‘Right Vision’ to ease fear and sorrow from Buddhism

Dr. Vidhura Mahendra

Money’ is the evil in our highly materialised modern day life. Some say ‘Money talks’- especially the ‘new-rich’ segments of the society. Money generates more money and that leads to vast sums of capital, and dwelling on that scenario often brings us unhappy memories - leading to sorrowful repercussions.

In recent history some Sri Lankans have experienced those repercussions one way or the other. As the global economy taking a huge tumble due to credit crunch in the western world and bad debts ‘money’ sadly has become a household commodity to discuss in our homes and at coffee-breaks too. Economy often precedes spirituality and good social living around the global arena.

In fact, currency is an essential component of our day to day lives especially for comfort living and material acquisition (subsequently socio-political power etc.) - not necessarily ‘the knowledge’ possession. ‘Money’ has often been badly interpreted and misused as a factor by many opportunistic politicians to achieve an undue political mileage, without substance, like the cycle of ‘samsara’ (cycle of reincarnation). One must comprehend that the prevailing situation must not be taken as a pretext to get opportunistic benefits.

It is a contemporary global trend and Sri Lanka is one of the countries that may or will have been affected one way or the other. One may easily become aware of that there will be no absolute change by just switching over the driver of the same old car unless the car is fully overhauled.

The Buddha has always mentioned the significance of following the middle-path (Medum Piliwetha) journey to be successful. This is quite appropriate for laypeople than ascetics who have families, relatives and friends to care for backed up by further unwarranted external events to be worried of. Most of the unwarranted external events may turn up in the guise of monetary matters e.g. unsecured mortgage repayments, housing loans and bad investments which all lead to some form of psychosomatic effect among many folks.

This is further augmented by those who invest vast sums of wealth on the anticipation of unprecedented returns often leading to comprehensive debacles (collapses of financial institutions etc.).

As Buddhists some may perceive it is unforgivable or unthinkable as to why this fact has not been comprehended in detail or is it that the former are just uninformed to such affairs. The Noble Eightfold Path is, in the teachings of the Buddha, declared to be the way that leads to the cessation of suffering (dukkha) and the achievement of self-awakening and is used as an instrument of discovery to gradually generate insights unveiling the ultimate truth of things both materially and spiritually. It is a technique used to eradicate greed, hatred and delusion.

The last of the four noble truths is the Noble Eightfold Path, while the first factor of the Noble Eightfold Path is the understanding of the Four Noble Truths. In all of the elements of the noble eightfold path, the word ‘Right’ is a translation of the word samma (Pali), which denotes completion, togetherness, and coherence, and which can also carry the sense of ‘perfect’ or ‘ideal’. In Buddhist symbolism, the Noble Eightfold Path is often represented by means of the Dharmachakra (wheel of Dhamma), where the eight spokes represent the eight elements of the path.

In Buddhism Meets Western Science, Gay Watson explains:

Buddhism has always been concerned with feelings, emotions, sensations, and cognition. The Buddha points both to cognitive and emotional causes of suffering. The emotional cause is desire and its negative opposite, aversion. The cognitive cause is ignorance of the way things truly occur, or of three marks of existence: that all things are unsatisfactory, impermanent and without essential self.

The noble eightfold path is, from this psychological viewpoint, an attempt to change patterns of thought and behaviour. It is for this reason that the first element of the path is right understanding (samma-ditthi), which is how one’s mind views the world.

Under the wisdom (pañña) subdivision of the noble eightfold path, this world-view is intimately connected with the second element, right thought (samma-sankappa), which concerns the patterns of thought and intention that controls one’s actions. These elements can be seen at work, for example, in the opening verses of the Dhammapada (Yamaka vagga):

Preceded by perception are mental states
for them is perception supreme,
from perception have they sprung.
If, with perception polluted, one speaks or acts,
thence suffering follows
as a wheel the draught ox’s foot.
Preceded by perception are mental states,
for them is perception supreme,
from perception have they sprung.
If, with tranquil perception, one speaks or acts,
thence ease follows
as a shadow that never departs.

Thus, by altering one’s distorted world-view, bringing out ‘tranquil perception’ in the place of ‘perception polluted’, one is able to ease suffering. Watson points this out from a psychological standpoint.

In fact, Watson’s view point articulately correlates to the present day global credit crunch scenario and other financial woes from a highly materialistic angle that many folks both home and overseas suffer from with regards to Buddhist philosophy of ‘Right vision’, which has ascribed to wise financial management that will ease the pains and sorrows if one decides to take the middle path than be hell bent on plethora of expectations upon financial impermanence.

Finally, it is apt to wind up on something the great philosopher said,

Tanhaya jayati soko, tanhaya jayati bhayang,
tanhaya vippa muttassa, natti soko kuto bhayang
(Dhammapada, Priya vagga, 16:216)

From the craving springs grief, from the craving springs fear, and for him who is noble and free from craving, there is neither grief nor fear.