..续本文上一页alify us to be heavenly beings. The qualities of heavenly beings, which grow out of human values, will turn us into human beings who are pine in our virtues, for to guard our thoughts, words, and deeds means that we qualify for heaven in this lifetime. This is one aspect of the merit developed by a person who observes the middle level of virtue.

　　3. Uparima-sila: higher virtue, where virtue merges with the Dhamma in the area of mental activity. There are two sides to higher virtue —

　　a. Pahana-kicca: qualities to be abandoned, which are of five sorts —

　　(1) Kamachanda: affection, desire, laxity, infatuation.

　　(2) Byapada: ill will and hatred.

　　(3) Thina-middha: discouragement, drowsiness, sloth.

　　(4) Uddhacca-kukkucca: restlessness and anxiety.

　　(5) Vicikiccha: doubt, uncertainty, indecision.

　　Discussion

　　1. Ill will (byapada) lies at the essence of killing (panatipata), for it causes us to destroy our own goodness and that of others — and when our minds can kill off our own goodness, what”s to keep us from killing other people and animals as well

　　2. Restlessness (uddhacca) lies at the essence of taking what isn”t given (adinnadana). The mind wanders about, taking hold of matters concerning other people, sometimes their good points, sometimes their bad. To fasten onto their good points isn”t too serious, for it can give us at least some nourishment. As long as we”re going to steal other people”s business and make it our own, we might as well take their silver and gold. Their bad points, though, are like trash they”ve thrown away — scraps and bones, with nothing of any substance — and yet even so we let the mind feed on them. To know that other people are possessive of their bad points and guard them well, and yet still to take hold of these things to think about, should be classed as a form of taking what isn”t given.

　　3. Sensual desires (kamachanda) lie at the essence of sensual misconduct. The mind feels an attraction for sensual objects — thoughts of past or future sights, sounds, smells, tastes, or tactile sensations — or for sensual defilements — passion, aversion, or delusion — to the point where we forget ourselves. Mental states such as these can be said to overstep the bounds of propriety in sensual matters.

　　4. Doubt (vicikiccha) lies at the essence of lying. In other words, our minds are unsure, with nothing reliable or true to them. We have no firm principles and so drift along under the influence of all kinds of thoughts and preoccupations.

　　5. Drowsiness (thina-middha) is intoxication — discouragement, dullness, forgetfulness, with no mindfulness or restraint watching over the mind. This is what it means to be drugged or drunk.

　　All of these unskillful qualities are things we should eliminate by training the heart along the lines of:

　　b. Bhavana-kicca: qualities to be developed —

　　1. Mindfulness (sati): Start out by directing your thoughts to an object, such as your in-and-out breathing. Use mindfulness to steady the mind in its object throughout both the in-breath and the out-. Vitakka, this sort of directed thought, is what kills off sensual desires, in that the discipline of mindfulness keeps the mind from slipping off into external objects.

　　2. Vicara: Evaluate and be observant. Be sensitive to whether or not you”ve received a sense of comfort and relaxation from your in- and out-breathing. If not, tend to the breath and adjust it in a variety of ways: e.g., in long and out long, in long and out short, in short and out short, in short and out long, in slow and out slow, in fast and out fast, in gently and out gently, in strong and out strong, in throughout the body and out throughout the body. Adjust the breath until it gives good results to both body and mind, and you”ll be able to kill off feelings of ill wil…

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