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A Buddhist is one who goes for Refuge to the Three Jewels; the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha. We have been exploring just what this means at the Wednesday Class this session. Recently we looked at Ethics, concentrating on the Five Precepts. Our attempts to live out the Precepts can be seen as the point where our spiritual practise meets the world. Dhardo Rimpoche, one of Sangharakshita’s principle teachers, was asked what he wanted the children who attended his school to learn most of all whilst there. His reply was that he hoped that they would learn that “Actions have consequences.” If we recognise that actions have consequences we recognise that we are in relationship to others and effect others. Indeed, just as other people are “other” to us, so we are “other” to them. From this we can see that if something causes us suffering or joy, it is likely to cause the same to someone else. In addition, our actions effect the kind of people we ourselves are. From a Buddhist perspective our responses to situations are determined primarily by how we have responded in the past. This brings us on to the Abhidharmic idea of Cetana. Cetana can be described as our overall flow of active responses to things as they arise. Like most Dharmic words denoting something, it is best regarded as a metaphor rather than as a fixed thing. This overall flow or drive is constantly being changed or reinforced by our actions, and works at both a conscious and unconscious level. Ethical action is an attempt to move this flow in a more skilful direction. Often when we start to practise it can feel as though rapid progress is made and then after a while things become harder. This is the point at which we begin to hit the more resistant habits and hindrances. I am reminded of the title of a recent book by the Buddhist author Jack Kornfield; “After the Ecstasy the Laundry”. By acting ethically we slowly but surely begin to move the flow of our actions in a more skilful direction. As the verses of the Dharmapada say; “Those who make channels for waters control the waters, Makers of arrows make the arrows straight, Carpenters control their timber And the wise control their minds.” To act ethically we have to be mindful. Without mindfulness we continue acting in habitual ways, however, with mindfulness there is a chance we can catch ourselves before acting and consider what the most ethically positive response is. This is not easy and often we can find blind-spots in our experience. It is useful at times to review how we have acted over a day and to look at the nuances of behaviour. Buddhist ethical principles, the Precepts, represent how an enlightened being would act. They are taken on as training principles in that ethical life is a working ground of change, hopefully for the better. The Precepts have two aspect; the training in the not doing of something and the training in the doing of something. The positive counterparts are the antidotes to the negative ones. For example the second precept - “Adinnadana Veramani Sikkhapadan Samadiyami.” “I undertake to abstain from taking the not-given.” is balanced with the precept - “With open handed generosity, I purify my body.” Generally speaking, it is best to concentrate on the positive precept as, for example, if one is acting with a spirit of generosity one is less likely to take the not given. As the precepts are based on how the Buddha would act, then as we act more and more ethically we begin to move closer to a sense of who the Buddha is. We also develop a greater sense of empathy and less of a sense of isolation from others. Like all the Buddha’s teachings, ultimately the proof of this is learned through experience. [contents] [top] [print] | ||||