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Introduction
When embraced,
the rod of violence
breeds danger & fear:
Look at people quarreling.
I will tell of how
I experienced
dismay.
Seeing people floundering
like fish in small puddles,
competing with one another --
as I saw this,
fear came into me.
The world was entirely
without substance.
All the directions
were knocked out of line.
Wanting a haven for myself,
I saw nothing that wasn't laid claim to.
Seeing nothing in the end
but competition,
I felt discontent.
And then I saw
an arrow here,
so very hard to see,
embedded in the heart.
Overcome by this arrow
you run in all directions.
But simply on pulling it out
you don't run,
you don't sink....
Whatever things are tied down in the world,
you shouldn't be set on them.
Having totally penetrated
sensual pleasures,
sensual passions,
you should train for your own
Unbinding.
[Sutta Nipata IV.15]
In this short autobiographical passage, the Buddha describes his sense of dismay at the violence in the world, together with his important discovery: that the only escape from violence is to remove the causes of violence from one's own heart. To remove these causes, one must first refrain from violence on the external level so as to create the proper karmic context -- more peaceful and honest -- for extracting the causes of violence on the internal level. The following passages from the Pali Canon illustrate these two levels of the practice, starting first with a few considerations on the principle of kamma (karma). For a more complete background on kamma, see the Study Guide on that topic. The concluding passages in this collection focus on the concept of "papañca," or complication, as the internal cause of conflict. For a discussion of this concept, see the Introduction to MN 18.
* * *
§ 1.
All
tremble at the rod,
all
are fearful of death.
Drawing the parallel to
yourself,
neither kill nor get others to kill.
All
tremble at the rod,
all
hold their life dear.
Drawing the parallel to
yourself,
neither kill nor get others to kill.
Whoever takes a rod
to harm living beings desiring ease,
when he himself is looking for ease,
will meet with no ease after death.
Whoever doesn't take a rod
to harm living beings desiring ease,
when he himself is looking for ease,
will meet with ease after death.
Speak harshly to no one,
or the words will be thrown
right back at you.
Contentious talk is painful,
for you get struck by rods in return.
If, like a flattened metal pot
you don't resound,
you've attained an Unbinding;
in you there's found
no contention.
[Dhammapada 129-134]
§ 2.
On one occasion the Blessed One was staying near Nalanda in the Pavarika Mango
Grove. Then Asibandhakaputta the headman went to the Blessed One and on arrival,
having bowed down to him, sat to one side. As he was sitting there he said to
the Blessed One: "The brahmans of the Western lands, lord -- those who
carry water pots, wear garlands of water plants, purify with water, & worship
fire -- can take [the spirit of] a dead person, lift it out, instruct it, &
send it to heaven. But the Blessed One, worthy & rightly self-awakened,
can arrange it so that all the world, at the break-up of the body, after death,
reappears in a good destination, the heavenly world."
"Very well, then, headman, I will question you on this matter. Answer as
you see fit. What do you think: There is the case where a man is one who takes
life, steals, indulges in illicit sex; is a liar, one who speaks divisive speech,
harsh speech, & idle chatter; is greedy, bears thoughts of ill-will, &
holds to wrong views. Then a great crowd of people, gathering & congregating,
would pray, praise, & circumambulate with their hands palm-to-palm over
the heart [saying,] 'May this man, at the break-up of the body, after death,
reappear in a good destination, the heavenly world!' What do you think: would
that man -- because of the prayers, praise, & circumambulation of that great
crowd of people -- at the break-up of the body, after death, reappear in a good
destination, the heavenly world?"
"No, lord."
"Suppose a man were to throw a large boulder into a deep lake of water, and a great crowd of people, gathering & congregating, would pray, praise, & circumambulate with their hands palm-to-palm over the heart [saying,] 'Rise up, O boulder! Come floating up, O boulder! Come float to the shore, O boulder!' What do you think: would that boulder -- because of the prayers, praise, & circumambulation of that great crowd of people -- rise up, come floating up, or come float to the shore?"
"No, lord."
