Human Values
by
Ajaan Lee Dhammadharo
(Phra Suddhidhammaransi Gambhiramedhacariya)
Translated from the Thai by
Thanissaro Bhikkhu
Everyone in the world wants justice. To give the worldly justice, we all - no matter what race or values in our hearts. Human values are not a creed or a religion. When people are born into the world, they want justice by their very nature. Sometimes they receive it, sometimes they don”t. This is because there are times when they let inhuman values interfere with human values. When this is the case, these inhuman values prevent them from receiving the justice they desire.
For this reason I would like to point out a way that will help people throughout the world keep their minds in line with human values. Even if we may have lapses from time to time, we”ll still be doing well as long as we can maintain long intervals between the lapses.
1. Have a sense of moderation in your likes and loves for people and objects. Don”t let yourself get carried away to the point of infatuation, causing your behavior with regard to people and objects to go out of bounds. To stumble in this way can - on the level of your conduct - hurt your reputation. On the level of your mind, it can cause you to be deluded and deceived. The results you reap will be sorrow afflicting your heart, all from lacking the human value of moderation.
2. In your interaction with people and objects, don”t let yourself get carried away with anger. Even if people behave in ways that are disagreeable, or if the objects that come your way aren”t what you had hoped for, you should still stop to consider whether those people have at least some good to them, and whether those objects may be of at least some use to you. When you can keep your mind in check in this way, you”ll loosen yourself from the grip of anger and displeasure, so that thoughts of good will can arise within you instead. The result will be that those people will become your friends and allies; the objects you get will be able to serve you in other ways. For instance, suppose you want a chisel but you get a nail. This means that your hopes aren”t fulfilled, but even so the nail can be of use to you in other ways in the future.
In addition, thoughts of good will can foster long-lasting composure and peace of mind. This, then is a human value that should underlie our dealings with one another throughout the world.
3. Be upright and straightforward in all your dealings, behaving toward people behind their backs the same way you would behave to their backs the same way you would behave to their faces. Even when confronted with frightening intimidation, you should make your heart audacious to the proper degree. Too much audacity can cause harm, and the same holds true for beings too timid. For example, if you let yourself become intimidated in your business dealings, your business will suffer. If you”re too reckless or audacious, that too can lead to missteps in your work. Thus you should have a sense of moderation and proportion so that your relationships with people and the various objects in the world will run properly. Only then will you count as having human values.
4. Whatever you do in thought, word, or deed, dealing with people or objects in the world, you should first examine your motivations. Only if they”re sound and reasonable should you listen to them and act in line with them. This will keep you from coming under the sway of delusion. You have to be endowed with the human values of circumspect mindfulness and reasonable discernment. Those who can behave in this way will have friends no matter what social grouping they join. They”ll bring about the growth and development of the various objects they deal with, and will bring progress to themselves and to society a…
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