Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Action: Reflecting upon Social Action

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RIGHT ACTION Reflecting Upon Social Action However the seed is planted, in that way the fruit is gathered. Good things come from doing good deeds; bad things come from doing bad deeds. (SN 11.10) What is the purpose of a mirror? For the purpose of reflection. So too social action is to be done with repeated reflection. (MN 61) One reflects thus: "A person who speaks in hurtful ways is displeasing and disagreeable to me. If I were to speak in hurtful ways, I would be displeasing and disagreeable to others. Therefore, I will undertake a commitment to not speak in hurtful ways." (MN 15)

Reflection Social action is not one of the formal categories of action outlined by the Buddha, but today it represents a large part of our activity. The image of reflecting on social interactions as carefully as you would those of body, speech, and mind is a useful one, allowing you to check on the effects of your actions on the world around you. Is what you are doing socially leading to beneficial or to harmful consequences?  Daily Practice When people speak to us in hurtful ways, our first reflex is often to respond in kind or to recoil, feeling angry, hurt, or resentful. This teaching is pointing us in an entirely different direction. Instead of trying to get back at or reform the other person, we learn from them what not to do. If you know what it feels like to be hurt, why would you want to hurt anyone else? Try this way of looking at things and see what happens. Tomorrow: Abstaining from Intoxication One week from today: Reflecting upon Bodily Action Share your thoughts and join the conversation on social media #DhammaWheel Questions? Visit the Dhamma Wheel orientation page.

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PRACTICE PROMPT Stop seeking.   Where can you find your unborn and unconditional freedom? Notice that the moment you search for it, you are no longer free. Seeking assumes that freedom is elsewhere, that you do not already possess it. But what if your very nature is already unconditional and free? What if the nirvana you have been looking for has been in your pocket all along? When the seeking mind finally comes to a complete stop, what happens? A koan is a device designed to bring the mind to this stopping point. When every attempt to find an answer is exhausted and there is nowhere left for the mind to go, something quietly reveals itself.

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Being Open to the Ordinary What we think is rare is not really so; what’s rare is our being open to it, right in the midst of the ordinary. Shinge Sherry Chayat Roshi, “In the Midst of the Ordinary” CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE

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