The Discipline of the Enlightened Ones

Meditation

Meditation for Beginners

 

The Discipline of the Enlightened Ones

 

we may conclude that vinaya means rules and regulations used to guide one’s physical

 

The essence of the Lord Buddha’s discourse delivered to Singala is as the following:

 

“(I count amongst my) noble disciples those who have the self-discipline to refrain from the Four Defilements of Action, who restrain themselves from the Four Forms of Bias and who do not indulge in the Six Directions…”

 

1.Discipline[vinaya]

 

The word “vinaya’ or ‘discipline’, as it appears in Buddhist scripture, has various meanings. However, we may conclude that vinaya means rules and regulations used to guide one’s physical and verbal actions in the direction of goodness and purity, and ultimately to the advantage of society at large.

 

Therefore, keeping one’s discipline is to control one’s behaviours from being unwholesome. It is not a mistake if one’s mind has malevolent intentions, resistance or unwillingness as long as one doesn’t physically break the rules.

 

Discipline can be classified into two categories as follows:

 

- Regulations: including the basic rules that protect us from antisocial behavior such as killing and stealing. These regulations also include social conduct such as timeliness.

 

- Rules of training: This aspect of vinaya includes traditions and customs designed to make people take an interest in self-cultivation such as table manners and the practice of showing respect or greeting one another.

 

Therefore, keeping one’s discipline is to control one’s behaviours from being unwholesome.

 

2. Self-Discipline [sila]

 

3. If we cultivate discipline to the point it becomes second nature and we feel no more resistance, vinaya automatically turns into ‘self-discipline’ [sila]. Thus, ‘self-discipline’ implies willingness to make sure our action, speech and thought are wholesome. Such discipline has already become thought are wholesome. Such discipline has already become internalized as a way to preserve our refreshedness of mind.

 

4. As seen at the present day, many countries suffer from social and economic problems because they hardly ever have people of good self-discipline. Looking at the leaders of each country, from the top of the nation to governmental departments, bureaus, office, families, and individuals, everyone has some relationship with the fourteen sinful actions, more or less. He ore she, then, cannot defend the six directions. Moreover, everyone takes part in destroying the natural environment that results in the hard-to-solve chains of problems.

 

Dignity’ is the power to do good things.

 

From the discourse, we can conclude the target character traits of the virtuous people lacking from almost every society in the world today are those who have the self-discipline to express responsibility for the following issues:

 

1. Their own human dignity (by eliminating the four defilement of actions);

 

2. Other people’s human dignity (by eliminating sinful actions caused by four forms of  bias );

 

3. Ethical economics (by eliminating the six roads to ruin);

 

4. The six directions and the natural environment.

 

From these four conclusions, the virtuous people the world a waits are those who have awareness on expressing responsibility towards their human dignity.

 

including the basic rules that protect us from antisocial behavior such as killing and stealing.

 

These four characteristics give us the structure on which the remainder of this book is based and it now suffices for us to elaborate the meaning of each of the four key character traits.

 

One may doubt in the real meanings of’ responsibility’ and ‘dignity’ Responsibility’ is a form of Ringht Intention and is one of the factors of the Noble Eiglization of what it is one of the factors of the Noble Eightfold Path. We may conclude that responsibility is realization of what it is appropriate for one to do  not to do… and includes the courage to take on such a duty in order to avoid any harm coming from negligence for the benefit of oneself and others. The word ‘dignity’ is the freedom to do good deeds and power to create prosperity. ‘Dignity’ is the power to do good things. It is the freedom to prosper or the power to take charge of one’s own human destiny.

 

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