..續本文上一頁ssing. When one becomes a Buddha, he teaches the experiential aspect of Dhamma.

　　Abstain from sinful actions. How to abstain

　　 Perform good actions. How to perform good actions

　　 Purify the mind. How to purify the mind in its totality

　　 This is where the Buddha made a unique contribution to humanity. He discovered and showed the way to totally purify the mind.

　　The first part is sīla: abstain from sinful actions. Some religious teachers tell people that if they perform sinful actions, they will go to hell. If they abstain from sinful actions, they will go to heaven. Yes, it is true. But there are many who just laugh at it: “Who cares for the next life. Where is hell

　　 Where is heaven

　　 If I enjoy this life, it is good for me.”

　　Then another argument is given. A human being is a social being. One has to live in the society. One has to live with the members of the family. One has to live with others. Even a recluse or a monk or a nun remains in contact with the other members of the society. If one performs any action, which disturbs the peace and harmony of the society, how can one have peace and harmony within oneself

　　 “Yes,” intellectually one starts understanding, “If I ignite fire all around me, I will have to suffer the heat of this fire around me. I will suffer from this heat that I have generated all around.”

　　Yet another explanation is given, often to children:

　　“If someone comes to kill you or someone hits you do you like it

　　”

　　“No, I don”t like it.”

　　“Then if you hit somebody and try to kill somebody, that person won”t like it, will he

　　”

　　“No, that person won”t like it.”

　　“Then you should not do something which you don”t like others to do to you!”

　　“Yes, I should not kill. You are correct.”

　　Similar arguments are presented for all the moral precepts.

　　All these five sīlas are quite acceptable at the logical level, at the rational level, at the intellectual level. Yet people do not lead the life of sīla. They may understand: “I must live a life of sīla. Sīla is so important for me. A life of morality is so good for me, so good for others.” Yet, they do not live a moral life. Why

　　 The Buddha understands it properly. Because one has no control over the mind. One is not the master of one”s own mind.

　　An addict of alcohol knows very well, “I should not take alcohol, alcohol is not good for me.” Yet, when the time comes, he succumbs. He can”t control himself. A gambler knows very well, “I should not gamble, gambling is not good for me.” Yet, when the time comes, he starts gambling. One keeps on performing evil deeds while understanding very well that these are not good for one. This is because one is not the master of one”s own mind. One has become a slave of one”s own unwholesome habit patterns.

　　Therefore, the Buddha teaches the second part of Dhamma: samādhi, mastery over the mind. Again the Buddha”s samādhi differs from that taught by other teachers. He teaches sammā samādhi.

　　All right, one has practised samādhi. One has developed mastery over the mind. One is living a life of sīla and is not performing any unwholesome action that will disturb the peace and harmony of other beings. One has developed samādhi. But if there are impurities in the depth of the mind, anusaya kilesa (sleeping volcanoes of impurities at the deepest level of the mind), one does not know when one of these sleeping volcanoes will erupt. One will again get overpowered by the impurity and will again start living a wrong life.

　　The Bodhisatta Gotama realised this. He practised all the eight jhānas, lokiya-jhānas. He realised that even after perfecting these jhānas, the impurities at a very deep level of the mind were still not eradicated. Unless these deep-rooted impurities are destroyed, one cannot be a liberated person.

　　So he worked for th…

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