The UWF Buddhist Lecture Series, Part 7
The gift of Dharma excels all other gifts.
—Dhammapada, 354
Lecture Number 7: May 2, 2009
The Noble Eightfold Path: Right Thought
Introduction
Mind is the forerunner of all evil states. Mind is chief; mind-made are they. If one speaks or acts with wicked mind, because of that, suffering follows one, even as the wheel follows the hoof of the draught-ox. –Dhammapada, 1
(The case of Ven. Cakkhupāla, the blind Arahant.)
Mind is the forerunner of all good states. Mind is chief; mind-made are they. If one speaks or acts with pure mind, because of that, happiness follows one, even as one’s shadow that never leaves. –Dhammapada, 2
(Shortly before his enlightenment, Sakyamuni observed that when thoughts of sense desire, ill-will, and harm arose in him, he discovered that they harmed himself and others, obstructed wisdom, caused pain and suffering, and did not lead to Nirvana. But when thoughts of renunciation, goodwill, and compassion arose in him, he discovered that they harmed not himself nor others, they did not obstruct wisdom, they caused no pain, and they led to Nirvana.)
Outline
I. The opening verses of the Dhammapada teach us the importance of learning to think straight instead of crooked.
A. Thinking straight is Right Thought.
B. Right Thought proceeds from Right View.
C. Right Thought is the result of seeing things as they are (Right View).
D. It is thoughts that are translated into speech and action.
II. The eradication of the three poisons of lust, hate, and stupidity depends upon Right View and Right Thought.
A. Right View and Right Thought are the two aspects of mental activity: the cognitive and the purposive.
1. Right View covers the cognitive part.
2. Right Thought covers the purposive part.
3. Right View eradicates stupidity.
4. Right Thought eradicates lust and hate.
5. Right View and Right Thought combined counteract the three poisons of stupidity, lust, and hatred.
6. Stupidity is counteracted by Right View, the seed of Wisdom.
7. The total uprooting of stupidity, however, will only occur with Right View cultivated towards the experience of full enlightenment—albeit glimpses of wisdom may gradually destroy stupidity along the way of cultivation.
8. Greed and hatred are counteracted by Right Thought, with its threefold antidotes of renunciation, goodwill, and harmlessness.
9. Right Thought, therefore, is thoughts of renunciation, goodwill, and harmlessness.
10. Wrong Thought, then, is thoughts of sense desire, ill-will, and harming.
B. Right View and Right Thought are correlative: they influence each other.
1. Pativedha (penetration) restructures values and sets the mind to move in the direction of Right View.
2. When we apply the mind towards achieving this goal, this is Right Thought.
A. Thinking straight is Right Thought.
B. Right Thought proceeds from Right View.
C. Right Thought is the result of seeing things as they are (Right View).
D. It is thoughts that are translated into speech and action.
II. The eradication of the three poisons of lust, hate, and stupidity depends upon Right View and Right Thought.
A. Right View and Right Thought are the two aspects of mental activity: the cognitive and the purposive.
1. Right View covers the cognitive part.
2. Right Thought covers the purposive part.
3. Right View eradicates stupidity.
4. Right Thought eradicates lust and hate.
5. Right View and Right Thought combined counteract the three poisons of stupidity, lust, and hatred.
6. Stupidity is counteracted by Right View, the seed of Wisdom.
7. The total uprooting of stupidity, however, will only occur with Right View cultivated towards the experience of full enlightenment—albeit glimpses of wisdom may gradually destroy stupidity along the way of cultivation.
8. Greed and hatred are counteracted by Right Thought, with its threefold antidotes of renunciation, goodwill, and harmlessness.
9. Right Thought, therefore, is thoughts of renunciation, goodwill, and harmlessness.
10. Wrong Thought, then, is thoughts of sense desire, ill-will, and harming.
B. Right View and Right Thought are correlative: they influence each other.
1. Pativedha (penetration) restructures values and sets the mind to move in the direction of Right View.
2. When we apply the mind towards achieving this goal, this is Right Thought.
III. Right Thought comes between Right View and Right Speech (and Right Action) because our thought links the cognitive with our actual engagement with the world.
A. Word and deed spring from thoughts.
B. Thoughts spring from views.
C. Wrong views=wrong thoughts=wrong speech and wrong action=suffering.
D. To avoid suffering, we must hold up to Right Speech and Right Action, to have Right Speech and Right Action we must hold up to Right Thought, to have Right Thought we must have Right View.
E. Right View is the understanding of the Four Noble Truths.
F. Understanding the Four Noble Truths gives rise to Right Thought with its three aspects of renunciation, goodwill, and harmlessness.
A. Word and deed spring from thoughts.
B. Thoughts spring from views.
C. Wrong views=wrong thoughts=wrong speech and wrong action=suffering.
D. To avoid suffering, we must hold up to Right Speech and Right Action, to have Right Speech and Right Action we must hold up to Right Thought, to have Right Thought we must have Right View.
E. Right View is the understanding of the Four Noble Truths.
F. Understanding the Four Noble Truths gives rise to Right Thought with its three aspects of renunciation, goodwill, and harmlessness.
IV. Not to do any evil, to cultivate good, to purify one’s mind—this is the Teaching of the Buddhas. –Dhammapada, 183
A. A mind filled with lust and hate cannot be pure.
B. Our mind is presently obsessed by two taints: attachment and aversion.
C. When a sense organ (for example, the mind) comes in contact with a sense object which is disagreeable, there arises conflict, causing anger, ill-will, hate, and revulsion.
D. If a mind continually entertains thoughts of lust and hate and does nothing to remove them, these thoughts are fed until they overpower the mind.
E. One way of removing these obstructions (to a pure mind) is to study their nature.
1. Lust or hate is just a thought.
2. To look at the thought of lust or hate itself without any prejudice is to see the origin of the thought itself.
F. Another is replacing thoughts of lust and anger with their opposite thoughts.
1. This strategy has found expression lately in modern psychotherapy.
2. Greed and anger, being emotive defilements, do not lay themselves for an easy surrender.
3. According to this science, many neurons in our nervous system have a double link of action/inhibition.
4. While the neurological mechanics of our emotions are just being discovered by neurologists, the phenomenon was suggested by the Buddha via a method which involves replacing thoughts of greed and anger with their opposite thoughts.
V. In out next lecture, we shall discuss the most difficult discipline to cultivate: Right Speech.
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