Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Living: Abstaining from Taking What is Not Given

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RIGHT LIVING Undertaking the Commitment to Abstain from Taking What is Not Given Taking what is not given is unhealthy. Refraining from taking what is not given is healthy. (MN 9) Abandoning the taking of what is not given, one abstains from taking what is not given; one does not take by way of theft the wealth and property of others. (MN 41) One practices thus: “Others may take what is not given, but I will abstain from taking what is not given.” (MN 8) On touching a bodily sensation with the body, one does not grasp at its signs and features. Since if one left the body faculty unguarded, unwholesome states of covetousness and grief might intrude, one practices the way of its restraint, guards the body faculty, and undertakes the restraint of the body faculty. (MN 51)

Reflection The sense of touch is so basic, so intimate, and so alluring a feature of embodied existence that we generally cannot help reaching for what feels good and recoiling from what feels bad. Yet by doing this we are in a way taking more than is given, as we try to leverage the raw sensations and manipulate the next moment into something more favorable for us. This is, in fact, the source of most of our problems. Daily Practice Practice regarding the physical sensations that constantly flow from your body to your mind with detached curiosity. Some feel good, some feel bad—interesting! Resist trying to shape the next moment into something other than what it will naturally become by grasping for more gratification or pushing away any discomfort. This ability to be with what is, rather than yearning for something else, eliminates most suffering. Tomorrow: Abandoning Arisen Unhealthy States One week from today: Abstaining from Misbehaving Among Sensual Pleasures Share your thoughts and join the conversation on social media #DhammaWheel Questions? Visit the Dhamma Wheel orientation page.

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