"So it is with any man who takes life, steals, indulges in illicit sex; is a liar, one who speaks divisive speech, harsh speech, & idle chatter; is greedy, bears thoughts of ill-will, & holds to wrong views. Even though a great crowd of people, gathering & congregating, would pray, praise, & circumambulate with their hands palm-to-palm over the heart -- [saying,] 'May this man, at the break-up of the body, after death, reappear in a good destination, the heavenly world!' -- still, at the break-up of the body, after death, he would reappear in destitution, a bad destination, the lower realms, hell.
[Samyutta Nikaya XLII.6]
§ 3.
Beings are the owners of their actions (karma), heir to their actions, born
of their actions, related through their actions, and have their actions as their
arbitrator. Action is what creates distinctions among beings in terms of coarseness
& refinement....
There is the case where a certain woman or man is one who takes life -- brutal,
bloody-handed, violent, cruel, merciless to living beings. From adopting &
carrying out such actions, then on the break-up of the body, after death, this
person re-appears in the plane of deprivation, the bad destination, the lower
realms, in hell. Or, if he/she does not reappear in the plane of deprivation,
the bad destination, the lower realms, in hell, but instead returns to the human
state, then he/she is short-lived wherever reborn. This is the way leading to
short life, namely being one who takes life....
But there is the case where a certain woman or man, abandoning the taking of life, abstains from the taking of life, dwelling with rod laid down, knife laid down, scrupulous, merciful, sympathetic for the benefit of all living beings. From adopting & carrying out such actions, then on the break-up of the body, after death, this person re-appears in the good destinations, in the heavenly world. Or, if he/she does not reappear in the good destinations, in the heavenly world, but instead returns to the human state, then he/she is long-lived wherever reborn. This is the way leading to long life, namely being one who, abandoning the taking of life, abstains from taking life....
Furthermore, there is the case where a certain woman or man has a tendency to injure living beings with the hand, with a clod, with a stick, or with a knife. From adopting & carrying out such actions, then on the break-up of the body, after death, this person re-appears in the plane of deprivation, the bad destination, the lower realms, in hell. Or, if he/she does not reappear in the plane of deprivation, the bad destination, the lower realms, in hell, but instead returns to the human state, then he/she is sickly wherever reborn. This is the way leading to being sickly, namely being one who has a tendency to injure living beings with the hand, with a clod, with a stick, or with a knife....
But there is the case where a certain woman or man does not have a tendency to injure living beings with the hand, with a clod, with a stick, or with a knife. Or, if he/she does not reappear in the good destinations, in the heavenly world, but instead returns to the human state, then he/she is healthy wherever reborn. This is the way leading to being healthy, namely being one who, abandoning the taking of life, abstains from taking life does not have a tendency to injure living beings with the hand, with a clod, with a stick, or with a knife....
[Majjhima Nikaya 135]
§ 4.
A man may plunder
as long as it serves his ends,
but when others are plundered,
he who has plundered
gets plundered in turn.
A fool thinks,
'Now's my chance,'
as long as his evil
has yet to ripen.
But when it ripens,
the fool falls into pain.
Killing, you gain
your killer.
Conquering, you gain one
who will conquer you;
insulting, insult;
harassing, harassment.
And so, through the cycle of action,
he who has plundered
gets plundered in turn.
[Samyutta Nikaya III.15]
§ 5.
And how is one made impure in three ways by bodily action? There is the case
where a certain person takes life, is brutal, bloody-handed, devoted to killing
& slaying, showing no mercy to living beings. He takes what is not given.
He takes, in the manner of a thief, things in a village or a wilderness that
belong to others and have not been given by them. He engages in sensual misconduct.
He gets sexually involved with those who are protected by their mothers, their
fathers, their brothers, their sisters, their relatives, or their Dhamma; those
with husbands, those who entail punishments, or even those crowned with flowers
by another man. This is how one is made impure in three ways by bodily action....
And how is one made impure in four ways by verbal action? There is the case
where a certain person engages in false speech. When he has been called to a
town meeting, a group meeting, a gathering of his relatives, his guild, or of
the royalty [i.e., a royal court proceeding], if he is asked as a witness, 'Come
& tell, good man, what you know': If he doesn't know, he says, 'I know.'
