Good and Bad

GOOD AND BAD
Which side are you on?
Sayadaw
Dr. Nandamālābhivaṃsa
First edition:
Number of copies: 1,000
Published by the Dhamma Sahāya Sāsana – Institute for

Dhamma Education (IDE) at Aung Chan Thar, Pyin-Oo-Lwin,
Myanmar.
Printed by Aung Aung Moe Offset (00817), Mandalay, Myanmar.
© Dr. Nandalamālābhivaṃsa.
Note to readers
Good and Bad: Which side are you on? is a compilation of Dr.
Nandamālābhivaṃsa’s lectures and Dhamma talks in Myanmar
and English given throughout the years at several venues in
Myanmar and abroad. Thanks to Ayya Agganyani for her
comments and suggestions after reading the draft.
Vimalañāṇī, complier
ii
Contents
Biography of Dr. Nandamālābhivaṃsa v
Introduction: Going up- or downstream? 1
1 Distinguishing good from evil
The first priority 4
Don’t be mistaken 10
Can good and bad be combined? 17
2. How good and bad occur
Taking a turn for the worse 21
Going from bad to good 27
Becoming better and better 30
“Have you ever seen anyone with a toothache smile?” 33
3. Fruit of good and evil
Any priority in the outcome of good and bad? 37
A gram of merit, a ton of hell-fire 45
iii
4 Not knowing right from wrong
Accepting a poisoned drink 51
No mixing with fools 58
Comparing the fool with the wise 62
5 Watch your habits
Unique in our make-up 69
Smell of an empty beer bottle 76
6 Changing for the better
How to change a temperament 82
Letting good thoughts arise 88
Conclusion: Goodness needs effort 92
iv
Biography of Dr. Nandamālābhivaṃsa
Sayadaw Dr. Nandamᾱlᾱbhivaṃsa, born

in Sint-ku in the Union of Myanmar in
1940, began his education in a monastic
school in Mandalay Division. He was
ordained a novice at 10 by Sankin
Sayadaw of the prestigious Vipassanᾱ
Monastery in Sagaing Hills.
At the age of 16, he had already passed

the Dhammᾱcariya (Dhamma teacher)
examination; and at 21 he had cleared the difficult Abhivaṃsa
examination. He also furthered his education in Sri Lanka and
India, obtaining higher degrees. His doctorate thesis was about
Jainism in Buddhist literature.
Sayadaw Dr. Nandamᾱla is one of the founders of the well-

reputed study-monastery Mahᾱsubodhayon in Sagaing Hills. In
2003 he founded Dhammavijjᾱlaya (Centre for Buddhist
Studies) adjoining Mahᾱsubodhayon Monastery for foreigners
keen to further their studies and practice. He also established
the Institute of Dhamma Education (IDE), a Buddhist learning
centre in Pyin Oo Lwin. Since its opening in 2013, he has been
holding courses for both local and overseas students. Another
study centre Dhammavinaya Centre was opened in 2015. Since
2016 courses have been given for monks, nuns and foreigners.
At the same time Sayadaw Dr. Nandamᾱla holds numerous

responsibilities: among them, he is the rector of Sītagu
v
International Buddhist Academy (Sagaing Hills). Also, after the
opening of the International Theravᾱda Buddhist Missionary
University (ITBMU) in 1995, he served as a visiting professor.
Since 2005 he has been its Rector.
Sayadaw Dr. Nandamᾱla serves to promote and propagate the

Buddha’s teachings both in Myanmar and abroad. From 2003 he
began teaching Abhidhamma in Europe, Malaysia and
Singapore. Having given many Dhamma talks throughout the
years in Myanmar, he is well-known to the public for his
individual, lively and practical approach, using examples from
daily life. He is also the author of numerous books in Myanmar,
Pᾱḷi and English (see below).
List of some publications in English
• The 90 Years of Life of Daw Malayee (1975)

• The Exposition of True Meaning (Paramattha dīpanī) with
Critical Introduction to the Text (Thesis for the degree of Master
of Philosophy) (1996)
• Buddhism and Vegetarianism (1990)
• Fundamental Abhidhamma (1997)
• A Study of Jainism according to Buddhist Literature (Thesis
for the degree of Ph.D.) (2004)
• How to Practise the Four Noble Truths
• Akusala: the Nature of Poison (2010)
• The Path to Happiness (2010)
• The Buddha’s Advice to Rāhula and Rāhula’s Life (2012)
• Eight and One (2013)
• The Exits of Mind (2013)
vi
• Samatha and Vipassanā (2013)
• An Analysis of Feelling (Vedanā) (2013)
• A collection of Dhamma Talks 1 (2014)
• Kamma at Death and Rebirth (2016)
Because of his excellent knowledge of the Buddha’s teachings

and his experience in teaching, in 1995 and 2000 he was
conferred the titles of Aggamahāganthavᾱcakapaṇḍita (Senior
Lecturer) and Aggamahāpaṇḍita respectively by the government
of Myanmar.
******
vii
viii
Introduction
Going up- or downstream?
Many people are often confused about whether something to be

done is wholesome or not. So they carry it out, thinking it is
good. If they had thought otherwise, they would not have done
it.
Since many do not understand what is good or bad or
what is cause-and-effect, what guides them along in life? It is
the mind taking delight in misbehaviour, happily enjoying itself.
Let’s compare the two activities: coming to listen to a
Dhamma talk and going to watch an entertaining show. You
find that it is easier to go watch the show. Whatever the task at
hand, your mind inclines to being entertained already. However
not everybody is the same. Some say, “We don’t watch shows.
We only listen to Dhamma talks.” This would require reforming
one’s character and fostering good habits. But normally given a
choice between watching a show and listening to a Dhamma
talk, the mind is keener on the show. It is very difficult to listen
to the Dhamma.
You might ask, “Why is it so difficult?” The answer is
“Pāpasmiṃ ramati mano.” The mind tends to remain on the
side of evil or akusala. Besides, it is much easier to do so.
Which is less demanding: going down- or upstream? Going with
the stream is easily done. Putting aside the oar, you just sit as
the boat goes by itself with the flow. It cannot be done this way
when you go upriver. You cannot afford to miss even a stroke
of the oar. If you do so, the boat drifts downstream again.
Learning the Dhamma and doing good deeds can be
compared to going upstream. You always have to row; you
always have to strive. Without the effort of striving, progress or
the result by itself will not take place.
Taking the easy way

People usually tend to take the easy path – that of sensual
pleasures. They follow the way that goes down, not up, the
river. They usually search to gratify the senses, wanting
enjoyment and diversion, and not to be edified or be better
informed. Now and again when the mind is in a good state,
wholesome or kusala actions are performed. At times when
there is foolishness or anger, then akusala is carried out.
The Buddha taught “avijjā paccayā saṅkhāra1” where
avijjā is ignorance. What is ignorance? It is not knowing the
truth about what should or should not be done. Not being able
to distinguish between the two, people think that what should
be done shouldn’t be done; and what shouldn’t be done should
be. Then they go ahead to do it. Following what they think,
they act accordingly. So a person with avijjā will do kusala now
and again. He will do at times what he thinks is suitable to be
done. If he performs akusala, it is because he thinks it is fitting
to be carried out. As for kusala, if he does not think it suitable,
it is not done. What can this sort of behaviour be likened to?
Visuddhimagga gives an analogy of a blind man without
a guide who is on his way somewhere on foot. At times the
going is fine as the road is straight and level. Sometimes it is
otherwise. It happens too that occasionally he gets on the
wrong path. In the same way a person with avijjā will at times
reach the good side, and sometimes the bad side. On reaching
1
“Ignorance conditions productive kamma,” in Dependent origination
(Paṭiccasamuppāda).
2
the good side, he is able to enjoy benefits and happiness. On
arriving at the bad side, he meets with all kinds of suffering.
This is the way we make our journey in stages through
saṃsāra – sometimes good, sometimes bad.
****
3
1. Distinguishing Good from Evil
The first priority
Whatever the Buddha taught only concerns two points: good

(kusala) and evil (akusala). His main teachings can be summed
up in a gist: to avoid evil and to do good. Why and how do they
arise? What are the strong conditions to support them2? How to
increase kusala if it has already arisen? These dhammas found
in us are most important. Because of them we are happy,
unhappy, attached, and so on.
According to the Buddha, the most vital work for us is to
make sure that evil does not arise and that wholesomeness
arises. For that purpose He gave four kinds of right effort
(sammappadhāna)3:
* Evil states that have arisen should be removed.

