We have discussed ‘DHARMA SOLDIER’ who upholds the righteousness.  I told that ‘DHARMA SOLDIER’ fights with ‘ills’ and ‘evils’ of his own and around him.  Now I will discuss the application part of this concept. 

            The ills and evils mean the inner and outer problems of one. I will discuss ‘ills’ in this issue.

The ILLS:

               1. Lobha is attachment. It is craving. It is greediness. It is clinging. It has many other different names like tanha, raga, samudaya, upadana etc. Oceans may even full with water but lobha never full with its desire. Lobha or tanha is one of two roots of wheel of life or paticcasamuppada (a Buddhist text).

     I am practicing Vinaya rules the code of conduct of Buddhist monks.  I possessed good number of books.  For food I go for Alms.  I don’t have any other immovable or movable properties other than a small bank deposit which is for financial security to me. So Loba can’t over power me.

1.1 some of the psychological conditions for corporate greed, corruption and exploitation include:

·         absence of an inner life

·         low emotional quotient and low spiritual quotient

·         addiction to goals regardless of the cost

·         craving for security

·         alienation

·         deep need to prove oneself

·         emotional estrangement from loved ones

·         fear of being a loser

·         flight from feelings

·         fear of death

·         grasping after pleasure, power and luxury goods for a sense of identity

·         lack of self worth

·         unresolved control issues

2. Dosa (Hatred), we can call Dosa as violence mind, and it involves grief, fear, depression, anger, and grudge. This violent mind is attacking, planning to kill other people - all of these are dosa. Dosa is conditioned by lobha, we do not want to lose and we do not really ignore what is dear to us and when this actually happen some bad situation we are sad. Sadness is dosa, and it is really akusala. If we do not know things as they are, we believe that people and things lost. However, people and things are only phenomena which arise and fall away immediately. If we can see things as they are - we will be less overwhelmed by sadness. It makes no sense to be sad about what has happened already.

How to overcome the Anger?

Anger is caused by greed and self-attachment and makes us discriminate against whoever disturbs our happiness, producing the enemy. If we are a victim of anger and hatred, try to feel sincerely that these forces are our enemies. This is not imagination, it is reality. They are our enemies. And we should think of anger as a thief. When we are angry with someone, feel that our anger is a human being who has come to steal our inner wealth, our peace and poise. If we are wise, we will never allow a thief to enter into us. We should think of hatred, too, as a human being, which has come to rob us of our love and inner wealth.

In my personal life I practiced to eliminate anger (Dosa), when I also lost many things. I started a project ‘JYOTHI’ to educate the people - “Education for freedom through change” concept. Instead of taking revenge for harassment and suicidal demands and attemptive murders and attacks etc. which I faced I started asking them to change their behavior.  In this way I followed the teachings of the Lord Buddha.

3. Moha (Ignorance); Moha is ignorance. It is delusion. It covers true nature of dharma and it veils the mind not to see realities and truths. It prevents arising wisdom. Delusion (moha) and wisdom are mutually exclusive in a mind. When delusion arises, wisdom cannot arise and when wisdom arises delusion has gone away.

Dullness; Moha is not the same as lack of worldly knowledge such as science or history, but it is ignorance of ultimate realities. There are many degrees of moha. Moha does not know the true nature of the object which is experienced and therefore its essence is, as stated by the Atthasalini (a Buddhist text) non-penetration and its function "covering up" the intrinsic nature of the object.

I practice Vipassana meditation to develop wisdom and I also worship Buddha every day to protect me in all the vicissitudes.  This every day practice helps me to come out from delusion.

I will discuss ‘Evil’ in the next issue.

Your’s-in-Dhamma

Ven. Sumedha Bodhi

A Buddhist Monk, Author, writer, International Traveler & social worker