The Sanskrit term for spiritual instruction is dharma. Broadly
speaking, it refers to anything that holds one back or saves one
from having to experience suffering and dissatisfaction. According
to the buddhist dharma, all experiences of unhappiness have their
root in deluded or mistaken states of mind. Such attitudes as
jealousy, hatred, craving desire and closed-mindedness
predispose the mind to experience unhappiness both at the time
of their arising and in the future. Motivated by such delusions,
beings like ourselves engage in those actions - from petty lying
and quarrelling to robbery and murder - that bring harm to both,
self and others. All such actions are termed 'unskilful' or
xi
MEANINGFUL TO BEHOLD
'unwholesome' precisely because they bring unwanted suffering
in their wake.
In contrast, there are other states of mind that lead to happiness
and the alleviation of suffering. Compassion, generosity and
equanimity, for example, are all attitudes that bring help instead
of harm and therefore result in experiences of well-being. All
actions motivated by these beneficial attitudes are called 'skilful'
or 'virtuous'. Here virtue does not merely denote goodness but
also power or efficacy (as in 'the virtue of this medicine') for
virtuous actions are those that bring us what we all desire:
experiences of joy and pleasure.
speaking, it refers to anything that holds one back or saves one
from having to experience suffering and dissatisfaction. According
to the buddhist dharma, all experiences of unhappiness have their
root in deluded or mistaken states of mind. Such attitudes as
jealousy, hatred, craving desire and closed-mindedness
predispose the mind to experience unhappiness both at the time
of their arising and in the future. Motivated by such delusions,
beings like ourselves engage in those actions - from petty lying
and quarrelling to robbery and murder - that bring harm to both,
self and others. All such actions are termed 'unskilful' or
xi
MEANINGFUL TO BEHOLD
'unwholesome' precisely because they bring unwanted suffering
in their wake.
In contrast, there are other states of mind that lead to happiness
and the alleviation of suffering. Compassion, generosity and
equanimity, for example, are all attitudes that bring help instead
of harm and therefore result in experiences of well-being. All
actions motivated by these beneficial attitudes are called 'skilful'
or 'virtuous'. Here virtue does not merely denote goodness but
also power or efficacy (as in 'the virtue of this medicine') for
virtuous actions are those that bring us what we all desire:
experiences of joy and pleasure.
No comments:
Post a Comment