* Evil states yet to arise should be prevented from arising.
* Unarisen wholesome states should be developed.
* Arisen wholesome states should be increased.
These four factors are necessary for everybody, not only for
those working towards Nibbāna, but even for those wishing for
2
In Paṭṭhāna this is known as upanissaya paccayo, that is, a condition
that strongly supports its conditioned state by means of dependence.
3
In Dhammapada.
worldly happiness. Based on these guidelines, any undertaking
should not be done if kusala decreases. It should only be done
if kusala increases. If only unwholesomeness appears, then that
is not the right way. Relying on these instructions, we should
then know what should and shouldn’t be done.
Take for instance the decision to wear robes: people say
that it is good to become a monk (or a nun). The Buddha’s
advice was that if kusala decreases while akusala increases,
then it would not be a good decision.
On the other hand it would be good if it was the reverse
with kusala increasing while akusala decreases. Thus we should
ask ourselves in taking on any task, “Is kusala on the rise and
akusala on the decline? Or is kusala decreasing while akusala is
increasing?”
Our immediate task

However at the start it is vital to know what kusala and akusala
actually mean, and how to differentiate between them. Some
people, even yogis, are not able to tell the difference. That is
why it is important to know the literal meaning of “kusala”. It
means the removing of evil,4 while “akusala” is the negation of
it.5 Good and bad exist as a pair in us. The two are opposing
dhammas. Kusala is the part which is white and pure. It has
the characteristic of being blameless (anavajja) and it produces
a good and happy result.6 In contrast, the dirty and blackish
4
Kusala = ku [evil] + sala [removal or eradication].
5
Akusala = a [opposite of] + kusala [meritorious, wholesome, moral].
6
Kusala anavajja sukha vipāka lakkhaṇā.
5
part in us is akusala. Its characteristic is with fault (sāvajja) and
it has a bad and unhappy effect (dukkha vipāka)7.
As ultimate realities, their characteristics never change.
This is nature’s law, not the Buddha’s. Wholesomeness and
unwholesomeness occur in anyone — not Buddhists alone — of
whatever religion, ethnic group or nationality.
With an akusala mind we have self-indulgence for
sensual pleasures. We are prone to lie, cheat or steal. With
such a habitual mental state, we become evil. Then again with
good qualities, the mind becomes beautiful. Because an
ordinary person is usually overwhelmed by akusala, his kusala
becomes weak and scarce.
It’s the thought that counts

As consciousness or citta is just awareness of an object, it is
neither wholesome nor unwholesome. If so, how can it acquire
qualities of kusala or akusala?
Evil or good is because of thought associated with
consciousness as a cetasika or mental state. We can understand
better by considering pure and impure water. Water is just
water. With impurities it becomes dirty water. Citta is just
awareness. Associated with evil thought, it becomes just like
dirty water. If associated with a good thought, it becomes pure.
Take another example: pure water is colourless. If you
add black dye, it turns black. With yellow dye, the water turns
yellow. At the starting point the mind is just like pure water.
Kusala and akusala cetasikas act like colour dyes. Like water,
the mind’s quality thus changes because of association with
7
Sāvajja dukkha vipāka lakkhaṇā.
6
these mind states. So kusala and akusala denote these
cetasikas.
To be considered unwholesome, a citta must have these
states of greed, anger or delusion (lobha, dosa, or moha). In
the case of a wholesome consciousness, these are anti-greed,
anti-anger or knowledge (alobha, adosa or amoha). Without
these six cetasikas, kusala or akusala mind will not arise.
Good and bad roots of thought

The Buddha explained these six phenomena (lobha, dosa and
moha; and alobha, adosa and amoha) under the term “hetu” or
root. Like the roots of a tree, these mental states have a
fortifying effect. Why do trees thrive? It is because of their
roots which support the trunk, branches, leaves and fruit.
Because of them, the tree is able to flourish. If they are cut off,
the tree dries up.
In the same way all evil and pure minds are rooted with
these six mental states as their leading cause. As long as lobha
or dosa for example remains, thought, talk and action will
remain with greed or anger. With dosa you want to use abusive
words or hit the other person. An angry person cannot use kind
words or soft gestures.
When dosa is no more, that person apologises. There
are no more abusive words or rough and heavy actions. Instead
he might say, “sweetie” or “honey”. Then with adosa (or
mettā), he talks of others’ well-being or do social work through
this root condition8.
8
In Paṭṭhāna this is hetu paccayo.
7
Doorman or gatekeeper needed
So roots are very important as kusala and akusala emerge
depending on them. Thinking of something beautiful we saw,
sensual pleasure rises more and more. Through thought or
vitakka9 we want to indulge ourselves. If angry with someone,
anger grows as we think again and again of what happened.
Yet if we forget about the incident, there is no more anger. This
is again through vitakka.
Unwholesome thought always arises without
mindfulness (sati) or wise attention, that is, yoniso manasikāra.
With the absence of sati, akusala arises. We then direct the
mind to sensual pleasures, never thinking of dāna, sīla or
meditation. This is because sati works like a doorman who
keeps out unwanted visitors. In its case it stops unwholesome
states like lobha and dosa from entering.
As for yoniso manasikāra, it is also an important
gatekeeper. A bad one will neglect his work, and let all kinds of
evil people into the compound. If we have wise attention,
kusala will arise in us. Otherwise akusala will enter. So without
wise attention, we cannot stop lobha or dosa for example from
appearing.
Consequently with the lack of sati and yoniso
manasikāra, good dhammas are not experienced, only bad
ones. This is usually the case because the mind delights in evil
9
Initial application is an important mental property that pushes the
mind onto the object. Thinking of the object: that is the function of
vitakka. If associated with kusala, it becomes good; with akusala, it
turns bad. By itself, it is neither good nor bad.
8
actions: enjoyment of sensual pleasures, craving, jealousy and
so on.
Practically everybody’s mind is like that. How many in
this world of six billion are with beautiful cittas? People spend
most of their time enjoying sensual pleasures, thinking of
disturbing or making trouble for the others.
We must try instead to take delight in goodness. This is
like going against the current, rather than following it. As a start
— as the mind and cetasikas are crucial to understand — we
should try to identify and find their natures within us.
Sometimes we think some attitudes such as doubt or
pride are good to have. However, according to Abhidhamma,
these are not wholesome states. Thus we should also learn to
distinguish between good and bad ones.
*****
9
Don’t be mistaken
Many people often get confused or mistaken about which

mental state is wholesome and which is not. Some are also
unaware whether an action carried out is right or wrong. For
example, when I visited Germany I was told that doubt
(vicikicchā) is good. Because of it we search for the truth.
However, its presence usually leaves us indecisive and unable
to do anything.
Then in Myanmar some people say, “I’ve the cetanā,” in
talking about their motivation to do something meritorious. But
not all cetanās are good. Depending on the company it keeps, it
just encourages whatever the other associated mental factors
do — both good and bad. Below are some more examples of
mental states which could be misleading.
Joyful over what?

