Last week I was reintroduced to the Buddhist teachings at the Chinook Center, home of the Whibey Institute.
It was quiet and peaceful there in the soft rain at an old farm converted to a retreat center in the woods.
That quietness alone was a welcome contrast to the hurley-burley of events that swirl continuously in our 'normal' lives! International events & intrigues, National elections & scandals, Local issues & propaganda all tend to sap one's spirit & strength after prolonged immersion in them.
I was ready for a break from all that 'stuff' and it helped me to reassess what is truly important in this life.
Whether one considers themselves a Buddhist, Christian, Muslim, atheist, agnostic or something else is not really that important, as long as certain guiding principles are in one's mind as worthy of practice.
But, just knowing or claiming belief in such concepts is only one step in the direction of right action, and it is the action -along with the intent- that impacts ourselves and others, isn't it?
And, it ain't easy, even if one subscribes to a decent set of principles!
The main attraction that got me to the Chinook Center was the guest speaker, Adzom Rinpoche, one of the greatest living teachers currently residing in Tibet.
There, among incredible hardship, this enlightened human being is constantly doing remarkable things to help people amid problems that we can only imagine.
And yet, this man -Adzom Rinpoche- retains a lightness of spirit and palpable caring that is as truly refreshing as it is inspiring.
My takeaway message was that I need to get way more serious about what is important in this life, and with that in mind, I'm using today's blog on that subject.
Not a lot of original stuff here; mostly off the Internet.
But when you think of it, it's pretty well aligned with the Boy Scout Oath I came to know many years ago:
Scout Oath (or Promise)
On my honor I will do my best
To do my duty to God and my country
and to obey the Scout Law;
To help other people at all times;
To keep myself physically strong,
mentally awake, and morally straight.
No one has to read the rest of this -or any of it for that matter- but I must write it before hitting the road for a while.
So, here goes...
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My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.
-His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama
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Q: What are the ten virtuous acts spoken of in Buddhism?
A: Three concern the body: one must not kill, steal, or engage in sexual misconduct.
Four others are verbal: do not lie, defame others, speak offensive words, or engage in frivolous conversation, which relates to everything that might be said under the influence of afflicting emotions.
Finally, the last three virtuous acts are of a mental nature: do not develop covetousness or malice and, finally, do not hold false or perverted views, such as the extreme view, close to nihilism, which totally denies spiritual perfection.
What we mean by "erroneous views" generally includes absolutist, eternalist, and nihilistic views.
But in the context of the ten virtuous acts, only nihilistic views are implicated.
It is therefore on the basis of a lifestyle disciplined by ethics that one abstains from committing the contrary acts, the ten non-virtuous acts.
When faced with a situation where you might possibly commit such negative acts, you abstain from committing them.
A life rooted in ethics has at its foundation the abandonment of the ten non-virtues in favour of the practice of their opposites.
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The Ten Non-virtuous Deeds
A misdeed may consist up to four steps. The severity of the misdeed depends on number of steps done and the effort expended at each step.
• Premeditation in thoughts, "I will do this misdeed."
• The deliberate engagement in the act and pursing it with effort (planning to carry out the act).
• Performing the act.
• Rejoice and without regrets after the act.
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I. Three physical misdeeds
1. Killing, the taking of life
2. Stealing, Taking which is not given
3. Sexual Misconduct
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II. Four verbal misdeeds
1. Lying, stating something which is untrue.
2. Instigation, speech which cause division between friends, relatives, etc.
3. Gossip,
4. Harsh words
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III. Three mental misdeeds
1. Covetousness
2. Ill will
3. Wrong Views
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1. Killing, taking of life.
1. There are three type of killing corresponding to the three poisons.
• Killing resulting from desire (Killing living beings because the desire for their possessions such as killing an animal for its meat).
• Killing resulting from anger (Murder because of ill intention).
• Killing resulting from delusion (Kill without intention such as accidentally stepping on ants).
2. The consequences of killing
• When the fruit of ill-karma ripens, the killer will likely be reborn as hungry ghost if he killed out of desire. The killer will likely be rebound in hell if he killed out anger. The killer will most likely rebound as animal if he killed out of delusion.
• Even if the killer is reborn as human in the next life, the killer will have shorten life span and numerous sicknesses. This is consequence of the "dominate action" of killing in the current life.
• In future lives, the killer will again take delight in the act of killing because of the killer's current habitual tendency.
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2. Stealing, taking another person's possession without permission.
1. Type of stealing
• Stealing through force (robbery)
• Stealing through concealment
• Stealing through deceit ("cooking the books").
2. The consequence of the act of stealing
• When fruit of ill-karma ripens, the perpetrator reborn into the three lower realms depending on the severity of the theft.
• If reborn as human being, the perpetrator will have few possessions and be frequently victimized by thievery and robbery. The consequence of having committing the nonvirtuous act in the previous life.
• In the future lives, perpetrator will again take delight in taking what is not given as result from his current habitual tendency.
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3. Sexual Misconduct, the act of engage in intercourse with an object of desire with whom one has no authority to do so.
