Why We Still Have Bad Thoughts: The Buddha's Answer to Lay Householder

Middle Length Discourses 14: The Shorter Discourse on the Mass of Suffering.

Why We Still Have Bad Thoughts: The Buddha's Answer to Lay Householder

So I have heard. 

At one time the Buddha was staying in the land of the Sakyans, near Kapilavatthu in the Banyan Tree Monastery.

Then Mahanama the Sakyan went up to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and said to him, 

“For a long time, sir, I have understood your teaching like this: ‘Greed, hate, and delusion are corruptions of the mind.’ Despite understanding this, sometimes my mind is occupied by thoughts of greed, hate, and delusion. I wonder what qualities remain in me that I have such thoughts?”

“Mahanama, there is a quality that remains in you that makes you have such thoughts. For if you had given up that quality you would not still be living at home and enjoying senses delights. But because you haven’t given up that quality you are still living at home and enjoying senses delights.

Senses delights give little gratification and much suffering and distress, and they are all the more full of drawbacks. So, Mahanama, even though a noble disciple has clearly seen this with right wisdom, as long as they do not achieve the rapture and bliss that are apart from senses delights and unskillful qualities, or something even more peaceful than that, they can return to senses delights. But when they do achieve that rapture and bliss, or something more peaceful than that, they do not return to senses delights.

Before my awakening—when I was still unawakened but intent on awakening—I too clearly saw with right wisdom that: 

‘Senses delights give little gratification and much suffering and distress, and they are all the more full of drawbacks.’ But so long as I didn’t achieve the rapture and bliss that are apart from Senses delights and unskillful qualities, or something even more peaceful than that, I didn’t announce that I would not return to Senses delights. But when I did achieve that rapture and bliss, or something more peaceful than that, I announced that I would not return to Senses delights.

And what is the gratification of Senses delights? 

There are these five kinds of Senses stimulation. 

What five? 

Sights known by the eye, which are likable, desirable, agreeable, pleasant, enjoyable, and arousing. 

Sounds known by the ear … 

Smells known by the nose … 

Tastes known by the tongue … 

Touches known by the body, which are likable, desirable, agreeable, pleasant, enjoyable, and arousing. 

These are the five kinds of senses stimulation. The pleasure and happiness that arise from these five kinds of senses stimulation: this is the gratification of senses delights.

And what is the drawback of senses delights? 

It’s when a gentleman earns a living by means such as arithmetic, accounting, calculating, farming, trade, raising cattle, archery, government service, or one of the professions. But they must face cold and heat, being hurt by the touch of flies, mosquitoes, wind, sun, and reptiles, and risking death from hunger and thirst. This is a drawback of senses delights apparent in the present life, a mass of suffering caused by senses delights.

That gentleman might try hard, strive, and make an effort, but fail to earn any money. If this happens, they sorrow and wail and lament, beating their breast and falling into confusion, saying: ‘Oh, my hard work is wasted. My efforts are fruitless!’ This too is a drawback of senses delights apparent in the present life, a mass of suffering caused by senses delights.

That gentleman might try hard, strive, and make an effort, and succeed in earning money. But they experience pain and sadness when they try to protect it, thinking: ‘How can I prevent my wealth from being taken by rulers or bandits, consumed by fire, swept away by flood, or taken by unloved heirs?’ And even though they protect it and ward it, rulers or bandits take it, or fire consumes it, or flood sweeps it away, or unloved heirs take it. They sorrow and wail and lament, beating their breast and falling into confusion: ‘What once was mine is gone.’ This too is a drawback of senses delights apparent in the present life, a mass of suffering caused by senses delights.

Next, for the sake of senses delights governments fight with governments, businessman fight with businessman, Religious people fight with Religious people, and householders fight with householders. A mother fights with her child, child with mother, father with child, and child with father. Brother fights with brother, brother with sister, sister with brother, and friend fights with friend. Once they’ve started quarreling, arguing, and disputing, they attack each other with fists, stones, rods, swords, guns, bombs, resulting in death and deadly pain. This too is a drawback of senses delights apparent in the present life, a mass of suffering caused by senses delights.

Next, for the sake of senses delights they don their sword and shield, fasten their bow and arrows, gun, and plunge into a battle massed on both sides, with arrows and spears flying, and swords flashing, gun firing, dropping bomb. There they are struck with arrows and spears, bullets, and their heads are chopped off, resulting in death and deadly pain. This too is a drawback of senses delights apparent in the present life, a mass of suffering caused by senses delights.

Also, for the sake of senses delights they don their sword and shield, fasten their bow and arrows, and charge wetly plastered bastions, with arrows and spears flying and swords flashing. There they are struck with arrows and spears, splashed with dung, crushed by a superior force, and their heads are chopped off, resulting in death and deadly pain. This too is a drawback of senses delights apparent in the present life, a mass of suffering caused by senses delights.