Take joy (pīti). Some kinds of pīti are very important and
wholesome. With the Dhamma it is a factor of enlightenment
and it increases knowledge. Kāma pīti is not so good. Such a
sensual enjoyment — watching videos, listening and dancing to
pop music, for example — makes us forget everything, and if
there is over-attachment, craving arises. Then we only want to
have fun, and have no interest to meditate or attend an
Abhidhamma class. So when we are joyful about something, we
should ask ourselves: “What’s my joy about?”
In another case, say two hunters are shooting deer. One
hits and kills his target. The other one misses. But he shows
appreciation of his friend’s skill in shooting, and congratulates
him. This is not the appreciative joy of muditā. Not all joys are
muditā. In this instance it is an unwholesome act.
Mistaking greed for the wish to act

According to Ledi Sayadaw, there are two kinds of chanda. The
first type is the one that only wants to accomplish a task.10 It
covers every action: for example, in wanting to talk, look, drink
or think. By merely wishing to do something, it is without
clinging or attachment. In our case we could wish to meditate,
attend a Dhamma class or to do dāna. We could look for
drinking water to offer the others. It is unlike the second type
of chanda dominated by taṇhā or lobha. “I want to eat my
favourite snack, and then go shopping,” is different from “I
want to meditate.” For worldly people or puthujjanas, their
chanda is usually the second type which is mixed with greed.
As the two seem similar in nature (in wishing to do), we
can be confused. We have to understand them and know the
difference. Lobha is with attachment, sticking to the object
while chanda has no sticky nature. It is usual to have hopes
and desires in which lobha and chanda are mixed. When
chanda associates with lobha, it follows lobha that leads, being
the dominant factor among the associated mental factors. This
is the case for most of us. For instance some yogis while
10Kattukamyatā chanda = the chanda that only wants to do.
11
meditating get a nimitta (a sign of concentration such as lights
and so on). As a result they become attached to it, wanting it
to appear again and again. Though originally they had
wholesome chanda in wanting to meditate, it is now
unwholesome chanda. Taṇhā has become associated with their
wish by dominating it. Chanda has thus to follow their craving.
Karuṇā is not sadness

When I went to Germany to explain Abhidhamma, many
students thought that feeling sad for their loved ones in
suffering was karuṇā or compassion But according to
Abhidhamma it is only unhappiness, associated with dosa.
Karuṇā is a noble abode or brahmavihāra, whereas sadness is
at a low level, being a kilesa or mental defilement.
To understand better: consider two people hospitalised
in the intensive-care unit after an accident. A relative of one of
them pays a visit. The visitor has different feelings: there is not
only karuṇā for his relative, worry and unhappiness appear. On
seeing the stranger, he may think, “Oh, so pitiful,” but without
sadness. That is compassion that wants to help the stranger.
Also if your pet is in pain and distress, you feel
compassion and sadness. If it is not your pet, you might feel
only compassion, not sadness.
Karuṇā is with the wish to help one in suffering. It is
important to realise the difference. We must not let karuṇā fall
into sadness, which it does so easily. Then it is no more
compassion but a mental defilement.
12
Quiet but boiling inside — that is not khanti
Many people advise, “Be patient, be silent, and don’t talk back,”
when someone is being scolded with abusive words. They think
it is noble to keep quiet though the heart is burning with anger.
It is only hatred, only that it is not shown. What is khanti then?
It is shown in a person who is able to sustain a peaceful or
natural state of mind in spite of provocation, abuse or suffering.
This does not apply in normal times with no difficult conditions.
Like the earth, whether we put flowers or dogs do their toilet
there, it remains unmoved.
On the contrary you can be in a happy mood until
someone insults you. You then lose your happiness because
there is no khanti to sustain it. Even though you do not respond
with words or gestures, your mental state becomes troubled.
Khanti is a high-level state led by adosa along with mindfulness,
effort and knowledge (sati, vīriya and paññā).
Mettā is “spirit of a friend” but not a boy- or girl-friend

What is our attitude towards our friends? We want to see them
happy and doing well. Our wishing for their happiness and well-
being is mettā. The word is derived from “mitta (friend)” and
literally means “spirit or attitude of a friend”. The Buddha
compared mettā to a mother’s love for her only child:
“Mātā yathā niyaṁ putta-,

Māyusā ekaputta-manurakkhe11.”
11
Just as a mother would protect her only child at the risk of her own
life…
13
A mother’s love is partial but our mettā must be for everybody
and should be without attachment which is akusala, causing
unhappiness. Some people send mettā this way, “May all beings
except bugs and mosquitoes be well and happy.” But mettā has
no exceptions. All beings should be included -- even mosquitoes
which are a great nuisance in summer.
Also Myanmar people wrongly use “mettā” for love when
they say, “I love you with mettā.” That is not mettā. Pure mettā
does not cause unhappiness, sorrow, or worry – only
compassion. It is without attachment, lobha or rāga. Most
translators use the term loving-kindness. However this “love” is
usually with craving and attachment. Mettā which is not pure
has a similar nature with this kind of love. Thus its near enemy
is rāga or attachment as the nature is very close. As a result it
is hard to distinguish between them. Dosa as the far enemy can
be clearly known as it is very unlike mettā. But we should be
careful of a close enemy. Being close enough it can harm us at
any time, causing suffering and trouble.
Therefore in Commentaries we are advised to spread
mettā to those of the same sex as ourselves. Otherwise the
close enemy lying in wait will cause us to lose our pure mettā.
Very easily it changes to love, so that it is very dangerous.
However it is usually unavoidable for ordinary people to have it
mixed. Only in Noble Ones can mettā (and karuṇā) remain
pure.
Pride is a mental defilement

With māna we are always thinking about ourselves, referring to
an “I” by comparing with the others. We imagine ourselves at
14
the highest pinnacle above the others with our family
background, respect from others, and so on. Even morality can
cause pride: “I can keep better sīla than the rest of the yogis.”
With learning: “I’m so learned. I know all there’s to know about
Abhidhamma, even Paṭṭhāna.” Although we are correct about
that quality or ability, thinking about it shows pride. It is a
mental defilement. Even Venerable Anuruddha was not above
it. As a puthujjana, having attained the divine eye in meditation,
he could see a thousand universes. Yet he had to consult
Venerable Sāriputta about why he could not gain
enlightenment.
The Venerable replied, “Stating that you can see a
thousand universes shows your māna. Don’t think about it. It
blocks you from being enlightened.” Though it was a fact,
thinking that he could do it was pride. Most people however
would not see such a thought as conceit. But poison is still
poison: no matter how subtle, evil can be a great hindrance at
an advanced level in meditation. So in the practice of
meditation, be careful not to think, “Oh, I can sit for five hours
straight.” Don’t think this way. Such self-satisfaction can block
your progress.
Though the Buddha sometimes says, “I’m the
Tathāgata,” that is not māna. The Buddha does not have this
pride with the idea of “I am”. With ordinary people, however,
there is the idea of self-love based on lobha and self-concern.
Māna has different levels and degrees. Everybody has it;
whether that position we think we have is high, equal or low, it
is still māna. A person of low caste can still think about status,
except that he thinks he does not care.
15
Offering beer as dāna
Then there are some who commit akusala thinking that it is
wholesome. In Myanmar (and elsewhere too) this happens
when a group goes out for drinks. Someone would then buy a
round of beer for instance for the rest of the group. This is
taken to be dāna, with the drinker-donor offering drinks to the
others. You may ask, “Will he get any merit by giving a treat?”
What kusala can there be? This is only donating for
unwholesomeness by footing the bill. Ask yourself instead:
“Would this act break the five precepts? Or would it help keep
the precepts?” It only causes a breaking of the precepts. So is it
kusala or akusala? It brings no merit although many people
may think otherwise.
Knowledge and right view needed

