Virtue (Sila)
Greetings! I'm looking forward to seeing many of you this coming Saturday, March 20, 4:00-5:30 p.m. for our first study group
meeting of this series. We will be focusing our discussion on the first part of Food for the Heart
(Part 1: Conduct Virtue and the World of the Senses). This first section of the book provides many rich topics for
discussion: Monastic vs. Lay Practice; Revisiting the Eightfold Path; Working with Sense Objects; Why Are We Here?;
Relinquishing. Here are a few thoughts that I have to share before we meet next week:
Newton's Third Law of Motion states that "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." Newton was
referring to force pairs. A force is a push or a pull upon an object that results from its interaction with
another object and may happen from direct contact or from interaction at a distance (such as the action of gravity
or magnetic force). It is this law that describes what happens when a fish swims or a bird flies. "Consider the flying
motion of birds. A bird flies by use of its wings. The wings of a bird push air downwards. In turn, the air reacts
by pushing the bird upwards. The size of the force on the air equals the size of the force on the bird; the direction
of the force on the air (downwards) is opposite the direction of the force on the bird (upwards). For every action,
there is an equal (in size) and opposite (in direction) reaction. Action-reaction force pairs make it possible for
birds to fly" (The Physics Classroom).
With a little effort, we can easily understand this principle as we see it enacted in the physical world and it
may help us to understand Ajahn Chah: "When you experience happiness, you think there will only be happiness.
Whenever there is suffering, you think that there will only be suffering. You don't see that wherever there is big,
there is small; wherever there is small, there is big. You don't see it that way. You see only one side and thus
it's never-ending. There are two sides to everything; you must see both. Then when happiness arises, you don't
get lost; when suffering arises, you don't get lost. When happiness arises, you don't forget the suffering because
you see that they are interdependent" (pp. 124-125). Equal and opposite force pairs. Accepting (seeing) that
this is so, without exception, is a key that unlocks wisdom and leads to stability and equanimity of mind.
I really struggled with this understanding for a long time. I didn't want to let go of the emotional "highs" of
certain kinds of life events, but of course I didn't want the lows. In running from the lows and using various
"pleasurable" activities to generate highs, what I couldn't see was that I was the gerbil in the exercise wheel:
endlessly running and going nowhere. This is samsara which, by the way, means journeying. Eventually, I
jumped off the wheel. When you jump off the wheel, you really see that nirvana was there all the time.
Samsara and nirvana are force pairs; one cannot exist without the other. That is why freedom is indeed possible
in every moment of our experience if we are awake and not endlessly running to be somewhere else.
Now it is much easier to understand this principle in our heads than it is to know it (and live accordingly).
The value is not found in intellectual understanding, but rather in seeing its application directly within the
context of our own experience. Seeing will come only when we observe increasingly subtle manifestations of
the principle within the context of our experience, so if we really want to get it, this becomes a strong motivation
for practice: formal sitting/walking practice, certainly, but really more importantly, the practice of bringing
awareness to our moment to moment experience. This is right effort. Although right effort is not difficult, it is
not easy either. It is the intention to be present with whatever arises and to see arising phenomena as they
really are: without substance. It becomes relatively easy to observe arising phenomena: feelings, thoughts, emotions,
and the leanings of mind towards or away from the sense objects. This is sati, or mindfulness. The difficult part
is the seeing, truly understanding what is meant by emptiness. If you do not see this, do not be discouraged: just
continue your practice. The understanding will happen when you (meaning conditions) are ripe for that response
to occur (equal and opposite reaction, remember?).
"There's no need to go searching for anything special; just live normally. But know where your mind is. Live mindfully and comprehend clearly. Let wisdom be your guide; don't live indulging in your moods. Be heedful and alert. If there is nothing, that's fine; when something arises, then investigate and contemplate it" (p. 129).
Offered with metta.
