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Perhaps more clearly, can avijja paccaya tanha by doing so without the involvement of sankhara, vinnana, namarupa, salayatana, phassa and vedana? Can tanha also paccaya avijja likewise?
Not trying to be difficult here or to cause trouble, but this is an example of how difficult it is to resolve certain kamma issues.
Suppose there is a train driver driving a train along a track. He comes to a fork in the tracks with the possibility of going down two different routes. In each of the two forks, unfortunately there is a known Arahant monk in the community. Should the train driver hit the Arahant on the left track, or the one on the right track? Or should he derail the train altogether, killing himself and hundreds of passengers on the train, causing much grief and lamentation to their surviving families?
It could be argued that the Arahants’ deaths would be a final release for them from suffering and thus would not matter much for them. But death would not be a final release for the hundreds of people on the train, and could cause much further suffering down the road. Furthermore, to the train driver, would hitting one Arahant in order to save another Arahant be considered an anantariya akusala kamma?
In the case of whether or not to put parents on life support, I view it as seizing the opportunity to save and preserve the lives of the parents. It should be a kusala kamma. Please correct me if you think I am wrong.
Thanks to Lal, Akvan and Seng Kiat for your responses.
In one of the suttas, I think, The Buddha and Venerable Ananda personally tended to a sick monk who was covered in his own waste, because none of the other monks wanted to get near him. (This is just one of the many reasons why I deeply love and revere The Buddha so much!)
In such a case, the intention was to relieve a man of his sufferings, and not at all a quest to avoid dukha vedana or to seek sukha vedana. It was also not an activity to maintain the lives of The Buddha Himself or Ananda. Would The Buddha and Ananda experience sankhara dukkha for this act?
Would the effects of this action bring different results for the Buddha and Ananda, who was not yet an Arahant at that time? I am thinking that the Buddha did an act that was neither kusala nor akusala for Him, since he had no more defilements to remove, and could not commit an akusala act. As for Ananda, I think that it was a kusala kamma act for him.
Do people who help others out of kindness experience anicca, dukkha and anatta? Even if they are not seeking sensual or jhanic pleasures?
For example, compassionate doctors who help sick patients for free or at a greatly reduced price sometimes lose their patients to death. Are anicca, dukkha and anatta inherent even in helpful, compassionate and moral activities, as long as they are done in an imperfect, samsaric world?
Thanks so much again in advance to Lal, for your answers to my questions. I know I have been asking many questions of late, and I hope that it does not take too much of a toll on you. Please take care, Lal!
Thank you Lal for your explanation.
I am very glad I possibly “stopped arising of suffering in future rebirths” from that incident.
Sometimes we retaliate angrily out of perceived cultural norms that we should defend our honour or to save ‘face’. For example, in certain societies, there is a culture of honour in which slights to one’s pride should be avenged, if my knowledge of my university psychology textbook materials is still accurate.
Then there are other societies in which it is important to save ‘face’.
These expectations may even be so ingrained in us that we unconsciously see them as our very own personal expectations.
However all these cultural norms and expectations pale in comparison to the Buddha’s wisdom in advising us to restrain immoral thoughts and refrain from carrying out immoral actions of mind, speech and body. It is not cowardly, but indeed very wise, to avoid needless escalation of conflicts that could give rise to future bad kamma vipaka.
Indeed, the Buddha is an extremely knowledgeable and competent psychologist, therapist and emotional ‘doctor’. He is certainly one of the best, if not the best, out there in addressing the root causes of suffering.
Even non-Buddhists, I feel, would do well to learn from His teachings on how to reduce suffering. They may ignore the more supramundane parts of His teachings, if they are not yet ready or are unwilling to accept those aspects of His teachings. But it is an undeniable fact that His teachings would be very helpful to anyone who is distressed about life.
Of course, they may also need to supplement the Buddha’s teachings with other forms of therapy that are specifically adapted to their unique situations and needs.
Let me summarise what I think I understand so far.
Dukha vedana (unpleasant feelings) give rise to dukkha dukkha (the suffering of suffering).
Sukha vedana (pleasant feelings) give rise to viparinama dukkha (the suffering of change), since they are subject to unexpected change while in existence, as well as subject to decay and passing away, while the sentient being who has not attained at least Arahanthood craves for it to continue indefinitely. Such a sentient being may also get bored or accustomed to the sukha vedana, and require more and more of it, or at least a different type of it to attain the same level of mundane or jhanic satisfaction.