For this reason it is vital to understand clearly and correctly in
any undertaking that this is kusala and that is akusala.
Otherwise in your ignorance you will mistake the two.
Mistakenly you then act, thinking to do good – only to receive
its akusala result. Also, not knowing the right attitude to adopt,
you may be doing some meritorious work. In spite of that, a lot
of unwholesomeness may be generated.
For this reason it is necessary to learn to observe the
mind and to identify your mental states in daily life. As a start
some knowledge of Abhidhamma would be helpful. Then you
would know whether your mental states and actions are good
or bad. Then with knowledge and right view you can check and
remove or encourage.
******
16
Can good and bad be combined?
As kusala and akusala are opposite in nature, you cannot take

one for the other. You need to see them as distinct entities,
each with its own clear-cut qualities. It is also not possible to
combine the two. Akusala’s nature is with fault. Not only that, it
gives an unhappy result.
On the other hand, kusala is free from fault, being able
to give a good result. So how could the two be combined? It is
impossible -- like fire and water they cannot merge or even be
placed together. When akusala arises, it can only do so in its
own unwholesome sphere.
Anger in compassion?
Yet some people mix them up. Take the instance when parents
or teachers are scolding the children for their misbehaviour. In
a fit of temper, some resort to using force. They call it “anger in
compassion”. Or they say “It’s my good intention (cetanā) that
gives me anger,” thinking it is justifiable. They think that these
two dhammas can be blended. Is it possible that karuṇā can
mix together with dosa?
However, it can be put this way: anger arises based on
compassion. Karuṇā is good while dosa is bad. No matter where
dosa appears, it is still unwholesome. Its meaning is
destruction. What does it destroy? In someone overcome by
anger, isn’t it so his state of mind has been destroyed? What
good is it to disrupt the usual calm mind?
Not only that, the form is also affected. Take a look at
him when he is in a temper. Although he may be good-looking,
the face now becomes ugly. Dosa has distorted his looks.
Worse, the speech becomes foul. The actions carried out
become frightful.
Despite those who think that karuṇā-dosa is good, for
any akusala to arise is not, regardless of its base. Whatever
anger which appears is unwholesome – not even the dosa that
“wishes” well for the other’s benefit. It is only mettā that wishes
so. In this case, unlike karuṇā with its sympathy for the others,
dosa is frustration.
Thus due to kusala, akusala can appear12. You need to
see them as two parts: based on karuṇā, dosa develops. Each is
separate with its own nature. It is not possible to combine the
two, as they are complete opposites, just like black and white.
Compassionate killing?
In the same way, consider pāṇātipātā. According to
Abhidhamma, taking a life depends on the root of hatred. Is it
then not possible to take a life without dosa? So in the presence
of compassion or love, no one would be able to kill. It is a
confusing point if we take into account mercy killing.
12
I have given some lectures on upanissaya paccayo of Paṭṭhāṇa
about how based on kusala, akusala arises and vice-versa.
18
You see, there are different degrees of dosa. Yet it is so
powerful, just a little of it can lead to pāṇātipātā. Sometimes
dosa appears in us without our being aware of it. For example,
we see something which we dislike. So we turn away because
we do not wish to see it again. This is having a “little” hatred.
We do not say “I hate” but rather “I dislike”.
Also as the mental moment is so short (in a second,
billions of minds arise and fall), there can be a series of like and
dislike. If it is something we like, we never try to remove the
object. If there is dislike, we try to get rid of it. Consider the
case of a pet-owner who has the animal put to sleep because it
is suffering.
There is more to it. First, there is compassion to see it
suffering. But because he cannot bear to see it in pain, this
means that there is dosa. Therefore he is unwilling to let it live
longer due to his dislike to see.
It is not possible to have love and hate at the same
moment. No two minds can arise at the same time -- like light
and darkness. With light there can be no darkness. With love
(or compassion) there can be no hate and vice-versa. The mind
is so quick to change, with mental states changing just as fast
too. Towards one object, there is hatred. Towards another
object there is love. Thus compassion or love can quickly give
way to anger or dislike.
Thus it is vital to know how kusala and akusala arise in
our daily life and the conditions that help them appear. We shall
deal with the unwholesome side first because everyone is
familiar with it. When the Buddha gave guidelines, He first
taught what was to be avoided. Which is more important to
19
know: this is poison; that is not? To know which is poisonous is
more vital. If not, should we eat it, we would be harmed. So
akusala should come first in order that we can avoid it.
******
20
2. How Good and Bad Occur
Taking a turn for the worse
You should take heed that based on kusala, akusala can

develop13. This happens when a kilesa, for example, greed,
pride or jealousy arises due to a kusala object14. In the previous
chapter we saw how based on compassion anger arises. Some
people think that it is acceptable to have dosa since karuṇā is
blameless. Indeed unwholesomeness easily occurs in daily life
even in wholesome acts of dāna, keeping precepts, studying the
Dhamma and meditating. How does it happen?
Let’s say that you develop the faith (saddhā) to offer
dāna. Dāna is a meritorious act. However, you think, “My
saddhā is really wonderful!” What happens is that a lobha mind
has arisen, becoming attached to this faith. Lobha is a mental
defilement. Thus akusala has come into being due to a kusala
state.
Like many people, what do you do after doing charity?
You could become pleased with and proud of your offering. You
13
For any akusala to occur, there are three possibilities: it can develop
from kusala or from akusala itself. In addition matter (rūpa), an
external condition or outside object can help cause unwholesomeness
to arise.
14
Note that in this case for upanissaya paccayo, anantara relation
does not apply, only that of ārammaṇa. Taking that kusala as its
object, a bad mental state such as lobha arises.
boast about it, “No one else is able to donate like me. Only I
alone can do so much.” Not only conceit, attachment and self-
satisfaction have arisen on account of this meritorious deed. In
this case based on wholesome cāga, akusala arises.
Then what do some people do after their donation?
They put up big signboards to be easily noticed. Some donors
do not like it if these boards are placed in obscure corners
where visitors cannot readily see them. What is the aim of
putting them up? For such people the real objective of dāna is
lost. It is no longer to share merits; it is now “May everybody
know about my dāna.” The signboard has become a big
advertisement board instead.
In one monastery in Sagaing Hills, the donor company’s
name is in bigger type than the monastery’s name. As a result
the monastery’s name is lost in the signboard. Thus taking
kusala dāna as its object, akusala lobha arises.
Another example is regretting having done a meritorious
deed. Suppose that along the way somewhere, you meet a
monk to whom you offer dāna. What if this monk turns out to
be an imposter? “Oh, I shouldn’t have made this offering to that
bogus monk,” you say with disappointment. Dāna is
wholesome. The regret “Oh, I shouldn’t have made this
offering,” is unwholesome. Akusala has come into being based
on kusala.
On the other hand, with saddhā you go all out to donate
lavishly. Later on you think, “It was a mistake to have given so
much – all because of this saddhā of mine. I overdonated and
now need money.” Isn’t it possible for dosa to appear
22
concerning your faith? Therefore due to wholesome saddhā,
dosa can arise.
In another example: On assessing the sīla you have
been keeping, you find that you have been keeping your
precepts well. You feel satisfied, thinking, “My sīla has become
pure.” This is to say that it is taṇhā-lobha -- and not a
wholesome mind -- that feels pleased. Also based on it māna
develops. While observing of precepts is wholesome,
attachment and pride are not. On the other hand vicikicchā can
develop as you think, “I doubt that keeping precepts has any
effect.” So from kusala, akusala has come to exist.
You have also been listening to Dhamma talks as well as
studying the Buddhist text, making the effort to take notes and
revise. With this learning acquired, māna appears together with
attachment. Though Dhamma suta is wholesome, māna and
attachment are not. So due to kusala, akusala has arisen.
Even meditation need not be a mahākusala activity.
Some yogis develop māna: due to their concentration, the
knowledge becomes very high after meditation. In Myanmar
some do not pay respect to monks anymore because they think
their level is very high. Thus due to meditation,
unwholesomeness has developed.
Then you have been striving to achieve jhānas15. Having
attained it, you become attached. This means that while jhāna
15
However, in obtaining magga-phala, this situation does not arise as
lokuttara dhammas are extremely subtle. Lobha is unable to take
them as objects as they are not within its reach, being not on the
same side. In the same way as a fly would not dare alight on a piece
23
is a wholesome state, the clinging and desire for it are not. In
this way kusala becomes an object of the akusala mind of
craving and attachment. Also there can be wrong view: you
think the attainment will be forever or that you are already an
arahant. Consider Baka Brahma during the Buddha’s lifetime
who thought his life was permanent as a brahma16. The Buddha
on a visit had to correct his wrong view by telling him about his
past lives.
Similarly, having attained jhāna, your concentration
slackens so that you are unable to enter absorption. The
disappointment and frustration you feel are unwholesome.
Doubt may arise too. You might worry that you have lost the
ability to attain absorption. Thus on account of kusala, akusala
appears.
What happens then if the mind continues to remain on
the side of kilesas?
Going from bad to worse

