|
Once the Buddha told his monks the following story (Satipatthana
Samyutta, No. 19):
There was
once a pair of jugglers who performed their acrobatic
feats on a bamboo pole. One day the master said to his
apprentice: "Now get on my shoulders and climb up the
bamboo pole." When the apprentice had done so, the
master said: "Now protect me well and I shall protect
you! By protecting and watching each other in that way,
we shall be able to show our skill, make a good profit
and safely get down from the bamboo pole." But the
apprentice said: "Not so, master! You, O master, should
protect yourself, and I too shall protect myself. Thus
self-protected and self-guarded we shall safely do our
feats."
This is the
right way," said the Blessed One and spoke further as
follows:
"It is just
as the apprentice said: 'I shall protect myself' — in
that way the foundations of mindfulness (satipatthana)
should be practiced. 'I shall protect others' — in that
way the foundations of mindfulness should be practiced.
Protecting oneself, one protects others; protecting
others, one protects oneself.
"And how
does one, in protecting oneself, protect others? By the
repeated and frequent practice of meditation
(asevanaya bhavanaya bahulikammena).
"And how
does one, in protecting others, protect oneself? By
patience and forbearance, by a non-violent and harmless
life, by loving kindness and compassion."
This sutta
belongs to the considerable number of important and
eminently practical teachings of the Buddha which are
still hidden like buried treasure, unknown and unused.
Yet this text has an important message for us, and the
fact that it is stamped with the royal seal of
satipatthana gives it an additional claim to our
attention.
Individual
and Society
The sutta deals with the relations between ourselves and our fellow
beings, between individual and society. It sums up in a
succinct way the Buddhist attitude to the problems of
individual and social ethics, of egoism and altruism.
The gist of it is contained in those two concise
sentences:
"Protecting
oneself, one protects others." (Attanam rakkhanto
param rakkhati.)
"Protecting
others, one protects oneself." (Param rakkhanto
attanam rakkhati.)
These two
sentences are supplementary and should not be taken or
quoted separately. Nowadays, when social service is so
greatly stressed, people may be tempted to support their
ideas by quoting only the second sentence. But any such
one-sided quotation would misrepresent the Buddha's
standpoint. It has to be remembered that in our story
the Buddha expressly approved the words of the
apprentice, that one has first to watch carefully one's
own steps if one wishes to protect others from harm. He
who himself is sunk in the mud cannot help others out of
it. In that sense, self-protection forms the
indispensable basis for the protection and help given to
others. But self-protection is not selfish protection.
It is self-control, ethical and spiritual
self-development.
There are
some great truths which are so comprehensive and
profound that they seem to have an ever-expanding range
of significance that grows with one's own range of
understanding and practicing them. Such truths are
applicable on various levels of understanding, and are
valid in various contexts of our life. After reaching
the first or second level, one will be surprised that
again and again new vistas open themselves to our
understanding, illumined by that same truth. This also
holds for the great twin truths of our text which we
shall consider now in some detail.
"Protecting
oneself, one protects others" — the truth of this
statement begins at a very simple and practical level.
This first material level of the truth is so
self-evident that we need say no more than a few words
about it. It is obvious that the protection of our own
health will go far in protecting the health of others in
our environment, especially where contagious diseases
are concerned. Caution and circumspection in all our
doings and movements will protect others from the harm
that may come to them through our carelessness and
negligence. By careful driving, abstention from alcohol,
self-restraint in situations that might lead to violence
— in all these and many other ways we shall protect
others by protecting ourselves.
The Ethical
Level
We come now to the ethical level of that truth. Moral
self-protection will safeguard others, individuals and
society, against our own unrestrained passions and
selfish impulses. If we permit the "three roots" of evil
— greed, hate and delusion — to take a firm hold in our
hearts, then their outgrowths will spread far and wide
like a jungle creeper, suffocating much healthy and
noble growth all around. But if we protect ourselves
against these three roots, our fellow beings too will be
safe. They will be safe from our reckless greed for
possessions and power, from our unrestrained lust and
sensuality, from our envy and jealousy; safe from the
disruptive consequences of our hate and enmity which may
be destructive or even murderous; safe from the
outbursts of our anger and from the resulting atmosphere
of antagonism and conflict which may make life
unbearable for them.
