Blessing Nine:
Artfulness in Usage
Artfulness in Usage
D. ATTAINMENT OF SELF-DISCIPLINE
D.1 Levels of Avoidance
Properly practised, discipline will give rise to self-discipline. Where discipline is the avoidance of unwholesomeness by external means, self-discipline is the avoidance of unwholesomeness by internal means. To distinguish between the two, we identify three different ways in which unwholesomeness can be avoided [virati]:
1. Avoidance on the spur of the moment [sampattavirati]: this is a form of discipline whereby one refrains from unwholesome action or speech spontaneously without having requested any Precepts in advance. If you see a fish washed up on the beach and you decide on the spur of the moment to throw it back into the water out of compassion, rather than killing — this is the sort of avoidance which we call ‘avoidance on the spur of the moment’. Perhaps you would turn in a lost wallet with all of the money instead of keeping it for yourself, for fear of being accused of stealing. Such avoidance of evil occurs as the result of fear and shame of evil or the consequences of evil [hiri-ottappa];
2. Avoidance having requested the Precepts [samadᾱnavirati]: this is a form of discipline whereby one refrains from unwholesome action or speech for fear of breaking Precepts one has previously requested from a monk. Some people simply make a vow to keep the Precepts each day in front of the shrine. Even if someone were to give you a bottle of beer, because you have taken the five precepts that day, you will turn down the offer for fear of breaking your vow;
3. Avoidance through transcending [samuccedavirati]: this is a form of self-discipline whereby one no longer has any temptation to do evil, because the mind has reached a stage of purity and transcendental attainment whereby no unwholesome intention can arise in the mind any more to drive unwholesome speech or action. This is absolute avoidance of evil of the type achieved by those who have attained the stages of Buddhist sainthood.
D.2 Refraining from the Tenfold Path of Unwholesomeness
The result of practising discipline until attaining self–discipline is to remove oneself from the influence of the Tenfold Path of Unwholesomeness [akusaladhammapatha], the first four of which can be recognized as the Four Defilements of Action [kammakilesa]:
1. Killing: e.g. killing people, fishing, hunting and cruelty to animals
2. Stealing: e.g Thieving, mugging, shoplifting, corruption and deceit
3. Committing adultery: unfaithfulness to one’s spouse, rape, pre-marital sex
4. Lying: eg. telling lies, exaggeration, forgery
5. Malicious or divisive gossip: e.g. gossip in a way to turn one person against another, mudslinging
6. Harsh or insulting speech: e.g. name calling, swearing
7. Idle chatter: e.g. purposeless babble, raving, boasting
8. Covetousness: e.g. considering to get something one wants in a dishonest way, coveting others’ possessions
9. Vengeful Thought: e.g. wanting to get revenge or get your own back
10. False View: e.g. thinking good and evil to be nonexistent, thinking you have no debt of gratitude to your parents, thinking death to be the end of the story, not believing in the Law of Karma and to establish oneself in the Tenfold Path of Wholesomeness [kusaladhammapatha]:
1. absolutely not killing.
2. absolutely not stealing
3. absolutely not committing adultery
4. absolutely not lying
5. absolutely not gossiping
6. absolutely not speaking harshly.
7. absolutely not idle chatter
8. absolutely not thinking to take the possession of others
9. absolutely remove yourself from vengefulness.
10. absolutely possession of Right View
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