1. Types of sexual misconduct.
• Intercourse with Improper person
• One should not have intercourse with someone under a king's guardianship, such as his queen.
• One should not have intercourse with someone prohibited by the law.
• One should not have intercourse with someone under the parental guardianship (someone is under parental guardianship when residing in his/her parents' home).
• One should not have intercourse with someone (e.g., a relative) which is morally indecent.
• One should not have intercourse with someone under the guardianship of the sacred Dharma such as a monk/nun.
• One should not perform masturbation.
• (Under the following circumstances, intercourse with one's rightful spouse is sexual misconduct)
• Intercourse at inappropriate time: One should not have intercourse at inappropriate time such as during daylight hours, on the night of full moon, on the night of new moon and on the eighth day of each lunar month.
• Intercourse at inappropriate location: One should not have intercourse at inappropriate location such as in the presence of a shrine for the three jewels.
• One should not have intercourse at an inappropriate orifice.
2. The consequence of sexual misconduct
• With ripening of ill karma, perpetrator is reborn into the lower three realms. Even perpetrator takes rebirth in the higher realm, the perpetrator and his spouse will be in disharmony (fighting, etc.).
• The offender's helpers, spouses, etc. in future lives will be unresponsive and show signs of ingratitude.
• In future lives, the offender will continue to take pleasure in sexual misconduct. This is consequence of offender's tendency for sexual misconduct developed in the current life.
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4. Lying, stating something that is untrue.
1. Type of Lying
• Lies that neither benefit nor harm.
• Lies that do benefit or harm such as benefiting one person while harming another.
• Lies of having achieving religious attainment when one has not.
2. The consequences of lying
• When the ill-karma ripens, the perpetrator fall into lower three realms (depending on severity of transgressions).
• Even if reborn as human being, other people will find the perpetrator to be verbally unpersuasive. The consequence of having telling falsehood in the current life.
• In future lives, the perpetrator would again take delight in telling lies.
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5. Divisive talk, to incite division between friends through speech.
1. Type of Divisive talk
• Public divisible talk, speaking directly to someone's face.
• Indirect divisive talk by hinting or leading in roundabout way.
• Private divisive talk by talking to other individually.
2. The consequences of divisive talk
• When the ill-karma ripens, the offender reborn into the three lower realm (the destination is dependent on severity of transgression).
• Even if reborn as a human, one will have few friends and many argument in future lives. He/she will always have many regrets and be disliked by everyone. The person's words will not be trusted.
• In future lives, the perpetrator will take delight in divisive talk again because of the habitual tendency developed in the current life.
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6. Idle gossip
1. Type of Idle Gossip
• shamanistic incantation.
• storytelling and word games
• bantering conversion.
2. The consequences of Idle Gossip
• When the ill-karma ripens, the offender reborn into the three lower realms
• If reborn as human being, the offender's speech will be undignified, babbling and unconnected.
• In future lives, the offender will take pleasure in idle gossip again because of the habitual tendency to engage in idle gossip in the current life.
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7. Harsh words
1. Type of Harsh words
• Verbally exposing someone's faults in public
• Hurting someone indirectly
• Verbally spreading information in private that will hurt another person.
2. The consequence of harsh words
• When the ill-karma ripens, the offender is reborn in the three lower realms.
• If reborn as human being, the offender's speech will be offensive to other and will always aggravate them.
• In future lives, the offender will be fond of speaking harsh words because of the habitual tendency developed in the current life.
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8. Covetousness
1. Type of Covetousness
• Refraining from giving away your own possession.
• Desiring to make other's possession belong to yourself.
• Attachment to something excellent that belongs to neither oneself nor others.
2. The Consequences of Covetousness
• When the ill-karma ripens, the offender is reborn into three lower realm
• If reborn as human being, the offender will be born in unpleasant area where there is hunger and thirst.
• In the future lives, the offender will take pleasure in covetousness again because of the habitual tendency developed in the current life.
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9. Ill will, attitude of hostility
1. Types of Ill-will
• Ill-will resulting from anger
• Ill-will resulting from resentment
• Ill-will resulting from jealousy
2. The consequences of Ill-will
• When the ill-karma ripens, the offender is reborn into the lower three realms.
• If reborn as human beings, others would unjustifiably hostile toward the offender. The offender will also constantly have enemies and dealing with lawsuits.
• In future lives, the offender will develop a malicious frame of mind.
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10. Wrong view
1. Types of wrong view
• holding non-buddhist beliefs of eternalism or nihilism.
• wrong view of holding a rule or ritual to be paramount such as "asceticism of dogs and chickens."
• wrong view of holding the belief of the "transitory collection."
2. The consequences of wrong view
• When the ill-karma ripens, the offender is reborn in three lower realms
• If reborn as human being, the offender would be born into area governed by uncivilized tribe and the offender would not even hear the name of three jewels.
• The habitual tendencies of holding wrong view will solidify, and the offender will enjoy fond of holding wrong view in future lives.
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The Three Poisons:
• Desire - Rooster
• Hatred - Snake
• Ignorance - Pig
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