When sentient beings strive to avoid dukha vedana and prolong sukha vedana as much as possible, they engage in sankhara dukkha (the suffering of burdensome activities). For example, they work strenuously at jobs in order to have enough money to splurge on sensual pleasures or to maintain their pride, status, power, beauty, wealth, etc. They think up elaborate plans to achieve their mundane goals such as how to obtain prestigious jobs, have a wonderful house in an esteemed neighbourhood, etc.
One question is: Do activities to maintain our health and daily lives count as sankhara dukkha? For example, is exercise to maintain our health a form of sankhara dukkha? What about brushing the teeth, showering and eating?
I understand that in order to have cooked food on our dinner tables, it is necessary to go grocery shopping, pay for the purchases, wash and cook the food, and clean up after the meals, etc. But what about the mere act of eating? There is surely effort involved, even if it is very minor.
This is for me to understand whether the Buddha Himself was subjected to sankhara dukkha. For example, when He suffered from bodily aches and pain due to previous vipaka, might he have continually changed His position or posture to lessen the pain? Would that be considered a form of sankhara dukkha?
The Buddha needed to eat to continue to live. When going round on his alms round to obtain alms food, would that be considered a form of sankhara dukkha?
Thank you very much in advance, Lal, for your answers to my question. They will be invaluable in helping me to contemplate more deeply on dukkha.
Just yesterday at the time of this writing, I was on an MRT (our country’s subway) train. I offered my seat to an elderly passenger who was standing, thinking that he needed the seat more than I did. What did I get in return? He made biting remarks: ‘You think I need a seat ah (ah is one of our country’s slang words which can mean irony or sarcasm)? Stupid!’
I think he felt offended that I thought him frail enough to be in need of a seat, and retaliated by calling me a fool in public.
In the past, I would have felt very hurt and angry, and started a mental tirade against him in my mind. ‘How could he say that to me in public! Doesn’t he realize that that word was insulting and humiliating? What a rude man! And after me just wanting to offer him something in kindness! How ungrateful and unkind!’ (Now I hope of course that that man does not come to read these words; they are only meant for the rest who could derive some benefit from this post).
However, when it happened yesterday, I felt strangely calm and not in the least bit angry. I just accepted the insult nonchalantly and went back to my seat. I did not wish to retaliate and was not in the least bit vengeful. It was as though what just happened was not sufficient to arouse anger in me.
This was a moment of revelation for me. When anger did not arise in me, I felt peaceful. Had I seethed with anger, my day would have been ruined and my mood would have turned dark and bitter. I would likely have set up more akusala kamma by committing bad abhisankhara. Indeed this is one of the ways that beings get trapped deeper and deeper in samsara. They receive bad vipaka, which triggers their gathi to commit even more akusala kamma in anger or retaliation, and reinforces their bad gathi, which further bind them to samsara.
Now I am far from being an Arahant or even an Anagami. In fact, I am not even a Sotapanna and doubt if I could be a Sotapanna Anugami (at least I am confused about the difference between a Sotapanna and a Sotapanna Anugami). I can still feel strong anger when confronted with other matters.
It could be that Lal’s posts have helped me change. After reading about paticca samupadda, anicca, dukkha and anatta, the refuttation of the Buddha about the beliefs of self and non-self, I believe that I have come to adopt a happier and healthier attitude towards life. At least I can strive for meaning in an existence of meaninglessness, by trying to set up the conditions to escape samsara in this life. Thank you so much, Lal, for all your efforts!
When major (or many minor) bad things happen to those of us who believe in kamma, it is all too easy to feel bad about ourselves. We may think that we have done something terrible in past lives to warrant receiving such bad vipaka.
However, we have all probably been kings, politicians, judges, teachers, or parents in past lives who needed to pass harsh judgements and condemnations against those who had committed wrongdoings. This world is full of hidden dukkha, and even the very act of trying to protect the good and instill good moral values in people may mean that various akusala kamma may be committed, together wiith some kusala kamma. After all, we are not fully enlightened Buddhas who do not commit a single iota of akusala kamma after attaining Nirvana. And the remnants of these unfortunate akusala kamma can manifest their vipaka in different ways, when there are suitable conditions in place.
