Buddhist Spectrum

Path to ‘non extremist’ living - The Buddhist way

Dr Vidhura MAHENDRA

“Oh! Uncle, I stepped on that snail and it was completely crushed, I feel very bad of that.” My colleague’s 8 year old son lamented.

“Don’t worry son, you did not purposely crush the poor snail, so you would not commit a sin.” I responded to him.

“In fact, the Buddha has told us that if you kill someone by accident or without the thought of it, there won’t be a sin in it. That is why it is not an extreme religion, many things happen without our knowledge this is why we need to look around us and be vigilant.” I added.

‘Extremism’ along with ‘racism’, ‘sexism’, ‘fanaticism’ and ‘nepotism’ are some common tags we come across in the modern world. Inception of globalisation has enhanced the utility of these words among socio-political avenues.

Due to interactive media these words have been widely used to render lucrative finances for certain hidden agendas.

However, one must critically analyse why and how these concepts have unfolded over the years.

Sri Lanka, a country with a 2550-year history of Buddhism, can easily brag for its great diversity among many cultures largely due to Buddhist influence and its nature for being a ‘non-extremist’ religion.

Buddhism, as many would acknowledge, is a governing philosophy that has survived through the years in Sri Lanka despite the European invasion and colonisation for over 500 years. So it is significant how it survived in a tiny country like Sri Lanka with a clear majority of Buddhists and others who respect equally.

The Buddha has vehemently shown the lay person that ‘extreme’ nature of living is detrimental to one’s life hence the ‘Middle Path’, (Medum Piliwetha or Madhyama Prathipadawa = abstaining from addictive sense-pleasures and self-mortification) must be cultivated.

He further envisaged that the middle-path leads to Nirvana, which means following of the Noble Eightfold Path (Ari ataga maga or Arya ashtanginga margaya): right understanding, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration.

The nature of the ‘non extremism’ leads to fruitful relations among various communities and most notably the multi-cultural societies of the present day.

It is believed that during the time of the Buddha there lived six known Shramanas or philosophers in India: Purana Kassapa (Amoralism - denies any reward or punishment for either good or bad deeds), Makkhali Gosala (Fatalism - we are powerless; suffering is pre-destined), Ajita Kesakambali (Materialism - with death, all is annihilated), Pakudha Kaccayana (Eternalism - Matter, pleasure, pain and the soul are eternal and do not interact), Niganta Nataputta or Jaina Mahaveera (Restraint - be endowed with, cleansed by and suffused with the avoidance of all evil) and finally Sanjaya Belatthaputta (Agnosticism - I don’t think so.

“I don’t think in that way or otherwise. I don’t think not or not not.”). The aforementioned philosophers were well respected by their followers but logically and conveniently sidelined by the Buddha’s vision of ‘middle-path’ or the non-extremism backed up by Buddhist practical living style.

This was even more obvious when the Buddha expressed that food may be required upon hunger prior to listening Dhamma.

Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike can discover more from this great vision of the middle path or the ‘Non-extremism’ for our contemporary socio-political issues too.

Prime example for such agenda is the so-called ‘war’ in Sri Lanka. The war was primarily created by a segment of separatist extremism than a meaningful justifiable cause.

It was inevitable that such wars were created in the past too by power hungry sectors of extreme nature to reap financial gain than that for constructive humanity.

Some foreign influences vie with different agendas of extremeness which leads to misconception and bewilderment of many Buddhist values to tarnish the great religion.

However, as a philosophy the greatness of Buddhism of being a ‘non extremist’ religion relies on the expediency and its followers with virtues.

ABHIDHAMMA IN A NUTSHELL - V:

The Sixth Sense

Shamika SOYSA

Imagine a situation where you had become emotional. You were burning with anger or weeping with sadness or laughing with joy. At such instances you may have experienced that change in your blood circulation and your chest area becomes hot or you would feel the situation in your heart.

Recall a situation where you are concentrating hard to solve a difficult mathematical problem. Even though you had seen the mathematical problem from your eyes many things happen inside your head and you will feel some pain, toughness or hardness in your head.

In a written examination you will see the problem from your eyes. But when you answer, from where you recall and retrieve all the required materials?

When you sleep you dream. You hear sounds when dreaming. Do you really acquire objects from five senses when you dream?

When you are relaxing you will recall many things happened in past. You would go to many places from mind. You would call these things as “Memories”.

To acquire forms, sounds, odour, taste and touches we have five sense organs. But from where the above explained objects are acquired? The “Sixth Sense” comes into act at this instance.