Also, for the sake of senses delights they break into houses, plunder wealth, steal from isolated buildings, commit highway robbery, and commit adultery. The rulers would arrest them and subject them to various punishments—whipping, caning, and clubbing; cutting off hands or feet, or both; cutting off ears or nose, or both; the ‘porridge pot’, the ‘shell-shave’, the ‘Rahu’s mouth’, the ‘garland of fire’, the ‘burning hand’, the ‘bulrush twist’, the ‘bark dress’, the ‘antelope’, the ‘meat hook’, the ‘coins’, the ‘caustic pickle’, the ‘twisting bar’, the ‘straw mat’; being splashed with hot oil, being fed to the dogs, being impaled alive, and being beheaded. These result in death and deadly pain. This too is a drawback of senses delights apparent in the present life, a mass of suffering caused by senses delights.

Next, for the sake of senses delights, they conduct themselves badly by way of body, speech, and mind. When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell. This is a drawback of senses delights to do with lives to come, a mass of suffering caused by senses delights.

Mahanama, this one time I was staying near Rajagaha, on the Vulture’s Peak Mountain. Now at that time several Jain ascetics on the slopes of Isigili at the Black Rock were constantly standing, refusing seats. And they felt painful, sharp, severe, acute feelings due to overexertion.

Then in the late afternoon, I came out of my seclusion and went to the Black Rock to visit those Jain ascetics. I said to them, 

‘Friends, why are you constantly standing, refusing seats, so that you suffer painful, sharp, severe, acute feelings due to overexertion?’

When I said this, those Jain ascetics said to me, 

‘Friend, the Jain ascetic of the Natika clan claims to be all-knowing and all-seeing, to know and see everything without exception, thus: “Knowledge and vision are constantly and continually present to me, while walking, standing, sleeping, and waking.”

He says, “O Jain ascetics, you have done bad deeds in a past life. Wear them away with these severe and grueling austerities. And when in the present you are restrained in body, speech, and mind, you’re not doing any bad deeds for the future. So, due to eliminating past deeds by intense mortification, and not doing any new deeds, there’s nothing to come up in the future. With no future consequence, deeds end. With the ending of deeds, suffering ends. With the ending of suffering, feeling ends. And with the ending of feeling, all suffering will have been worn away.” We agree and accept this teaching, and we are satisfied with it.’

When they said this, I said to them, ‘But friends, do you know for sure that you existed in the past, and it is not the case that you did not exist?’

Jains replied: ‘No we don’t, Friend.’

Buddha said: ‘But Friends, do you know for sure that you did bad deeds in the past?’

Jains replied: ‘No we don’t, friend.’

Buddha continued: ‘But friends, do you know that you did such and such bad deeds?’

Jains replied: ‘No we don’t, friend.’

Buddha said: ‘But friends, do you know that so much suffering has already been worn away? Or that so much suffering still remains to be worn away? Or that when so much suffering is worn away all suffering will have been worn away?’

Jains replied: ‘No we don’t, friend.’

Buddha said: ‘But friends, do you know about giving up unskillful qualities in this very life and embracing skillful qualities?’

Jains replied: ‘No we don’t, friend.’

Buddha then said: ‘So it seems that you don’t know any of these things. That being so, when those in the world who are violent and bloody-handed and of cruel livelihood are reborn among humans they go forth as Jain ascetics.’

Jains replied: 'Friend Gotama, pleasure is not gained through pleasure; pleasure is gained through pain. For if pleasure were to be gained through pleasure, King Seniya Bimbisara of Magadha would gain pleasure, since he lives in greater pleasure than our Friend Gotama.’

Buddha then said: 

‘Clearly you have spoken rashly, without reflection. Rather, I’m the one who should be asked about who lives in greater pleasure, King Bimbisāra or myself?’

Jain then replied:

‘Clearly we spoke rashly and without reflection. But let that be. Now we ask our Friend Gotama: “Who lives in greater pleasure, King Bimbisara or our Friend Gotama?”’

Buddha replied:

‘Well then, friends, I’ll ask you about this in return, and you can answer as you like. What do you think, friends? Is King Bimbissra capable of experiencing perfect happiness for seven days and nights without moving his body or speaking?’

Jains replied:

‘No he is not, friend.’

Buddha said:

‘What do you think, friends? 

Is King Bimbisara capable of experiencing perfect happiness for six days … 

five days … 

four days … 

three days … 

two days … 

one day ... ?’

Jains replied:

‘No he is not, friend’

Buddha then said:

‘But I am capable of experiencing perfect happiness for one day and night without moving my body or speaking. I am capable of experiencing perfect happiness for two days … 

three days … 

four days … 

five days … 

six days … 

seven days. What do you think, friends? This being so, who lives in greater pleasure, King Bimbisara or I?’

Jains replied:

‘This being so, Our Friend Gotama lives in greater pleasure than King Bimbisara.’”

That is what the Buddha said. Satisfied, Mahanama the Sakyan approved what the Buddha said.