So, we come to the end of these two weeks that I have been talking about kusala – wholesomeness and skillfulness.
There was a man who came to the Buddha to ask a question about the kusala Dhamma – a question about skillful teachings, good spiritual teachings, or wholesome spiritual teachings. I love this idea that the Dhamma, the teachings, that the Buddha teachers, or that people are oriented towards is something that is wholesome, skillful, or beneficial.
That is an alternative to someone coming and talking about what is the true teaching, as if there is an absolute, ultimate truth that we have to discover – or a teaching which is ultimate, the most profound teaching ever.
The Buddha regularly avoided that kind of language. He was always pragmatic. He emphasized that which was wholesome and beneficial – that which was beneficial for leading to the end of suffering, and brought happiness and welfare. It is a very different orientation for religious teachings, where many times in philosophy and religion people are looking for what is ultimately true. In Buddhism, it is looking at what leads to happiness and welfare and the end of suffering.
So this man comes to challenge the Buddha. He says: "It seems to me that if someone discovers a wholesome teaching, a wholesome Dharma, they should not teach that to anybody else because it is an impediment to them. It is an obstacle to them. It just causes them headaches to have to go and teach other people. After all, what can one person do for another person?" Implying that you usually cannot do something for other people.
So he asked, "What do you what do you think about this?" The Buddha said, "Well, let me reply with a simile." I think this is a very kind thing to do. Rather than directly criticize the man for his teachings, or offer an alternative view – I am going to offer my view that is clearly opposed to your view – he says, "Well, I am going to offer you a simile, and I will ask you questions."
This man who is talking to the Buddha – it is important to understand – is a large land holder in the time of the Buddha. He owns a vast estate, where there are many sharecroppers who work his fields. They share in the crop and that is their payment.
The Buddha says: "Well Nissim, imagine, a visitor comes to you, and says: "You should just keep all the produce that is produced on your estate for yourself. You can enjoy it and have a good life. Do not share anything with your sharecroppers." If that person came to you and told you that, would that be a challenge, a difficulty for your sharecroppers?"
The man said, "Yes, that would be a difficulty and a challenge for them not to receive any payment or any of the produce for themselves."
"And would that person – that visitor who came – be concerned with their welfare?" And the man said, "Oh, no, the person would have no concern for their welfare."
"Well, then, what do you think? Would that person have ill-will for your sharecroppers, or goodwill or loving-kindness for your sharecroppers?" The person said, "Oh, it would be more ill-well for them."
The Buddha said: "In the same way, if a person discovers a wholesome teaching, a wholesome Dharma, a wholesome practice and does not share it with people who could benefit from it, that is a challenge for them. It is an obstacle for them. It is an impediment for them in terms of moving towards greater welfare. It would not support and benefit them. It is more likely that keeping the teachings to oneself is a kind of ill-will, a bit of aversion that is there."
So rather than directly countering the man, the Buddha said: "Here is a simile. How would you behave under a similar circumstance?" When the man understood how he would behave in a similar circumstance, then the idea is that the Buddha did not have to answer the question directly as asked. The person could figure out how the simile was applied to his own question.
The idea is that there is a wholesome Dharma – skillful dharmas – and it is a good thing to share it with people. It is a good thing to teach, if you have really discovered it, and know it for yourself. Whether everyone should be teaching explicitly or be a teacher, that is another question. The idea is that we are here, we have something. We have discovered how to live in a way that is beneficial. We share it with others. We live it so that we can benefit other people as well. We do not live hermetically sealed off from others. We live in a world to cooperate and to live in mutual kind regard, and mutual support for each other.
We discover wholesome states of mind. We discover wholesome practices, and wholesome ways of being. You could just keep it to yourself, but rather than necessarily teaching your family and friends, be sure to live it. Be sure to express it in how you live your life. Share the goodness you discovered – the freedom you discovered. That is an art, a skill to be learned gradually, slowly, by continuing to do it. Just because it is difficult or feels a bit tiring to be kind or friendly to people. If we keep practicing and doing it – it becomes easier and easier – it becomes second nature. It eventually becomes easier than many of the alternatives.
The wholesome dharma – I want to end this series of talks emphasizing what I have said repeatedly about the nature of the Buddha's teachings. They are pragmatic. There are many people who came to the Buddha to ask ultimate questions – ultimate spiritual, religious, philosophical, and existential questions.
Some people even demanded that the Buddha should answer these kinds of questions like, does does the soul exist? Will the soul exist after we die? Does the soul die when we die? Is consciousness something eternal? Is consciousness something that is temporary – only here when we are alive? Is the world eternal? Is the world not going to last forever? Is the world infinite that goes on forever, or is it finite? All these kinds of ultimate questions. We can add ones that we have heard ourselves over time.
Some people really want answers to these things, because that reassures them or tells them they are on a good path. I do not know the reasons. The Buddha always said, "Those kinds of questions, they are not beneficial." He mostly just kept silent. He does not answer those questions. They are not beneficial for helping people come to the end of suffering, to discover a real happiness.
He says what I teach is the practice, the orientation, the view, that supports people to discover what is really beneficial, what brings welfare and happiness, the end of suffering. With this kind of pragmatic orientation, the Buddha's concern is really with people suffering and overcoming it.
That is the topic. Sometimes our particular Buddhist tradition is considered a kind of lesser Buddhist tradition. Maybe that is a nice label we can embrace. Yes, it is lesser in the sense that it does not pursue all the grand and wonderful, cosmic, existential questions that people can think of. Rather it focuses on something very fundamental – that is suffering and the end of suffering, and the discovery of lasting, profound happiness and well being.
With the end of suffering, and the discovery of happiness, then our relationship to these great existential questions – the meaning of life, and what happens when we die – might still be interesting questions, but they are a bit more philosophical in nature – a bit more abstract. They are not as weighty or as important to us because we have discovered how to be at peace and very happy here. There is no fear that is driving those questions.
So wholesome and wholesomeness, skillfulness – this is a fundamental concept in the teachings of the Buddha that I find quite inspiring. It is simple. It is meant to simplify things, to keep us close to what is most important, if what we want to do is to become free of suffering.
So thank you very much. I hope that you will live a wholesome, skillful life for your own sake, and for the sake of others. It is a great privilege, and a great honor to be able to do even the smallest thing to benefit the life of someone else. So thank you very much.