This happens when a preceding akusala mind leads to a
stronger unwholesome mind17. Taking rāga or dosa as the
object, greater rāga or increased dosa appears in the mind.
With akusala further increasing, evil conduct or duccaritas such
as murder, stealing, lying or backbiting are committed based on
rāga, dosa or diṭṭhi for instance.
of live coal, lobha dare not draw near and cling to any supramundane
citta, only taking delight in worldly cittas.
16
Brahma Saṁyutta, Saṁyutta Nikāya.
17
This can be upanissaya anantara, ārammaṇa or pakata.
24
Practice makes it easier. The cetanā to kill an animal for
the first time is not so strong. At the second time, the act
becomes easier. At the third time, it is even easier. It is the
same for lying or any of the 10 duccaritas18, becoming easier
and easier each time it is carried out.
Then there are some people who take pleasure in the
attachment they have for something. They might even be proud
of it. This is to say that they become attached to their
attachment. Let’s say that at the start they have a desire for a
sensual pleasure. Another attachment is formed for that kind of
craving mind.
In another example, a person likes to lose his temper.
After an outburst, he feels satisfied, especially after getting the
better of his opponent in a quarrel.
Doubt, worry and sadness could develop based on a
mental defilement such as rāga. Then based on his doubt, a
person might have restlessness, unhappiness or wrong view.
His doubt could even the become object of a second doubt.
People can also become attached to their wrong view,
such as “by killing animals, you liberate them from a bad life.”
Or worry and regret might develop, based on their view.
18
Bodily misconduct: • killing living beings (pāṇātipātā), • taking
others’ properties that are not given (adinnādāna), • sexual
misconduct (kāmesumicchācāra). Verbal misconduct: • telling lies
(musāvāda), •malicious talk or setting one against another
(pisuṇavācā), • harsh and abusive speech (pharusāvācā), • vain and
unbeneficial talk (samphappalāpa). Mental misconduct: •
covetousness (abijjhā), • ill-will (byāpāda), • wrong view (micchā
diṭṭhī).
25
Thus based on a kilesa (such as dosa, moha or diṭṭhi) or a
duccarita, other akusalas come into being. Such a state can be
likened to being ill. To cure this illness, kusala medicine is
needed.
*****
26
Going from bad to good
How is it possible that akusala can result in kusala? Let’s say

that you lose your temper in a quarrel with someone because
you are not able to restrain your mind. But with mindfulness
and proper attention, you think, “It’s not good to have dosa. It’s
a serious fault.” Doing so, you are able to bring anger under
your control. Realising that it is unwholesome is kusala.
This is to say that the anger becomes the object of a
kusala mind reflecting about it. Realisation is kusala with
knowledge. Dosa cannot know another dosa because it is
associated with moha. Only a wholesome mind with knowledge
can realise anger as anger or moha as moha.
Thus the Buddha taught in cittānupassanā that should
taṇhā-rāga or dosa arise in the mind, you should be aware of it.
This is to say that you take it as the object, noting that “My
mind’s filled with rāga.” Lust is akusala. On the other hand the
knowing mind that occurs is kusala.
Due to unwholesome rāga, the kusala of the knowing
mind comes to arise.
Whatever akusala state arose, such as lust, anger or
jealousy, ancient practitioners would reflect on its defects. In
doing so, many became liberated. It could also happen if one
was to review one’s own misdeeds, as the following account
shows.
Stealing a drink
A long time ago there were two friends who worked together in
tilling fields. To quench their thirst, each would bring along a
water bottle for the day. On one occasion as his friend
continued to work, the other left to take a drink. There was not
much water left in his bottle. Not wanting to finish it, he drank
from his friend’s bottle, without having asked his permission. As
evening fell, having done a full day’s work, they left to take a
bath.
Afterwards, the one who had stolen a drink from his
friend’s bottle thought to himself, “Now what did I do today
that wasn’t right?”
No sooner had the thought appeared than he found the
answer. What was it? He realised that he had stolen another
person’s water to drink, “I did something wrong.” Now isn’t it
akusala to steal someone’s water to drink? On examining this
misdeed, he was filled with urgency (saṃvega).
“Oh, should these akusalas of mine continue to grow, I’ll
find myself in hell’s miseries. I will have to cut them down.
Trust a fellow like me to go wrong so often.”
Thinking of his misdeeds, he was filled with self-
dissatisfaction. As he reflected on the faults and evil
consequences of these saṅkhāras, he attained the supreme
knowledge or bodhiñāṇa of a Pacceka Buddha, having fulfilled
the perfections required.
At that moment his friend from whose water bottle he
had drunk joined him after his bath. “Friend, let’s go back.”
28
“Oh, I shan’t be going back home anymore. I’ve become
a Pacceka Buddha.”
“Don’t talk nonsense! Pacceka Buddhas don’t look like
you,” replied his friend.
“So what do they look like?”
“A Pacceka Buddha’s head is shaven. He is clothed in a
monk’s robes, carrying a monk’s bowl. You with your layclothes
– how could you be a Pacceka Buddha?”
At his friend’s words, he immediately rubbed his head.
In an instant he was transformed, his lay appearance giving
way to that of a monk. Carrying his bowl together with the
eight requisites or parikkhāra, he soared skywards, saying
farewell to his friend as he left.
Thus we can say that this is the arising of kusala from
akusala. Kusala came into being as he contemplated his own
misdeed. There is great advantage if this happens whereas to
have akusala is not. It would be going from bad to worse. Then
based on kusala if more kusalas come into being – this is going
from good to better.
*****
29
Becoming better and better
Taking kusala as the object, how can other kusalas arise?

Consider the everyday routine of a devotee. On waking up she
offers flowers and cool water to the Buddha at the altar. Then
she offers food to the Saṅgha on their almsround and rice to
nuns on their weekly rounds. Every year she offers Kathina
robes. These are meritorious deeds.
Taking her dāna as the object, she considers it
afterwards. This is no longer dāna merit but bhāvanā merit.
After her offering, she reflects on it again and again. Each time
she does so, a wholesome mind arises. Dāna is wholesome, the
motivation or cetanā associated with a mahākusala mind.
Recalling the act is also mahākusala. However if we were to
recall other things such as our house or car, it might not be
kusala.
The act of offering occurs only once. Reflecting on this
meritorious deed can occur many times over. On reflecting
twice, you get double the merits – or even more if you consider
many times over. However if you carry out a meritorious deed
only once and not think about it later, you gain only the merit
on that occasion of performing it. It is the same for observing
sīla. Having kept precepts, you recall the sīla undertaken. So
abstinence19 is the object of a mahākusala mind in recalling.
This is also cittā- or dhammānupassanā. Thus by often recalling
your practice, taking it as the object20 , kusala will keep on
arising each time you do. If you do not, forgetting about your
meritorious deed is heedlessness or pamāda.
Similarly the Buddha taught that other good deeds such
as cultivating mettā or karuṇā in meditation, doing community
work such as clearing the rubbish on pathways or common
areas can generate further kusala when you reflect on what you
have done. More kusala too can be developed in the practice of
samatha and vipassanā as you reflect on it afterwards Thus
dāna, sīla, uposatha observance, community service or
meditation and so on are strong conditions to generate more
kusala.
Dhammas leading to stronger kusala