If he does know, he says, 'I don't know.' If he hasn't seen, he says, 'I have
seen.' If he has seen, he says, 'I haven't seen.' Thus he consciously tells
lies for his own sake, for the sake of another, or for the sake of a certain
reward. He engages in divisive speech. What he has heard here he tells there
to break those people apart from these people here. What he has heard there
he tells here to break these people apart from those people there. Thus breaking
apart those who are united and stirring up strife between those who have broken
apart, he loves factionalism, delights in factionalism, enjoys factionalism,
speaks things that create factionalism. He engages in abusive speech. He speaks
words that are harsh, cutting, bitter to others, abusive of others, provoking
anger and destroying concentration. He engages in idle chatter. He speaks out
of season, speaks what isn't factual, what isn't in accordance with the goal,
the Dhamma, & the Vinaya, words that are not worth treasuring. This is how
one is made impure in four ways by verbal action.
And how is one made pure in three ways by bodily action? There is the case where a certain person, abandoning the taking of life, abstains from the taking of life. He dwells with his rod laid down, his knife laid down, scrupulous, merciful, compassionate for the welfare of all living beings. Abandoning the taking of what is not given, he abstains from taking what is not given. He does not take, in the manner of a thief, things in a village or a wilderness that belong to others and have not been given by them. Abandoning sensual misconduct, he abstains from sensual misconduct. He does not get sexually involved with those who are protected by their mothers, their fathers, their brothers, their sisters, their relatives, or their Dhamma; those with husbands, those who entail punishments, or even those crowned with flowers by another man. This is how one is made pure in three ways by bodily action."
And how is one made pure in four ways by verbal action? There is the case where a certain person, abandoning false speech, abstains from false speech. When he has been called to a town meeting, a group meeting, a gathering of his relatives, his guild, or of the royalty, if he is asked as a witness, 'Come & tell, good man, what you know': If he doesn't know, he says, 'I don't know.' If he does know, he says, 'I know.' If he hasn't seen, he says, 'I haven't seen.' If he has seen, he says, 'I have seen.' Thus he doesn't consciously tell a lie for his own sake, for the sake of another, or for the sake of any reward. Abandoning false speech, he abstains from false speech. He speaks the truth, holds to the truth, is firm, reliable, no deceiver of the world. Abandoning divisive speech he abstains from divisive speech. What he has heard here he does not tell there to break those people apart from these people here. What he has heard there he does not tell here to break these people apart from those people there. Thus reconciling those who have broken apart or cementing those who are united, he loves concord, delights in concord, enjoys concord, speaks things that create concord. Abandoning abusive speech, he abstains from abusive speech. He speaks words that are soothing to the ear, that are affectionate, that go to the heart, that are polite, appealing & pleasing to people at large. Abandoning idle chatter, he abstains from idle chatter. He speaks in season, speaks what is factual, what is in accordance with the goal, the Dhamma, & the Vinaya. He speaks words worth treasuring, seasonable, reasonable, circumscribed, connected with the goal. This is how one is made pure in four ways by verbal action.
[Anguttara Nikaya X.176]
§ 6.
Then Yodhajiva (Professional Warrior) the headman went to the Blessed One and,
on arrival, having bowed down to him, sat to one side. As he was sitting there
he said to the Blessed One: "Venerable sir, I have heard that it has been
passed down by the ancient teaching lineage of professional warriors that 'When
a professional warrior strives & exerts himself in battle, if others then
strike him down & slay him while he is striving & exerting himself in
battle, then with the breakup of the body, after death, he is reborn in the
company of devas slain in battle.' What does the Blessed One have to say about
that?"
"Enough, headman, put that aside. Don't ask me that."
A second time ... A third time Yodhajiva the headman said: "Venerable sir, I have heard that it has been passed down by the ancient teaching lineage of professional warriors that 'When a professional warrior strives & exerts himself in battle, if others then strike him down & slay him while he is striving & exerting himself in battle, then with the breakup of the body, after death, he is reborn in the company of devas slain in battle.' What does the Blessed One have to say about that?"
