A personal blog by a graying (mostly Anglo with light African-American roots) gay left leaning liberal progressive married college-educated Buddhist Baha'i BBC/NPR-listening Professor Emeritus now following the Dharma in Minas Gerais, Brasil.
Friday, December 6, 2024
Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Living: Abstaining from Taking What is Not Given
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)
There is a gift, which is a great gift—pristine, of long standing,
traditional, ancient, unadulterated—that will never be suspect. Here a
noble person gives up taking what is not given and refrains from it. In
doing so, one gives freedom from fear, hostility, and oppression to an
immeasurable number of beings. (AN 8.39)
Reflection
This is the
precept against theft, which you will notice is broadly stated to
include a wide range of behaviors we might not consider stealing. There
are many subtle ways we might take what is not freely offered, including
exploiting the labor of others who may be unfairly remunerated. We
might also take from others non-material things, such as time, ideas,
credit, power, and freedom. Be careful not to do this.
Daily Practice
Making a
commitment to act with integrity regarding the property of others is
another way of giving the gift of harmlessness to all beings. Practice
being more attentive to when something is freely offered and when it is
not. "Finders keepers" does not apply to Buddhist ethics. Think how
grateful you are when someone returns something you left behind. Take up
the habit of paying it forward, preferring to give rather than take.
Tomorrow: Abandoning Arisen Unhealthy States One week from today: Abstaining from Misbehaving Among Sensual Pleasures
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