The presence of right view or sammā diṭṭhi -- which accepts the
existence of good and evil as well as kamma and its result --
shows that there is saddhā. Based on it other kusalas will
occur21. With faith as foundation (that is, a strong supporting
condition), dāna is performed, sīla observed, and meditation is
practised. So beginning with faith as a strong condition, there is
resolution to do good. Enthusiasm and wise attention are
present, leading to the fulfilling of other dhammas, especially
19
Kusala virati which abstains from evil speech, action and livelihood.
20
This is upanissaya paccayo.
21
This is through upanissaya satti where saddhā is pakatupanissaya,
that is, a natural decisive support (and not ārammaṇa).
31
sīla, suta, cāga and paññā. Due to the wholesome cetanā of a
mahākusala mind, we become joyous, keen and attentive.
As faith germinates like a seed, two actions take place.
The root of sīla descends while the shoot of samatha and
vipassanā appears above the ground22. Next is suta, which is
just as important. Consider the Venerable Sāriputta-to-be who
listened to the Buddha’s Dhamma with yoniso manasikāra.
Without these two (learning and wise attention) a person would
end up as a bāla putthujjana or a fool. Cāga follows with the
relinquishing of one’s belongings and body. Then paññā is next,
especially in knowing what is to be done and not to be done;
what is beneficial and what is not; and clear comprehension or
sampajañña in anything done.
As these five dhammas are strong supporting
conditions23, each can become a base for the other remaining
four to develop to a higher stage. For instance jhāna can be
developed to abiññā or vipassanā to magga.
If these dhammas are very strong, many wholesome
acts can occur in everyday life. Why people have little kusala is
due to pamāda as sati is absent. It is not being forgetful. They
do not forget to eat, sleep and do other activities. But as for
meritorious work they “forget”. So we should strive to have
apamāda instead in order that wholesomeness arises and be
the base for more kusalas to occur.
******
22
Sīla being the basis of samatha and vipassanā and hence their
result of samādhi and paññā respectively.
23
Upanissaya paccayo.
32
“Have you ever seen anyone

with a toothache smile?”
Bodily sensations, material or sense objects, the weather, food,

our associates, and our location or dwelling: based on such
factors, kusala and akusala can arise. These important
conditions are able to affect our mental situation daily.
The effect of physical sensations

In daily life vedanā is very important because we live with it.
We are always searching to feel good and happy. Even in
speech we always point out vedanā: “May you be well and
happy,” “We’re so glad,” or “I’m so sorry.”
Due to the link between the body and the mind, bodily
feelings affect the state of mind. With the dukkha of a
headache or stomach ache, the mind is also not happy. Have
you ever seen anyone with a toothache smile?
Actually vedanā alone is just the experience of an
object. By itself it is not sorry or unhappy. Only when it is joined
to dosa, then it becomes so. The mind becomes painful with
worry. Thus a sick person in pain does not usually smile.
Instead there are complaints: “Oh, I must take painkillers,” or
“I’ve to go to the doctor.”
On the other hand pleasurable sensations usually lead to
mental happiness. Tucked cosily in your comfortable bed on a
cold night, you also feel nice mentally.
Objects of lust, worry or anger

Looking in the mirror you think your eyes are beautiful. You
might think the same for another person’s eyes too. In doing so
repeatedly, rāga in an unwholesome mind arises. There can
also be attachment to your eyes as you enjoy the use of the
sensitive eye for many pleasures. As a result craving or wrong
view can develop, such as “The eye is my property; the eye is
‘me’.” Then if something goes wrong with it, worry and
unhappiness arise.
So due to the eye which is matter an akusala mind
develops, such as unhappiness. Rāga and attachment could
arise too regarding the hair, ears or other body parts as well as
a sound, an odour or a flavour for example.
An undesirable object usually causes an akusala mind to
arise. Sometimes when we hear a sound, for instance,
immediately dislike appears. Then we might feel worried about
it. Touch also can lead to anger because of discomfort or pain.
“Oh my goodness it’s so painful, I feel terrible.” That is why
some yogis want to remain with only beautiful objects.
Weather and food conditions

The weather is another factor which can bring about good and
bad mental states. On cool days as yogis, we feel alert and
want to meditate. If it is very hot and humid, the sweating and
discomfort can lead to complaints. We become unwilling to sit
34
and practise. Then on entering an air-conditioned room or a
windy place, “It’s so nice here,” we say. This physical relief
leads to our mental ease.
Food is just as important too. If it is suitable, we are
likely to be more active in our practice. Without good food or
with insufficient amounts, we might not make so much effort,
lacking in energy.
Could the Buddha’s enlightenment be anywhere?

Sometimes when we arrive at some place, we feel inspired or
feel knowledge increase. Take the Buddha’s enlightenment
under the bodhi tree as an example. He chose that spot
because He saw it as a suitable place for knowledge. He chose
to sit facing East, and not the other directions. Not all places
are like that. If not, then the Buddha could have been
enlightened anywhere.
Thus the location or dwelling place is a strong external
condition for the rising of kusala or akusala. However, note that
it is only a helping factor. Regarding wisdom, it cannot come
from the outside as it arises only from within. External
conditions can only give support.
The people we associate with

The mind’s quality changes through association (and influence).
By mixing with drunkards and dishonest people, not only is our
dignity affected, we are likely to become bad. Then if we were
to associate with those who hold wrong view, we would
probably end up adopting their way of thinking.
35
Most people are not noble persons. The advice they give
can be either good or bad with good and bad consequences
respectively. For example, many young children like to catch
animals as a sport. Their parents teach them, “Don’t do that.
Don’t torture them or you’ll be reborn in a woeful state.”
However, what if they are told that animals are created by God
for people to eat? What happens is that whenever they see any
creature, they are liable to catch and kill it. When the advice
given is asaddhamma, by acting on it, one will go wrong.
Consider Prince Ajattasattu who was persuaded by Devadatta to
kill his father, King Bimbisāra. As a result he ended up in hell.
Thus it is important to associate with good persons, and
to follow their advice and conduct. Venerable Ānanda once told
the Buddha that a good friend’s support was just as important
as one’s own effort. The Buddha corrected him by saying that
the good friend24 or teacher’s help was 100 percent. “Even your
own attempt has to depend wholly on the teacher’s guidance.”
So our bodily sensations, external objects and conditions
play an important part in helping kusala or akusala to arise. By
learning and obtaining knowledge about them, we can change
these conditions. We cannot order a tree to sprout from a seed.
But we can create conditions for it to do so. It is the same with
our life, by finding good conditions or changing existing ones to
produce the desired effect.
******
24
Kalyāṇamitta.
36
3. Fruit of Good and Evil
Any priority in the outcome of

