Welcome to  Watchai

Continue  Last  Page
PEOPLE    AND   SOCIETY
@@@
3.   THE    VIRTUOUS   PERSON
(A member   of  the  noble  society)

    One with the moral virtue or manussa-dhamma (qualities that make one human) who can be right
fully called civilized, conducts himself as follows:
    A. He has threefold sucarita, the three kinds of good or proper conduct:
    1. Kaya-sucarita: righteous bodily conduct; he does not things that are virtuous and proper; he
has good bodily conduct.
   2.  Vaci-sucarita: righteous speech; he says things that are virtuous and proper; he has good verbal conduct.
   3.  Mano-sucarita: righteous mentality; he thinks things that are virteous and proper; he has good mental conduct.
   B. He abides by the noble qualities (ariya-dhamma) by practicing properly according to the ten
courses of wholesome action ( kusala-kamma):
    Three of  the  body:
     1.  Abstaining from killing or taking life, oppression and harassment; possessing kindness, com-
possion and helpfulness.
     2.  Abstaining from filching, theft and exploitation; respecting the property rights of others.
     3.  Abstaining from misconduct and violation of others loved or cherished one,s not abusing them
disgracing or dishonoring their families.
   @ Four  of  speech:
     4.  Abstaining from false speech, lying and deception, speaking only the truth, not intertionally
saying things that stray from the truth out of a desire for personal gain.
     5.  Abstaining from malicious speech inciting one person against another; speaking only words that are conciliatory and conducive to marmony.
    6.   Abstaining from coase, vulgar or damaging speech; speaking only words that are polite and 
pleasant to the ear.
    7.  Abstaining from worthless or frivolous speech; speaking only words that are true, reasonable,
useful and appropiate to the occasion.
  @  Three  of  the  mind:
    8.  Not being greedy, not focusing only or taking, thinking of giving of sacrifice, making the mind
munificent.
    9.  Not thinking hateful and destructive thoughts or having a destructive attitude toward others;
bearing good intentions toward others, spreading, goodwill and aiming for the common good.
   10.  Cultivating Right View (sammaditthi); understanding the law of kamma, that good actions bring good results and bad actions bring bad results; having a thorough grasp of the truth of life and
the world; seeing the faring of things according to cause and conditions.
    These ten qualities are variously known as  kusala-kammapada (wholesome courses of action),
 dhamma-cariya (principles for virtuous living) and ariya-dhamma (noble qualities).    They are a
more detaild destcription of the threefold sucarita mentioned above; namely points 1-3 cover 
rigtheous bodily conduct, 4-7 cover righteous verbal conduct, and 8-10 cover righteous mental 
conduct.
   C. At the very least he observes the five precepts:  the ten
basic principles of conduct given above are a comprehensive description of the moral conduct or
noble qualities through which personal development of body, speech and mind  can be made.  For
those who are not yet from in these noble qualities; however, it is recommended that at least moral
restraint through body and speech should first be developed by observing the five precepts, which
are among the first factors of the ten principles for virtuous living (dhamma-cariya).  The five pre-
cepts are:
   1.  Abstaining from killing not taking life or doing bodily harm.
   2.  Abstaining  from  taking  what is not given not  stealing, pilfering or filching; not violating 
(others) properties.
   3.  Abstaining from sexual misconduct, not violating the loved or cherished one of others, thereby
destroying their honor and dignity and confusing their family lines.
   4.  Abstaining from lying not telling lies or using deceptive speech; not violating other people or
their interests through speech.
   5.  Abstaining from alcohol and intocicants not taking wines, liquor, intocicants or addictives, which are causes for heedlessness and drunkenness, and lead to damage and blunders such as accidents due to lack of mindfulness.  An intocicated person at least threatens the sense of security
and well-being of fellow community members.