The harmful
effects our greed and hate have upon others are not
limited to the times when they become passive objects or
victims of our hate, or when their possessions become
the object of our greed. Both greed and hate have an
infectious power which vastly multiplies their evil
effects. If we ourselves think of nothing else than to
crave and to grasp, to acquire and possess, to hold and
to cling, then we may rouse or strengthen these
possessive instincts in others. Our bad conduct may
become the standard of behavior for those around us —
for our children, our friends, our colleagues. Our own
conduct may induce others to join us in the common
satisfaction of rapacious desires; or we may arouse in
them feelings of resentment and competitiveness. If we
are full of sensuality, we may also kindle the fire of
lust in them. Our own hate may provoke them to hate and
vengeance. We may also ally ourselves with others or
instigate them to common acts of hate and enmity. Greed
and hate are, indeed, like contagious diseases. If we
protect ourselves against these evil infections, we
shall to some extent at least also protect others.
Protection
through Wisdom
As to the third root of evil, delusion or ignorance we know very
well how much harm may be done to others through the
stupidity, thoughtlessness, prejudices, illusions and
delusions of a single person.
Without
wisdom and knowledge, attempts to protect oneself and
others will usually fail. One will see the danger only
when it is too late, one will not make provision for the
future; one will not know the right and effective means
of protection and help. Therefore, self-protection
through wisdom and knowledge is of the greatest
importance. By acquiring true wisdom and knowledge, we
shall protect others from the harmful consequences of
our own ignorance, prejudices, infectious fanaticism and
delusions. History shows us that great and destructive
mass delusions have often been kindled by a single
individual or a small number of people. Self-protection
through wisdom and knowledge will protect others from
the pernicious effect of such influences.
We have
briefly indicated how our own private life may have a
strong impact on the lives of others. If we leave
unresolved the actual or potential sources of social
evil within ourselves, our external social activity will
be either futile or markedly incomplete. Therefore, if
we are moved by a spirit of social responsibility, we
must not shirk the hard task of moral and spiritual
self-development. Preoccupation with social activities
must not be made an excuse or escape from the first
duty, to tidy up one's own house first.
On the other
hand, he who earnestly devotes himself to moral
self-improvement and spiritual self-development will be
a strong and active force for good in the world, even if
he does not engage in any external social service. His
silent example alone will give help and encouragement to
many, by showing that the ideals of a selfless and
harmless life can actually be lived and are not only
topics of sermons.
The
Meditative Level
We proceed now to the next higher level in the interpretation of
our text. It is expressed in the following words of the
sutta: "And how does one, by protecting oneself, protect
others? By the repeated and frequent practice of
meditation." Moral self-protection will lack stability
as long as it remains a rigid discipline enforced after
a struggle of motives and against conflicting habits of
thought and behavior. Passionate desires and egotistic
tendencies may grow in intensity if one tries to silence
them by sheer force of will. Even if one temporarily
succeeds in suppressing passionate or egotistic
impulses, the unresolved inner conflict will impede
one's moral and spiritual progress and warp one's
character. Furthermore, inner disharmony caused by an
enforced suppression of impulses will seek an outlet in
external behavior. It may make the individual irritable,
resentful, domineering and aggressive towards others.
Thus harm may come to oneself as well as to others by a
wrong method of self-protection. Only when moral
self-protection has become a spontaneous
function, when it comes as naturally as the protective
closing of the eyelid against dust — only then will our
moral stature provide real protection and safety for
ourselves and others. This naturalness of moral conduct
does not come to us as a gift from heaven. It has to be
acquired by repeated practice and cultivation. Therefore
our sutta says that it is by repeated practice that
self-protection becomes strong enough to protect others
too.
But if that
repeated practice of the good takes place only on the
practical, emotional and intellectual levels, its roots
will not be firm and deep enough. Such repeated practice
must also extend to the level of meditative cultivation.
By meditation, the practical, emotional and intellectual
motives of moral and spiritual self-protection will
become our personal property which cannot easily be lost
again. Therefore our sutta speaks here of bhavana, the
meditative development of the mind in its widest sense.
This is the highest form of protection which our world
can bestow. He who has developed his mind by meditation
lives in peace with himself and the world. From him no
harm or violence will issue. The peace and purity which
he radiates will have an inspiring, uplifting power and
will be a blessing to the world. He will be a positive
factor in society, even if he lives in seclusion and
silence. When understanding for, and recognition of, the
social value of a meditative life ceases in a nation, it
will be one of the first symptoms of spiritual
deterioration.