good and bad?
What would be the kammic result if a meritorious deed was

based on an act of akusala?
Killing for dāna

You may have heard the story before of a woman who had to
receive an unexpected visitor at the house. That day happened
to be a meatless day as the sale of meat was disallowed, given
the regulations. Nonetheless she wanted to serve her guest a
good meal. To cook a dish, what she did was to slit the throat
of the little goat she was rearing.
There are two parts to this. Killing is one part. Serving
the food to her visitor is another. The killing is where akusala
occurs, while offering is a meritorious act. The two parts are
separate, each remaining in its sphere, like pomegranate seeds.
The kusala of dāna belonging to the wholesome part, the
akusala of killing to the unwholesome part. Each part has to be
considered by itself, and not together.
In the woman’s case, at her death she was reborn in
hell. In many subsequent human rebirths she would die after
having her throat cut, undergoing what she had done to her
goat. You may well ask, “She killed on just one occasion. Why
did she have to suffer so much as a result?”
The cetanās25 that occur in the mind are not just a few.
When you want to plant a mango tree, you grow just one seed.
At the time the tree bears fruit, is only one mango produced?
Or are there many? It is clear that although it took only one
occasion to plant, the result given is many times over. In the
same way cetanās occur in innumerable numbers. Within just a
snap of the fingers, they occur by the billions. Among them, a
very large number can produce their result.
As for the woman, wanting to serve her guest a meal
was kusala. It was a wholesome intention. However, killing the
animal was akusala of course. Because of it she had to
experience much dukkha.
By comparison, the kusala result was only a tiny fraction
of her subsequent suffering in life after life. It is frightening that
she had to suffer that much on account of one act.
Hard to judge
However there is no fixed rule for every case that the akusala
part will outweigh the kusala part. For instance a person
slaughters a chicken to offer a dish to monks. Also consider
those hunters and fishermen who make an offering of what
they have obtained. Some may well think, “Those hunters and
fishermen won’t get any merit from their dāna.” That is not
right.
It is also extremely difficult to judge whether kusala or
akusala will have the priority in bearing fruit, given that both
25
Cetanā or motivation is a universal mental state found in all cittas.
Though the Buddha declared it to be kamma, only those cetanās
associated with kusala and akusala cittas can have kammic effect.
38
are dependent on supporting conditions. Take the example of a
seed. If the external conditions are absent, such as soil and
water, will it sprout? Thus it is difficult to say which one has the
priority.
As the kusala and akusala parts are to be considered on
their own, and not together, it is more relevant to ask, “Of the
two, which is able to give its result first?” It is the one with the
greater energy. Should kusala have the support of the right
conditions, it will give its result first, given the opportunity. It is
the same for akusala. That is why those who kill for a living can
carry out meritorious work. Many too are able to experience its
good result.
It is also just as difficult to correctly predict whether
kusala or akusala kamma gives its result first at death. That is
why many people become confused. According to the Buddha26
this happens when one takes a superficial view. Consider the
case of a man who had been committing only misdeeds. At his
death he was reborn in the deity world.
What would those people he left behind think? “That
fellow was quite wicked. Not only did he drink, he did a lot of
evil.” Wouldn’t it be astonishing if he was reborn as a deity or a
human again? These people might even conclude that akusala
does not produce any result.
The law of nature

However, you should fix in your mind that there is no akusala
that pays a good result. Neither is there a kusala that has a bad
26
Mahākammavibhaṅga Sutta, Majjhima Nikāya.
39
result. This is nature’s law: good begets good and bad begets
bad.
Saraṇāni the drinker

However it is not possible to predict whether kusala or akusala
will produce its effect first at death. This is a matter of
uncertainty. For example, among the Buddha’s disciples was
Saraṇāni, a Sakyan. This person drank continually. That he had
to have his beer and other alcoholic drinks everyday was
apparent to everyone around him. At his death, people asked
one another,
“Where is this chap’s destination?” or “This chronic
drinker – where has he gone to?”
“Oh, it seems he was a sotāpanna.”
People were confounded with the news, “Would
wonders never cease? If a hardened drinker like Saraṇāni can
become a sotāpanna, then who cannot become a sotāpanna
too?”
To clear their doubt, the Buddha explained, “It is correct
that Saraṇāni was a drinker. Yet people do not know that near
dying he maintained his sīla fully. At that time he realised the
extraordinary Dhamma. This hidden event cannot possibly be
known to anyone. People only know that he drank alcohol.”
Thus it is not possible to assume that someone you
consider to be bad would remain so his whole life. Judging from
his actions you can only say that he is a wicked fellow at
present. Yet later he may turn out to be well-behaved.
Why this is so is that a transformation can take place.
Look at how from kusala akusala can arise. Or from akusala
40
kusala can arise. Although what is carried out is unwholesome,
what develops is wholesome. Although what is performed is
wholesome, what follows is unwholesome27.
Four kinds of individuals at death

Apart from the Buddha, no one else can see this rapid kind of
mental transformation (as in the case of Saraṇāni). That is why
He could distinguish the four types of individuals28 at their
death:
(1) Having done only misdeeds in this life, this type of person is
reborn in a happy realm.
(2) Having done only evil in his lifetime, the second type falls
into apāya or hell at death.
(3) Having carried out good deeds, the third type is reborn in
hell.
(4) Having done good in this life, at death the fourth type’s
destination is a good realm.
It naturally befits his kamma if having done only akusala an

individual gets to a bad realm at death. Similarly no one will
argue if a person -- having done only good deeds – gets to a
happy destination on dying. However won’t an issue arise when
someone who has done only wholesome actions is reborn in
hell, while another person having committed only misdeeds gets
to the deity world at death? Of course it will.
27
Such phenomena are by means of upanissaya satti in Paṭṭhāna.
28
Mahākammavibhaṅga Sutta.
41
People would construe that akusala and its effect did not
exist. “Or how else could this bad fellow get reborn in the deity
plane?” They would also infer that merit did not exist, since
having done only kusala, a person could still be reborn in hell.
Indeed, during the Buddha’s lifetime, some taught such views.
(For instance according to a teacher Pūraṇa Kassapa,
there was no such thing as good or evil or their result. Then
there was the view of causelessness, that is, ahetuka diṭṭhi held
by Makkhali Gosāla who dismissed any kind of cause and
condition29. He taught that there was no cause and condition
for the purification of beings; nor were there mental
defilements.)
Nonetheless people are not able to tell within that short
interval when, based on akusala, kusala comes to arise in this
person. Or, based on kusala, akusala occurs in that person30. No
matter how wicked he was, at the time near death it is possible
that a person can switch to the side of kusala. Consider the
case of Tambadāṭhika the official executioner.
Tambadāṭhika
For a total of 50 years he would kill in a day about five,
sometimes 10 or more of those who had been condemned to
death. However there came a day when on losing his post, he
did not realise that it would be his last day too. That day having
taken a bath and put on his finest clothes, he ate a good meal.
Afterwards on meeting Venerable Sāriputta, Tambadāṭhika
listened to his Dhamma discourse.
29
Natthi hetu, natthi paccayo.
30
This kind of transformation is by means of upanissaya satti.
42
In listening, he gained vipassanā insight stage by stage
to finally reach a level nearing sotāpatti magga. Subsequently
while following the Venerable on the road, he was gored to
death by a cow.
“Hah! This executioner had lost his job today. On
meeting Venerable Sāriputta, he had offered him some food.
Now where has he been reborn?” people asked.
On being told that he was now in Tusita, a deity realm,
they were stumped. Wouldn’t you? Look at it this way: despite
all the killing he had been carrying out, only much later did
kusala enter to give its result.
However don’t think that Tambadāṭhika won’t get to
receive the effect of all the unwholesomeness he had done.
They still remain. Should any opportunity arise, he will get to
experience their result. They are still online: these akusalas
have not been exhausted. As long as there is still a body and if
given a chance, they will be there to give their result.
Orchard of fruit trees