"Apparently, headman, I haven't been able to get past you by saying, 'Enough, headman, put that aside. Don't ask me that.' So I will simply answer you. When a professional warrior strives & exerts himself in battle, his mind is already seized, debased, & misdirected by the thought: 'May these beings be struck down or slaughtered or annihilated or destroyed. May they not exist.' If others then strike him down & slay while he is thus striving & exerting himself in battle, then with the breakup of the body, after death, he is reborn in the hell called the realm of those slain in battle. But if he holds such a view as this: 'When a professional warrior strives & exerts himself in battle, if others then strike him down & slay him while he is striving & exerting himself in battle, then with the breakup of the body, after death, he is reborn in the company of devas slain in battle,' that is his wrong view. Now, there are two destinations for a person with wrong view, I tell you: either hell or the animal womb."
When this was said, Yodhajiva the headman sobbed & burst into tears. [The Blessed One said:] "That is what I couldn't get past you by saying, 'Enough, headman, put that aside. Don't ask me that.'"
"I'm not crying, venerable sir, because of what the Blessed One said to me, but simply because I have been deceived, cheated, & fooled for a long time by that ancient teaching lineage of professional warriors who said: 'When a professional warrior strives & exerts himself in battle, if others then strike him down & slay him while he is striving & exerting himself in battle, then with the breakup of the body, after death, he is reborn in the company of devas slain in battle.'
"Magnificent, venerable sir! Magnificent! Just as if he were to place upright what was overturned, to reveal what was hidden, to show the way to one who was lost, or to carry a lamp into the dark so that those with eyes could see forms, in the same way has the Blessed One -- through many lines of reasoning -- made the Dhamma clear. I go to the Blessed One for refuge, to the Dhamma, and to the Community of monks. May the Blessed One remember me as a lay follower who has gone to him for refuge, from this day forward, for life."
[Samyutta Nikaya XLII.3]
§ 7.
As he was sitting to one side, King Pasenadi Kosala said to the Blessed One:
"Just now, lord, while I was alone in seclusion, this train of thought
arose in my awareness: 'Who have themselves protected, and who leave themselves
unprotected?' Then it occurred to me: 'Those who engage in bodily misconduct,
verbal misconduct, & mental misconduct leave themselves unprotected. Even
though a squadron of elephant troops might protect them, a squadron of cavalry
troops, a squadron of chariot troops, a squadron of infantry troops might protect
them, still they leave themselves unprotected. Why is that? Because that's an
external protection, not an internal one. Therefore they leave themselves unprotected.
But those who engage in good bodily conduct, good verbal conduct, & good
mental conduct have themselves protected. Even though neither a squadron of
elephant troops, a squadron of cavalry troops, a squadron of chariot troops,
nor a squadron of infantry troops might protect them, still they have themselves
protected. Why is that? Because that's an internal protection, not an external
one. Therefore they have themselves protected.'"
"That's the way it is, great king! That's the way it is! Those who engage in bodily misconduct, verbal misconduct, & mental misconduct leave themselves unprotected. Even though a squadron of elephant troops might protect them, a squadron of cavalry troops, a squadron of chariot troops, a squadron of infantry troops might protect them, still they leave themselves unprotected. Why is that? Because that's an external protection, not an internal one. Therefore they leave themselves unprotected. But those who engage in good bodily conduct, good verbal conduct, & good mental conduct have themselves protected. Even though neither a squadron of elephant troops, a squadron of cavalry troops, a squadron of chariot troops, nor a squadron of infantry troops might protect them, still they have themselves protected. Why is that? Because that's an internal protection, not an external one. Therefore they have themselves protected."
That is what the Blessed One said. Having said that, the One Well-Gone, the Teacher, said further:
Restraint with the body is good,
good is restraint with speech.
Restraint with the heart is good,
good is restraint everywhere.
Restrained everywhere,
conscientious,
one is said to be
protected.
[Samyutta Nikaya III.5]