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Chan Buddhists, just like followers of other religions, want to
do what's right. We strive to be righteous and to avoid
self-aggrandizing actions and activities. It's imperative that we
consider what it means to "do right" since we often fall into the
trap of "doing wrong." We must identify and distinguish
self-righteousness from righteousness in order to avoid it. Luke
18:9-14 "And (Jesus) spake this parable unto certain which trusted
in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
'Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and
the other a publican.
"The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank
thee, that I am not as other men [are], extortioners, unjust,
adulterers, or even as this publican.
"I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
"And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as
[his] eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be
merciful to me a sinner.
"I tell you, this man went down to his house justified [rather]
than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be
abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted."
Why does a Chan Dharma Article start
with a citation from the Christian Bible? Wisdom reveals itself in
all religions and as Buddhists we sometimes need to remind
ourselves that Buddhism has no lock on the Right and the Righteous.
Regardless of our religion, Righteousness will be a cornerstone of
our faith, so it is important for all of us, Buddhists, Christians,
Muslims, Hindus, Jews, alike, to be aware what happens when
Righteousness goes wrong.
Chan Buddhists, just like followers of other religions, want to do
what's right. We strive to be righteous and to avoid
self-aggrandizing actions and activities. It's imperative that we
consider what it means to "do right" since we often fall into the
trap of "doing wrong." We must identify and
distinguish self-righteousness from
righteousness in order to avoid it.
Doing Right is the cornerstone of Buddhist practice, something we
know about from the Buddha's Noble Eightfold Path which defines
righteous action as a means for liberation and salvation -
overcoming the pain and suffering of samsara. It may not be as well
known that, according to the Ariyapariyesana Sutra, the pitfall of
self-righteousness was of such importance to the Buddha that it
almost kept him from teaching his Truths. When the Buddha
contemplated about whether to continue pursuing his own perfection
or spread the Dharma, his thoughts, it is said, were: "Mankind is
intent on its selfishness and takes delight and pleasure in it. It
is hard for mankind to accept my doctrine of righteousness
overriding selfishness." This very difficulty tempted Gotama Buddha
to abstain from teaching because he feared the teachings could not
be understood in light of people's overpowering egos.
To the great fortune of the world, he opted to teach. And as we all
know, the basics of all his teachings are contained in his Four
Noble Truths and Noble Eightfold Path: Right Understanding, Right Thoughts,
Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right
Mindfulness, and Right Concentration.
The Buddha emphasized that we "do right" not for self-centered
reasons - gain of merit or fear of punishment - but because "doing
right" leads to the cessation of suffering. When we apply ourselves
to follow the Path, clearly, we must "do right" and it's also clear
that in order to "do right" we must do these things without
selfishness, i.e., without any personal desire for attaining
anything. Our minds must be focused on the simple actions of "doing
right," devoid of the shroud of egoism.
We "do right" onlybecause it is right and for
no other reason. Righteousness is then reflected in a mode of
behavior that transcends personal desires and attachments, beliefs
and opinions. In Daoism it is called, simply, "The Way".
Unselfish righteousness itself is the foundation of Buddhism. It is
a cause with happiness as the consequence. From verse 169 of the
Dhammapada: "Pursue a righteous life. Do not observe
unrighteousness. The righteous live happily both in this world and
in the next."
From Paul Carus' 1894 translation of The Gospel of Buddha:
"Righteousness is the place in which truth dwells, and here in the
hearts of mankind aspiring after the realization of righteousness,
there is ample space for a rich and ever richer revelation of the
truth … Truth is the essence of life, for truth endureth beyond the
death of the body. Truth is eternal and will still remain even
though heaven and earth shall pass away. There are not different
truths in the world, for truth is one and the same at all times and
in every place. Truth teaches us the noble eightfold path of
righteousness, and it is a straight path easily found by the
truth-loving. Happy are those who walk in it."
So how can Righteousness go wrong? Righteousness is, by definition,
Right.
When we insert our ego, our sense of a possessed, independent and
autonomous identity, righteousness turns into self-righteousness.
And that's when the problems begin.
In Buddhist terms, we fall victim to five of the ten First
Temptations of Mara:Uddhacca, (self-righteousness,
"restlessness," agitation of the heart, turmoil of
mind); Sakkaya-ditthi (Conceit,
arrogance, pride); Patigha (ill will, hatred,
anger, resentment, revulsion, dissatisfaction, aversion, annoyance,
disappointment);Mana (conceit, arrogance,
self-assertion or pride, feeling oneself to be superior to others)
and Avijja (ignorance and
delusion, especially relating to the Four Noble Truths).
We enter a state of delusion which, by it's own nature, we are
unaware of. We may consider ourselves the font of "rightness" and
morality, a delusion that leads us to think that we can dictate to
others what they should believe and how they should live their
lives, based on our own ideas and opinions on those matters. We may
tell people how to worship, what religion they should belong to,
and may even lecture them on what side to take in political
decisions. If we are clerics, we may do these things in the name of
our religion. Or we may do them through a sense of self-importance
and self-righteousness. But Righteousness is not to be found near
or far when the ego is at the center of our cause. All we find is
Samara's hell.
Self-righteousness poisons the well that is the source of
happiness. We become pariahs to the world. We may find a following
of people who like what we say, but we just as readily become
disliked, or even hated, by others. We find ourselves walking a
tightrope -- inventing elaborate stories to defend our position on
a subject or an action we took that we knew was wrong but refuse to
admit to ourselves or others.
We become the walking damned. Our life becomes hell.
And this so often happens to those people in positions of influence
over others when their religious doctrine of righteousness is
perverted to suit selfish ulterior motives. They may want to attain
(or maintain) a position of power among their constituents: a
sangha, a clergy, a cult, a corporation, a country, or a
family.
Righteousness appeals to us because we all have an inner desire to
do what is right, to make the right decisions and to act nobly and
wisely. But when we get confused by life's circumstances we often
look to others who seem to have the answers, and they are usually
others who act Righteous, whether they are or not: a well-polished
politician; a pastor, rabbi, or priest; a political commentator; a
famous charismatic person like an actor or musician, etc. But the
moment we put our trust in another person, we fall victim to the
possibility that what we perceive as righteousness is disguised
egoism. We may be led the wrong way and end up in very deep waters
ourselves.
The solution, of course, is to avoid giving ourselves up to any
person, regardless of the height of the pedestal on which we may
want to hoist them. We must stand our own moral and spiritual
ground regardless of the pressures from those around us who demand
that we join in the hoisting. An egoistic impostor may lash out at
us with venom, but our steadfast adherence to the Path renders them
harmless to us.
The truly Righteous will celebrate as the Buddha did: "Let not a
man abandon his own good for the sake of another's good, however
great. Once a man has clearly apprehended his own good, let him
pursue it with diligence." (Dhammapada, 166)
Each of us walks alone in this life. We are born alone and we die
alone. We must be wary of encounters with the others claiming
Righteousness as their personal domain, regardless of their
religious affiliation - Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, etc.;
and we must avoid, with diligence and unrelenting effort, becoming
one of them, for it's a trap all too easy to fall into at any stage
of our spiritual practice. Those who have taken this unfortunate
detour can turn themselves around, but it must be through their own
effort. We need to take heed to carefully avoid mingling our karma
with theirs.
Blindness does not happen only because we have our eyes closed. We
have a choice.
May the eye see the I, and
may the wisdom of all faiths bring the Self out of the
self-righteous.
Namo Amitofo.
http://www.hsuyun.org/chan/en/essays/essays-from-clergy/byfadao/59-righteousness-wrong.html