So please never feel guilty about receiving bad vipaka. Instead do use them as lessons to arrive at niramisa sukha, by realizing that we do not have to take them too personally, just like what Aniduan did. And I sincerely hope that I do not receive bad kamma vipaka for posting this,since some of my posts may upset certain readers unintentionally.
The metta, karuna and mudita contemplations ultimately have all sentient beings as their targets. However, I believe that it is beneficial to start off with the self as the initial target. This is to ensure that there is some depth and a proper foundation to the contemplations.
For we cannot really wish beneficial things to others without first wishing the same things to ourselves.
Hi Eric,
I am not a professional psychologist, but I hope my suggestions can help.
Before comprehending Tilakkhana, you need to set up the proper background, as Lal has said.
It is a good idea to stay away from doing dasa akusala. Furthermore, you may need to ponder more deeply about why you are doing some of the things you do. Do you have any deep-seated anger, guilt or feelings of worthlessness directed towards yourself?
If you have any unresolved issues from the past, you may need to keep a journal in which to record down your thoughts. When and under what conditions do you feel most depressed? Look out for recurring patterns in order to forewarn you of any potential relapse.
You can contemplate on metta, karuna and mudita too.
In the case of metta contemplation, you may start off by genuinely wishing that you will be happy. Sincerely feel happiness well up in you. Maybe you can recall back to a time in the past when you were genuinely and deeply happy, if that helps. Cultivate good thoughts of loving-kindness, generosity, wise faith in the Dhamma, and so on.
In the case of karuna, you may sincerely wish that you were free of suffering and its causes. Imagine your sadness ebb away from you, leaving your body in a dark cloud, or whichever imagery works well for you. But at first, it may be a good idea not to dwell too long on negative feelings. Remember the Buddha said to suppress any defiled thoughts not yet risen and to stop any defiled thoughts already risen.
As for mudita, whenever you perform a kusala kamma, such as helping others or giving to the needy, take a moment to rejoice in the merits gained. Think of any possible, beneficial reverberating effects of your good deeds.
Do not rush this. The process will take some time. May you be well and happy!
Thanks to Seng Kiat too!
Seng Kiat, you deserve a special mention for helping out at the forum (as the moderator?)
Thank you so much for your precious help, so that we have such a nice community to come to, in order to pose our questions!
Thank you so much to Lal and Akvan for your participation here.
I wanted to pose further questions with my thanks but I had a hard time formulating them, and the days kept slipping by. When I am ready, I will be back with more questions.
In the meantime, you have my appreciation and gratitude!
Siebe said: ‘Becoming so concerned with not creating suffering to oneself and others, that itself is a kind of suffering, a burden.’
Siebe, when one develops intense compassion and wishes for the welfare of all sentient beings, it will be an even much greater burden not to be concerned with relieving the suffering of oneself and others.
Ways we can deepen our compassion for other sentient beings would be to realize that throughout this beginningless samsaric cycle, all sentient beings are likely to have been our father, mother or other close relative whom we had cared deeply for at one time or other. They would probably have taken great care of us, and suffered when we suffered, etc.
We can also imagine that when someone is hurt by our actions or words, we could very well have been at the receiving end of such hurt had circumstances changed. Just as we very much would not like to be hurt, in just the same way, other sentient beings, too, would not want to be hurt. Thus we become better able to understand the plight of others.
Due to the anicca, dukkha and anatta nature of samsara, it is inevitable that there will be a burden even when we try to act compassionately. However, when true compassion arises in us, we will gladly undertake this burden without hesitation.
After all, even the Buddha was not able to stop all sufferings of others who were near him. He chose to keep quiet when a butcher was slaughtering pigs next door, so that the butcher would not develop a much greater akusala kamma for bearing ill will towards the Buddha, had the Buddha admonished him against taking lives.
Hence there is much anicca, dukkha and anatta in this world. We should not aim for an ideal perfectness which can never arise. Instead we should make do with what we can. When enough of us do this, we can create astounding changes in this world. However, even then, we should understand that perfectness would still not be realistically attainable.
Siebe, perhaps these situations could be an opportunity for you to contemplate upon anicca, dukkha and anatta?
Thank you so much to everyone for your responses so far.
To Akvan: Yes there are more types of sanna besides anicca, dukkha, anatta. What are the types of sanna that have worked well for you so far, if I may seek your kind advice?
Thank you everyone (Lal, Akvan, y not, Uyap, Embodied) for your responses.
It is a great pleasure to learn from you.
Firewns