Objects enter through the five sense organs. Therefore they are known as “Doors” (Dhvara) and the five sense organs are also known as “Five Sense-doors” (Panchadhvara).

The sixth sense which acquires any other object and subject to any of the scenarios explained above is know as “Mind-door” (Manodhvara) and the objects acquired by the mind-door are known as Dhamma. For example what we call as “Memory” is acquired and processed by the mind-door.

However, whenever an object interacts with any of the five sense-doors it strikes the mind-door as well which is to be explained in future with thought process (chiththa vithi).

Rootless Functional Consciousness - Ahethuka Kriya Chiththas

15 Types of rootless resultant consciousness (ahethuka vipaka chiththas) were discussed in the last article. Following are the 3 types of rootless functional consciousness;

Kriya Chiththas (3)

Functional Consciousness (3)

16. Upekkha Sahagatha Panchadhvarawajjana Chiththa

Five Sense-door adverting consciousness accompanied by indifference

17. Upekkha Sahagatha Manodhvarawajjana Chiththa

Mind-door adverting consciousness accompanied by indifference

18. Somanassa Sahagatha Hasithuppadha Chiththa

Smile-producing consciousness accompanied by pleasure

It was explained in the previous article that dvipanchavinna chiththas arise at the moment of five sense-object interaction and receiving-consciousness (sampatijjana) arises to receive or accept the object and thereafter investigating-consciousness (santhiranaya) arises to investigate the object received by sampatijjana.

If the object is a five sense-object, the consciousness turned towards one of them is Five Sense-door adverting (Panchadhvaravajjana) consciousness, accompanied by indifference (upekkha sahagatha). If it turns towards the mind-door, then it is Mind-door adverting (Manodhvaravajjana) consciousness, accompanied by indifference (upekkha sahagatha).

The ways of smiling

There are six classifications of smile according to Buddhism. (1) Sita - a smile manifesting itself in expression and countenance; (2) Hasita - smile consisting in the slight movements of the lips just enough to reveal the tips of the teeth; (3) Vihasita - laughter giving out a light sound; (4) Upahasita - laughter accompanied by the movement of the head, shoulders, and arms; (5) Apahasita - laughter accompanied by the shedding of tears; and (6) Atihasita - an outburst of laughter accompanied by the forward and backward movements of the entire body from head to foot.

Arhaths smile only in the ways of Sita and Hasitha. The third kriya chiththa arises at the time an Arhath smiles (hasithuppadha) and it is accompanied by pleasurable feeling (somanassa sahagatha).

There are 20 functional consciousnesses on the 89 types of consciousness. The first two rootless functional consciousnesses (ahethuka kriya chiththas) are the only kriya chiththas arise for ordinary people (puthajjana). The rest of the 18 arise only for Arhaths.

To summarise, following are the 18 types of ahethuka chitthas which are categorised into three classes which was discussed in this article and the previous;

1. Immoral Resultant Consciousness (Akusala Vipaka Chiththa) - 7

2. Moral Resultant Consciousness (Kusala Vipaka Chiththa) - 8

3. Functional Consciousness (Kriya Chiththa) - 3

Reference

Abhidharma Margaya by Ven. Prof. Renukane Chandhawimala Thera,

A Manual of Abhidhamma by Ven. Narada Maha Thera

THE BUDDHIST COLUMN:

Intellectual discussion

Sachitra Mahendra

Survival of the Buddhist philosophy totally depends on the association of wise. Why is the survival of the philosophy needed? The Buddhist philosophy has methods of relief for those unhappy in technologically advanced society.

We have got almost everything we need, and our strong need is to be happy. Intellectual discussion is one way to be happy. Intellectual discussion itself is a broad concept. An intellectual can live in any person, not only among university dons and other scholars.

There are people who know only a little, but essential features, whereas we come across erudite scholars interpreting their knowledge in diverse ways.

An erudite scholar may attempt to interpret and publish another book. They hardly attempt to adopt what they have learned into their daily life. People with little, but essential knowledge, are most practical. They attempt to adopt the essential knowledge they have into the normal life. By hearting thousand stanzas will be useless, if you don’t apply them into practice.

Why intellectual discussion? It is basically required to keep on updating your existing knowledge base. This is helpful to tolerate the pains we come across.

For instance, we keep on listening to Dhamma Chakkapavattana Sutta, which describes the natural disasters we face in life. But when we encounter them personally, we become shocked. We have listened to the Sutta, but did not try to realise the contents. An intellectual discussion is required to work on how to adopt the theory into practice.

