Reflections on foolishness, wisdom and those deserving of honour
I have been reading and reflecting on the Mangala Sutta of late, i.e.
the Discourse on Blessings and found that even the simplest line from
the Buddhist scriptures inspires immensely. My wife, a keener student of
the doctrine and who frequently listens to bana on the radio, made an
interesting observation: ‘Yes, and it’s all linked and should be
reflected on keeping in mind other pertinent and salient elements of the
dhamma (doctrine); the Mangala Sutta should be read in conjunction with
the Parabhava Sutta (the Discourse on Downfall)’.
I glanced through the latter, which complements the Mangala Sutta by
pointing out the causes of downfall and that those who allow themselves
to be tarnished by these, blocks their own road to worldly, moral and
spiritual progress while lowering all that is truly noble and humane.
Being mindful of the dangers enumerated in the Parabhava Sutta and
avoiding them, therefore keeps open the pathways to receive the 38
blessings detailed in the Mangala Sutta.
Basic morality
I read again the particular lines from the Mangala Sutta and as
always happens when a mind enriched by further elaboration re-reads, the
inspiration was greater and the reading richer or so I like to believe.
Asevanaca balanam
Panditananca sevana
Pujaca pujaneyyanam
Etam mangala muttamam
The above is the first set of blessings that our Budun Wahanse is
said to have mentioned when asked to speak on the subjects by some
deities visiting him at Jetavanarama as recorded in the Sutta Pitakaya
and the Kuddakapatha following re-telling by the incomparable Treasurer
of the Dhamma, the Ven Ananda Thera. The stanza advocates association
with the wise, disassociation with fools and the honouring of those
worthy of honour and observes that those who do this are blessed.
Who are the ‘foolish’ referred to here? Taking into account other
relevant discourses, ‘fool’ refers to those who do not observe basic
morality. The commentaries indicate that even if one is conversant with
the dhamma but does not observe moral conduct, one is foolish since the
behaviour results in suffering, the augmentation of suffering and a
lengthening of sansaric sojourn. The commentaries also argue that in the
ultimate sense this stanza extols the individuals to remain aloof from
foolishness.
It occurred to me that there are no absolute fools and that no one is
absolutely wise except those who have walked the path advocated and have
reached the destinations of knowing. In each of us there is a fool and
there is a wise person. To the extent one fortifies oneself with the
thrividaratne, or the Nobel Triple Gem, the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha,
one is able to better ascertain the dimensions of foolishness and wisdom
in a given individual, and able to empower oneself by learning from the
wise dimensions and check oneself against being contaminated by the
foolish.
Transient nature of things
It is not a piece of advice where the individual is required to label
someone ‘fool’ or ‘learned’, run from fool and walk with the wise. If
that were the case, we would have collectives made exclusively of fools
and exclusively of the wise with no interaction whatsoever between the
two, even the fools who wish to be wise being snubbed by the latter.
Like in all things, the call is for the twin deployment of pragna
(wisdom) and maithree (compassion), keeping in mind the virtues of
practising upekkha (equanimity), with full knowledge of the transient
nature of things (even fools can become wise and the wise slip to
foolishness, for example).
Most importantly, the stanza calls for deep self-reflection,
advocating that the individual seek within him/herself the foolish and
the wise using one or more of the many tools provided in the vast canon
of Buddhism.
An easy pathway would be to reflect on the qualities of the Buddha,
Dhamma and Sangha (the collective of those who have renounced worldly
pleasures, or the bikkhus incorrectly translated as ‘clergy’). The
distance between self in all its facets and the ideal-types (if you
will) articulated in these qualities of the Noble Triple Gem, would
help, I feel, in discovering within oneself the elements of foolishness
and (relative) wisdom and help also to obtain sense of the dimensions of
ignorance. Once these things are ascertained in some approximate manner,
it becomes or should become easier to move from avidya (ignorance) to
vidya (comprehension), darkness to light, foolishness to wisdom and so
on.
Self-exploration
The ‘honour’ element is no less fascinating, I found. Who are those
who can be seen to be worthy of honour? The commentaries offer a list:
those who provide material and spiritual benefits such as parents,
teachers, employers, monks, public servants, etc. and also those with
more refined morality, greater learning, or greater age.
The latter set of characters worthy of honour cuts across all
categories for everyone is honourable one way or another and by the same
token everyone has qualities that sits well with the opposite. The
advocacy, perhaps, is to expend wisdom and compassion in order to be
able to ascertain in each individual one encounters, that which is
praiseworthy and to applaud the same, even as one recognized flaw and
protect oneself and if possible the flawed as well, without being
condescending or succumbing to moral posturing.
Well-spoken word
Critically important, likewise, is to reflect on the idea of ‘honour’
in the context of self-exploration. It is inevitably a humbling exercise
and an ego-washing that makes for more wholesome engagement with the
larger collective even as it makes for keener and more beneficial
exploration of self.
This afternoon, a friend, benefactor, reader and critic, told me that
she was disappointed with the tone I had used in a piece I wrote for
Sunday (July 31, 2011). I told her that there are times when foul
language has a role. ‘No Malinda, never; it might seem to be effective
but in the long run it is not’.
We slip and I am sure I will slip again. My friend was absolutely
right. I was checking out the Mangala Sutta for a different purpose when
a particular line popped up before me. It was about the well-spoken word
and how speaking it is a blessing. I wrote back to her, copy-pasting the
stanza, acknowledging that she was right.
There’s a fool in me. The association of the wise (my friend) helped
me recognize myself or at least that particular aspect of who I am. She
is truly worthy of homage.
I take refuge in the Buddha. I take refuge in the Dhamma. I take
refuge in the Sangha. May all beings be happy: Sabbe Satta Bhavantu
Sukhitatta.
[email protected] |