Protection
of Others
We have now to consider the second part of the Buddha's utterance,
a necessary complement to the first: "Protecting others
one protects oneself. And how? By patience and
forbearance, by a non-violent and harmless life, by
loving-kindness and compassion (khantiya avihimsaya
mettataya anuddayataya)."
He whose
relation to his fellow-beings is governed by these
principles will protect himself better than he could
with physical strength or with any mighty weapon. He who
is patient and forbearing will avoid conflicts and
quarrels, and will make friends of those for whom he has
shown a patient understanding. He who does not resort to
force or coercion will, under normal conditions, rarely
become an object of violence himself as he provokes no
violence from others. And if he should encounter
violence, he will bring it to an early end as he will
not perpetuate hostility through vengeance. He who has
love and compassion for all beings, and is free of
enmity, will conquer the ill-will of others and disarm
the violent and brutal. A compassionate heart is the
refuge of the whole world.
We shall now
better understand how those two complementary sentences
of our text harmonize. Self-protection is the
indispensable basis. But true self-protection is
possible only if it does not conflict with the
protection of others; for one who seeks self-protection
at the expense of others will defile as well as endanger
himself. On the other hand, protection of others must
not conflict with the four principles of patience,
non-violence, loving-kindness and compassion; it also
must not interfere with their free spiritual development
as it does in the case of various totalitarian
doctrines. Thus in the Buddhist conception of
self-protection all selfishness is excluded, and in the
protection of others violence and interference have no
place.
Self-protection and protection of others correspond to
the great twin virtues of Buddhism, wisdom and
compassion. Right self-protection is the expression of
wisdom, right protection of others the expression of
compassion. Wisdom and compassion, being the primary
elements of Bodhi or Enlightenment, have found their
highest perfection in the Fully Enlightened One, the
Buddha. The insistence on their harmonious development
is a characteristic feature of the entire Dhamma. We
meet them in the four sublime states (brahmavihara),
where equanimity corresponds to wisdom and
self-protection, while loving-kindness, compassion and
sympathetic joy correspond to compassion and the
protection of others.
These two
great principles of self-protection and protection of
others are of equal importance to both individual and
social ethics and bring the ends of both into harmony.
Their beneficial impact, however, does not stop at the
ethical level, but leads the individual upwards to the
highest realization of the Dhamma, while at the same
time providing a firm foundation for the welfare of
society.
It is the
writer's belief that the understanding of those two
great principles of self-protection and protection of
others, as manifesting the twin virtues of wisdom and
compassion, is of vital importance to Buddhist
education, for young and old alike. They are the
cornerstones of character building and deserve a central
place in the present world wide endeavor for a Buddhist
revival.
"I shall
protect others" — thus should we establish our
mindfulness, and guided by it devote ourselves to the
practice of meditation, for the sake of our own
liberation.
"I shall
protect others" — thus should we establish our
mindfulness, and guided by it regulate our conduct by
patience, harmlessness, loving-kindness and compassion,
for the welfare and happiness of many.
The Buddhist
Publication Society
The Buddhist
Publication Society is an approved charity dedicated to
making known the Teaching of the Buddha, which has a
vital message for people of all creeds.
Founded in
1958, the BPS has published a wide variety of books and
booklets covering a great range of topics. Its
publications include accurate annotated translations of
the Buddha's discourses, standard reference works, as
well as original contemporary expositions of Buddhist
thought and practice. These works present Buddhism as it
truly is — a dynamic force which has influenced
receptive minds for the past 2500 years and is still as
relevant today as it was when it first arose.
BUDDHIST
PUBLICATION SOCIETY
P.O. Box 61
54, Sangharaja Mawatha
Kandy
Sri Lanka
http://www.bps.lk
Bodhi
Leaves
No. B 34
Copyright ©
1990 Buddhist Publication Society
For free
distribution only.
You may print copies of this work for your personal use.
You may re-format and redistribute this work for use on
computers and computer networks,
provided that you charge no fees for its
distribution or use.
Otherwise, all rights reserved.
Transcribed from the print edition in
1994 by Steven McPeak under the auspices of the
DharmaNet Dharma Book Transcription Project, with the
kind permission of the Buddhist Publication Society.
|