People in the Buddha’s period did not have the written form to discuss what they have heard. The absence of a written medium could make them remember what they have heard very clear. They all had a sharp memory. Ven. Ananda is the most common example of the memory strength. They could discuss the Dhamma they have heard.

This hardly happens today. We listen to endless sermons almost everyday. Dozens of books on Buddhism are being published regularly. We listen to and read the philosophy everyday, and we hardly have time to contemplate and review what we have heard and read. We do not discuss but add many things to our head. If we can discuss how to apply essential features of the philosophy in daily life, that will wipe out most of our sorrows.

However intellectual discussion does not help always. What we have discussed some time ago will go away from the memory, which is natural. We should keep on discussing.

Engrossed in Dhamma does not mean escaping from the day-to-day life. Dhamma reminds you the nature of life, when you face things like getting sick and decaying body.

How do we get association of wise? It may be hard to find anybody with a sharp knowledge of the essential features of Dhamma. The best thing, in a case like this, is to write down your inspirational ideas on Dhamma. When you read Dhamma Chakkapavattana Sutta, you slowly realise decaying body is something natural which happens to anybody and unavoidable.

However in another occasion, you will be upset to see the decaying body, because the memory of Dhammachakkapavattana Sutta has faded off. You will have to be watchful of the mind in such instances. When some such thing occurs, you should go back to the Sutta, or the inspirational notes you have written down on the Sutta.

When nobody is around to have intellectual discussion, the best person is your self. Discuss with self. Keep on analysing what we have heard on Dhamma.

There is nothing to be frustrated over in this life. Many people are ignorant and they are subject to do ignorant deeds. What the Buddha’s philosophy teaches us is to be indifferent considering the circumstances. And this is what we keep on forgetting, and what we should write down somewhere to be referred whenever it slips our memory.

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Criminology as portrayed in Jataka stories

Criminological aspects in Jathaka tales
Sudheera Jayawardene
New Vidyadara publication
175 pages. Rs. 400

According to Martin Wickramasinghe, Jataka book is the best work to be introduced for world literature from Sinhalese literature. In fact Jataka tales have pervaded the local culture in many ways. Much literary research has been done on Jathaka tales too.

Prof. Sunanda Mahendra discovered creative aspects in Jataka tales. Dr. D V J Harischandra discovered psychiatric aspects in Jataka tales. Sudheera Jayaweera, a lecturer from Sri Jayawardenepura University has lately brought out a book on criminological aspects in Jataka stories.

The work contains 6 chapters:

1.Introduction and Methodology

2.Theoretical background of the crimes in the Jathaka Stories

3.Jathaka stories and the types of the crimes

4.Deviance behaviour reflected from the Jathaka stories

5.Criminal investigation methods in the Jathaka society

6.Criminal Justice system of the Jathaka society

Jathaka stories reveal the Indian society that existed thousand years ago. There are hardships a social scientist faces when scanning criminological features in an ancient society. Many scholars argue that the present story of the Jathaka story is not appropriate to the development of the plot.

However Jayawardene’s point is that even the present story sometimes exhibit the required criminology factors. For example Thipallatthamiga Jathaka’s present story brings out child exploitation. As the focus of Jathaka stories is religion, the dealing of crime should be done with utmost care.

Jayawardene also mentions that the study of the whole text is not essential to focus on criminology portrayed in the book. Although the super-human power disturbs criminological interpretation, there are helpful instances. Vedabbha Jathaka for instance relates a story about a super-powered saint who fell into the hands of thieves and how the death of both thieves and the saint follows in the aftermath.

The modern research methodology involves analysis based on data collection. However Jathaka stories reveal the social set up of thousand years ago, hence a different method should be adopted. According to the Jathaka tales, there were villages of thieves too.

Some Jathaka stories have superb detective-style qualities. Ummagga Jatakaya is the best example, where the protagonist solves a number of issues with his detective power.

“In Ummagga Jatakaya and Mahasupina Jatakaya there exist almost all the unconscious mechanisms that Freud described over six centuries later – including symbolisation, condensation, displacement and secondary elaboration.” - Dr. D V J Harischandra. – SM

Some works used by the author

1.Criminology by F Muller and Luafer

2.Sociological Research Methods. An Introduction by M Bulmer

3.Foundation of Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice by G R Cadwell

4.The Jataka or stories of the Buddha’s former births by E W Cowell

5.The Oxford Handbook of Criminology

6.New Horizons in Research Methodology by N Ratnapala

7.Crime and Punishment in the Buddhist tradition by N Ratnapala

8.The Buddhist Jataka stories and The Russian Novel by Martin Wickramasinghe