4. THE   SOCIAL  BENEFATOR
(A  helpful  member  of  society)

     A constructive member of society possesses the following qualities or principles of conduct:
A.  He has the Divine Abidings, the four mental attributes of a being who is sublime or grand-
minded  like  a good, which are:
   1.  Metta: living kindness: goodwill and amity, the wish to help all people attain benefitr and hap-
piness.
   2.  Karuna: compassion: the desire to help other people escape from their suffering; the determi-
nation to free all beings, both human and animal, of their hardships and happiness.
   3.  Mudita: appreciative gladness: when seeing others happy, one feels grad; when seeing others
do good actions or attain success and advancement, one responds with gladness and is ready to help
and support them.
   4.  Upekkha: equanimity; seeing things as they are with a mind that is even, steady, firm and
fair like a pair of scales; understanding that all beings experience good and evil in accordance with 
the causes they have created; ready to judge, position oneself act in accordance with principles, reason and equity.
     Having established these four mental qualities as a foundation he may express them outwardly in
the following ways:
    B.  He contributes to social harmony: he practices in accordance with the four principles for
helpful integration, or qualities that bond people in unity, known as the sangha-vatthu.  These are:
    1. Dana: giving; being kind, generous; sacrificing; sharing; helping and providing assistance with
the four neccessity, money or material possissions-indluding the imparting of knowledge or unders-
tanding and learning.
   2.  Piyavaca: amicable speech; speaking words that are polite, pleasant to the ear, and helpful,
that point the way to benefit, and that are based on reason and conductive to goodness; or wards that are sympathetic and encouraging; speaking words that lead to understanding harmony; friend-
ship, and mutual love respect and service.
   3.  Atthacariya: helpful action; helping with physical service, making and effort to lend a hand to
others in their activities; performing actions that are helpful to the community; including helping to
resolve problems and promote morality.
   4.  Samanatta: participation; putting oneself in communion with others; behaving consistently
and impartially; behaving equitably toward all people, not taking advantage of them; sharing in their
happiness and suffering, acknowledging problems and participating in resolving them for the com-
mon good.
      In brief, these are to help through comtributions of money, material things or knowledge; to
help through speech; to help through physical action; and to help through participation in facing
and resloving problems.
    5.  THE HARMONIOUS PARTICIPANT OF THE GROUP

(A  good  community  member)

     A useful participant of a community, who contributes to the peaceful co-existence of the commu
nity, posscesses the following qualities or principles of conduct:
A.  Being self-reliant: he makes himself a refure unto himself, he is ready to take responsibility
for himself and does not make himself into a problem or burden on his company or kin.  This can 
be achieved by maintaining the ten protective virtures (nathakarana-dhamma):
   1. Sila: having good conduct and displine, he conducts his life honestly in body and speech; he
has discipline and reans his living through right livehood.
  2. Bahusacca: possessing much experience and learning; he has learned and heard much, he is
well versed in his own field of study or specific area of knowledge, understands it extensively and
profoundly knows it clearly and can really put it to use.
  3.  Kanyanamitta: knowing good assiciation; he has good friends he know how to choose his companions, and approaches those people who are capable of giving good advice; he chooses to associate with and emulate beneficial external influences in sociaty that will guide his life to properi
ty and growth.
   4. Sovacassata: being easily spoken to; he is not stubborn or head strong; he is willing to listen to
reason and facts, and ready to correct and improve himself.
  5.  Kinkaraniyesu dakkhata:  making an effort with the group,s activities; he takes an interest in
helping the business and activities of the group, his family, friends, and the community, and uses his
wisdom to look forappropriate ways to carry them out, to organize them and bring them to fruition.
  6. Dhammakamata: being alover of truth; he is a lover of truth, he likes to learn, to research, to
inquire knowledge and seek the truth; he knows how to speak up and ask, and to listen; he has a 
friendly and relaxed manner that encourages others to approach him for consultation and conversa-
tion.
    7.  Viriyarambha: having effort; he is industrious in avoiding and abandoning evil actions and
cultivating the good; he makes an effort and strives forward; he does not given up in neglect or for-
sake his duties and responsibilities.
   8.  Santutthi: being conten, knowing moderation; he is glad and contented only with gains, results and successes brought about or achieved rightfully through his own efforts, he is not caught
up in material comforts.
   9.  Sati: having firm mindfulness; he remembers and is mindful; he recollects what he has done
and said and what he needs to do in the future, he is circomspect and restrained with whatever he 
does not rushed, sloppy, absentminded or reckless; he does not allow himself to slide into wrongful
ways or fail to seize an apportunity to do good.
  10.  Panna: putting head over heart; he has the wisdom to see causes and results; he knows right
from wrong, benefit from harm and what is useful from what is not he sees all things as they are; he
knows how to examine and judge with a free mind; he does things with reflection and discernment.
    B.  Living harmoniously in the group: in regard to relations with colleagues, associates, fellow
comunity members and siblings in the family, the principles for harmony known as the six saraniya
dhamma (conditions leading to mutual recorrection) should be observed as follows:
   1.  Metta-kayakhamma: friendly action; (members of the comunity) each show friendliness and
good will to their colleagues, associates and fellow comunity members by willingly helping them in
their duties, and bearing a courteous and respectful manner, both in their presnce and in their absence.
   2.  Metta-vacikamma: friendly speech; they each inform the others what is of benefit, they teach
or advise them with a heart of goodwill; the say only polite and respectful words to them, both in 
their presence and in their absence.
 
 

Continues next  time. Thank you  so  much.
 
 

Click   Blak  Click  Main

( May,  5, 2008)