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'THE
BUDDHIST HOUR'
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Hillside
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Hillside
Radio Broadcast 113 There are at least two unwholesome mental states that we have to remove if we want to obtain happiness. One of these is the unwholesome mental state that is a sense of purposelessness (madhurakajato) which undermines one’s motivation and the zeal and effort that are necessary for proper practice. The second unwholesome state is mental confusion (ma na pakkhayanti dhamma) which makes it impossible to see things clearly and accurately. If we will not or cannot weaken or remove these two states, we have no chance of making happiness. It is difficult for many persons to accept that for some persons who have only a short time to live that there is insufficient time for them to make enough merit and apply it to remedy or reduce these two states before they pass away. This is not unfair, it is just the way life is for some persons. Just recently, on 7 November 2000 the Melbourne Cup was run. The winner was not the favourite but an outsider where you could get 15 to one. Obviously, the young jockey rider and owner were pleased. If we had a very average punter that day and you saw this outsider winning would you be upset? If we are upset we are not happy. In the Cunda Sutta of the Samyutta Nikaya (S V 161-3), Ananda states to the Buddha that he has been discouraged and confused on learning the news that Sariputta has died. The Buddha teaches Ananda that with his death Sariputta has not taken away either the practice of the Path that leads to liberation (morality, concentration, wisdom) or the possibility of liberation through knowledge and vision. The Buddha advised Ananda not to give in to depression and sorrow when someone dies, because this is inevitably inherent in the impermanent nature of things, but to dwell with himself and the Dhamma as an island and refuge. This is defined as the practice of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness. (Buddhist Studies Review, 2000). If we lose a respected teacher or loved one the unwholesome states of purposelessness and confusion are likely to arise. But we should not allow ourselves to be discouraged and confused, what it means is that you have to rely on yourself and the Dhamma as a refuge. We have to let go of attachment; it causes unhappiness because of the impermanent nature of things. To answer the question if you can ‘make’ your own happiness, how do you define ‘make’? The Oxford English Dictionary defines one meaning of the word ‘make’ as “produced by combination of parts or ingredients”. Stuff like happiness does not appear as a single ‘something’ without learning an object. We may be happy to see clear skies if floods were present because this could indicate rain was not imminent or we might be happy to see clouds in the sky suggesting rain was imminent if we were a farmer under drought conditions. The cloud per se is not the cause of our happiness; but rather the anticipation of something we wish for. We are happy when we get what we want. If we are crazy and want low things such as pain and suffering, these are easy to get because we do not have to do anything smart in particular to achieve pain or confusion. Just getting drunk is enough to do this. Anathapindika was the great benefactor of the Buddha who built a great monastery on forest land he paid for with stacks of gold coins as long as the length of the land frontage. Anathapindika then spent another eighteen million for buildings and furnishings. He built individual cells, a meeting hall, a dining hall, storerooms, walkways, latrines, wells, and lotus ponds for bathing as well as a large surrounding wall. Thus the forest glade was transformed into a monastery and stood apart as a religious sanctuary. Some of the reasons Anathapindika was able to achieve this was his unswerving commitment to observing the precepts, purity of mind and the endeavour to influence those around him towards good. We cannot make something from a single action or cause - multiple causes are needed to produce compounded benefits. The Four Kinds of Happiness for a Householder, kamabhogi-sukha: 1. Atthi-sukha The happiness of possessing wealth; the pride, satisfaction and security of having wealth, rightfully acquired through the sweat of his or her own brow and the strength of his or her own arms. 2. Bhoga-sukha The happiness of spending wealth, rightfully gained, for the support of himself, his or her family and his or her dependents and for good causes. 3. Anana-sukha The happiness of freedom from debt; the pride and satisfaction of knowing he or she is free, not indebted to anybody. 4. Anavajja-sukha The happiness of blameless conduct; the pride and satisfaction of knowing that he or she has acted honestly, faultlessly and blamelessly in body, speech and mind. Of these four kinds of happiness, the last is said to be most valuable. If we look at the Dhamma supply management chain model we can see that it is not enough to help only ourselves. We must help many other persons, and then the kammic result will be that help from other persons will come to us in the future. If we do not make multiple causes in the Dhamma supply management chain by helping others and only help ourselves, nobody will help us in the future. So, if we want to be happy, we must first give happiness to others. This is the way to make your own happiness. The Oxford Dictionary defines happiness as 1. good fortune, success, 2. pleasant appropriateness, felicity, 3. deep pleasure in, or contentment with, one’s circumstances. Happiness defined as fortune or circumstance implies that one cannot make causes towards their own happiness, as by definition it is something outside a person’s actions, however happiness has nothing