Buddhaghosa, Bhadantacariya, (no date) The Visuddhi Magga, Singapore Buddhist Meditation Centre, Singapore, XIV, 143, p 525.
Mon, Dr. Mehm Tin (1995), “The Essence of Buddha Abhidhamma”, publisher Mehm Tay Zar Mon, Yangon.
Sujiva (1998) Divine Abodes: Meditation on Loving Kindness and other sublime states, Buddhist Wisdom Centre & Sukhi Hotu, Selangor, Malaysia.
Van Gorkom, Nina (1999), “Cetasikas”, Zolag, Part IV, Chapter 29, http://www.vipassana.info/cetasikas31.html, accessed 11 February 2003
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