to do with luck or being in the right place at the right time. For 2,500 years, Buddha Dhamma has helped people understand the causes for personal happiness. Buddha Dhamma is relevant, practical and timeless. Understanding of the causes of our happiness and our misfortunes, our joys and our sorrows, our triumphs and our defeats is found in the doctrine of Karma. The contemplation of the law of kamma is one of the five things the Buddha advises us to contemplate every day. These contemplations are: (Dhammavuddho Thero, 2000): “I am of the nature to age, I have not gone beyond ageing.” “I am of the nature to sicken, I have not gone beyond sickening.” “I am of the nature to die, I have not gone beyond dying.” “All that is mine, beloved and pleasing, will become otherwise, will become separated from me.” The fifth contemplation is that kamma is supporting us, and that we will inherit the result of kamma. We shall chant this statement of the law of kamma: I am the owner of my
Karma So if we are simply the result of our past action does this mean we can use karma as an excuse for our misfortunes? It is the way we use our minds that determines everything that happens to us, the good and the bad. So the understanding and the cultivation of our minds is the underpinning of Buddhist practice. In the Buddhist texts the word that is used for mind cultivation is bhavana, in the West this word has been wrongly translated as meditation. Meditation is important but it is only one aspect of the total process. The practice of meditation is one eighth of the Eightfold Path. Another important part of this process is sila or morality. To learn Buddha Dhamma a minimum of five precepts need to be held. They are: 1. I undertake the rule of training to refrain from destroying living creatures 2. I undertake the rule of training to refrain from taking what is not freely given 3. I undertake the rule of training to refrain from wrong conduct in sexual pleasures 4. I undertake the rule of training to refrain from false speech 5. I undertake the rule of training to refrain from distilled and fermented intoxicants which are the occasion for carelessness How am I meant to keep the precepts, you ask. Of course it cannot be denied that it is difficult to keep the precepts, yet this is the only way to happiness. How do we train ourselves to practice sila? Practice of the five precepts means catching yourself about to break a precept, and then using volition to change your mind away from that action, and in accordance with the relevant precept. It would be seen that the five strands of pleasure are merely particular types of forms, sounds, smells, tastes and tangibles, and are included in the six external bases. Thus, delight and passion would be found in the five strands of pleasure, and these are found among the six external bases. Delight and passion constitute equivalents of taking-up. However, it is not possible to conceive of delight and passion in the absence of craving. One craves for an external base and, then, finds delight and passion, that is, vehement happiness in it over and over again, in the attachment to it. Thus, craving is structurally prior to delight and passion. Thus, depending on craving for the six external bases, delighting in, and passion for, the five strands of pleasure arise. Therefore, depending on craving for the six external bases, taking-up of the five strands of pleasure arises. Depending on the taking-up of the five strands of pleasure, taking-up of pleasure arises. The relationship between craving and taking-up of views Worldlings may speculate about all kinds of things and form various views concerning them. For example, with regard to existence, there are two extreme views, which are the view of eternalism and view of annihilationism. However, whatever kinds of views that may arise have necessarily to be based on the six external bases. This is because, there is nothing else available to have views about. Therefore, fundamentally, views have to be views about forms, sounds, smells, tastes, tangibles, and images of these. The formation of various views about the six external bases is indicative of delight in, and passion for, the six external bases. Otherwise, one would not bother to be involved in forming various views about them. Formation of views in regard to the six external bases is part and parcel of finding passionate delight in them. Delight and passion constitute equivalents of taking-up. However, there is no delight and passion in the absence of craving. It is in the best interests of all Members to become involved in the maintenance and preservation of the John D. Hughes Collection. For it is a space where happiness abounds. As Robert Burton pointed out in 1621: “I no sooner come into the library, but I bolt the door to me, excluding lust, avarice, and all such vices, whose nurse is idleness, the mother of ignorance, and melancholy herself, and in the very lap of eternity, amongst so many divine souls, I take my seat, with so lofty a spirit and sweet content that I pity all our great ones and rich men that I know not this happiness”. The authors and editors of this script are John D. Hughes, Pennie White, Evelin Halls, Leanne Eames. Disclaimer:
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References Hammalawa Saddhatissa, 1999, He Honours Me Best Who Practises My Teaching Best, Penang Malaysia; Inward Path Publisher. 1. Hecker, Hellmuth. 1986. Anathapindika - the Great Benefactor. The Wheel Publication No. 334, Buddhist Publication Society, Sri Lanka. 2. Dhammavuddho Thero. 2000. Only we can help ourselves. Inward Path, Penang, Malaysia. 3. Webb, Russell (editor). 2000. Buddhist Studies Review. Linh-So’n Buddhist Association, London, p. 27. For more information, contact the Centre or better still, come and visit us. |
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