The lesson here31 is that we should not jump to conclusions
based on one small incident or fact. Unlike the Buddha who is
fully aware of everything in detail, the rest of us in our
ignorance get confused as a result.
Regarding these four individuals at death, the Buddha
stated that there was akusala and its result. However He
disagreed with claims that people who had done evil, such as
31
Given in the Mahākammavibhaṅga Sutta of Majjhima Nikāya.
43
killing32 would fall into hell. According to Him, it is not correct to
conclude this way based on just one kamma of the present life.
There are also other kammas of past lives.
In an orchard those trees planted four to ten years ago
would have started to bear fruit. Those planted today have yet
to do so. So what is done as present kamma has yet to mature.
Like Tambadāṭhika, one may be bad in this life; but in a
previous existence one was good. Those meritorious deeds he
had been performing in that past life were now bearing fruit in
this life. At present his evil deeds have yet to mature. From the
past a good kamma on maturing gave its result at his death.
According to the Buddha, whatever had been done
whether in the long past or lately will bear fruit. For this reason
despite having committed bad deeds, one can still reach a good
destination at death. Despite having done merit, one can still
get a bad rebirth.
Evil action results in evil. If not, then something is not
apparent. Anyone – even an evil person – has both good and
bad. He may be doing akusala now which has yet to mature. He
is enjoying the good life presently because a good kamma done
in a past life has ripened. There is never a case where good
kamma gives a bad effect and vice-versa. The law of nature is
never wrong.
******
32
For example a teacher Nigaṇṭha Nāṭaputta stated that everyone
who committed pāṇātipāta would be reborn in hell.
44
3. Fruit of Good and Evil
A gram of merit, a ton of hell-fire
Not every time a wholesome deed is performed a kusala result

will ensue. Instead a lot of akusala can be obtained as an
outcome. There is a saying in Burmese which you might have
heard before: “A gram of merit, a ton of hell-fire.” This is to say
that despite the wholesome act carried out, the merit obtained
by the doer is only a tiny fraction compared to the akusala
generated – enough to send him at death to apāya.
Is this sort of situation not possible? Of course it is. A
good example I had discussed earlier33 is about the woman who
killed her goat to cook a meal for her visitor. By comparison the
kusala result was negligible as she had to die with her throat slit
for many subsequent human rebirths. In doing merit we get a
good result only if it is carried out properly. If not, a lot of
unwholesomeness can occur. This could happen, for example,
in giving service to the Saṅgha (veyyāvacca).
Ghosts for 92 aeons

During the Buddha’s lifetime, there was a rich man Visākha who
lived in Rājagaha, then under the reign of King Bimbisāra. The
33
See the previous chapter “Any priority in the outcome of good and
bad?”
two were close friends. In a previous life 92 aeons ago they
were just as close. That was during the lifetime of Phussa
Buddha. The Visākha-to-be was then the treasurer in charge of
the finances for the king’s three sons.
As for Bimbisāra-to-be, he was the princes’
administrator. Nowadays he would be called a manager. In
addition the two friends were in charge of supervising the
offering of meals to the Saṅgha every day, using provisions
kept in the princes’ godown. Some relatives of the future
Bimbisāra came to help them. As time passed more of their
family members joined in: parents were given the task of
cooking the rice, washing and slicing the vegetables. Each time
the helpers turned up, they also brought along their children.
As they prepared the food, the children would start
crying: “Mama, I’m hungry,” or “Papa, I’m hungry.” To stop
their crying, parents would feed them with some of the food
meant to be offered to the Saṅgha who had yet to be served.
Later the veyyāvacca workers themselves, in becoming hungry
after preparing and cooking the meal, also joined their children
in eating first.
In this way the situation changed. Working as Saṅgha
veyyāvacca, they were performing kusala service. However,
they began helping themselves first to the food intended for the
monks. At their death, all of them became hideous-looking
petas, deprived of food and water as a form of kammic
retribution. Nowadays these frightful beings would be termed as
ghosts. In this way they remained till the manifestation of
Kakusandha Buddha.
46
They approached the Buddha to ask, “Venerable Sir, we
have not eaten for a long time. In order to have the opportunity
to eat again, when can we be set free from this life?”
The Buddha replied, “It will not happen during My
lifetime.”
The petas were very much disheartened to hear that
they would have to remain starving. In this way they continued
without having died – being very long-lived -- until the
manifestation of Koṇagamana Buddha. Again they approached
the Buddha with their query.
Again the Buddha replied, “You all won’t be able to be
freed during My lifetime. There is nobody to share the merits of
his good deeds for this purpose. There is still no opportunity for
your release.”
Then the next Buddha to manifest was Kassapa Buddha.
When the petas approached Him with their question, He said,
“It won’t be during My lifetime that you all would be able to eat
again. After Me the next Buddha will be Gotama Buddha. During
His lifetime, your relative who was your manager as well as the
treasurer will be there. By their sharing the merits of a good
deed performed, it will be the time for your liberation.”
The petas were overjoyed on hearing that, although
they had to remain waiting for a very long while. Finally the
time came for Gotama Buddha’s manifestation. On one occasion
when the Buddha arrived in Rājagaha, King Bimbisāra offered
Him a monastery, Veluvana Grove.
Though the sharing of merits took place, the petas being
unaware did not receive the merits. As King Bimbisāra remained
ignorant of the petas’ plight, the Buddha had to explain to him,
47
“Your relatives from your past life have been reborn as petas
because they ate food which had yet to be served to the
Saṅgha.”
Following the Buddha’s advice to perform a meritorious
deed and share the merit with the petas, the king then offered
a meal to the Saṅgha.
“Due to the merit obtained, may these relatives of my
past life who have not been to eat and drink be able to obtain
food,” he said, sharing the merits with them. Only then were
these beings freed of their suffering as petas. Only then could
they eat again.
Did these former veyyāvacca workers obtain kusala for
their service? Because they did not carry out their task properly,
it was a case of a gram of merit earned, along with a ton of
hellish suffering obtained. This is to say that the retribution was
not just a trifle. For this reason when we do kusala work, it is
necessary to carry it out well so as to fully earn the merit.
Otherwise along with the intended result, there could also be an
overwhelming side-effect.
How to make sure merit is gained

People usually offer food to monks on almsround for example
as a way of getting merit. Among them are those who are able
to obtain kusala result through this dāna. There will also be
others who get akusala instead. It is unlikely that there won’t
be any who receive demerit. To prevent this situation from
happening to ourselves, what should we do?
The Buddha gives the answer regarding the proper way
to offer for example food to monks. At any of such occasions
there will be recipients who are worthy of confidence and
48
respect as well as those who are not. Being so, what sort of
attitude should be adopted? For instance, some donors at such
big ceremonies are known to shout at the novices for some
reason or other. This kind of behaviour should be avoided.
What frame of mind then should be adopted?
At these events the assembly is also made up of all
kinds of people, good and bad. For instance there will be some
who keep precepts -- such as refraining from committing
pāṇatipāta -- as well as those who do not. At a time like this,
what attitude should we adopt? According to the Buddha, we
should focus our attention, with glad approval, on those
virtuous people. As for the not-so-good types, in realising their
failings, it is important that we do not pick a quarrel with or
even try to reprove them. That is because it is more essential to
cultivate kusala in the mind. Should akusala arise instead, then
it could result in us getting “a gram of merit, a ton of hell-fire.”
What happens is that we carry out kusala work, only to obtain
akusala.
Thus in doing good, we should try to keep our mind
pure in order to gain only kusala. Indeed we should try in any
undertaking to obtain only a wholesome result. It is necessary
to have a positive and benevolent attitude to whatever matter
that arises. This allows a perspective of the good side of things.
This way we can accomplish our tasks successfully, keeping
only a kusala mind. Only if it is done this way can merit be fully
obtained. Otherwise we are liable to receive an unwholesome
result.
Therefore in any kusala function such as a Dhamma talk
or a collective offering to the Saṅgha, we need to know how to
49
cultivate a good attitude so as to receive full merits. We stand
to gain a lot by being able to do so.
******
50
4. Not Knowing Right from Wrong
Accepting a poisoned drink
Let’s say someone prepared a poisonous drink, making it cool,

fragrant and sweet. He offers it to you, saying, “If you drink
this, you’ll not grow old, suffer or die. Like taking the pure
water of immortality, you’ll remain in perpetual good health.”
You sniff it – the smell is delightful. You take a tiny sip,
finding it delicious and sweet. So not wishing to age, get sick
and die, you down the whole cup. The poison will then bring
you dukkha.
At the start if he had said, “If you drink this poison,
you’ll die,” no normal person would drink it – unless he or she
wants to die. After all, there are people who take poison to
commit suicide. Only those who think it is good for the health
would drink it, unaware that it is poisonous. In the same way,
following advice that such and such an act is meritorious or
beneficial, people then perform it, thinking that it is kusala.
Take the example of Aṅgulimāla, a university student, who
followed wrong practice. His professor had persuaded him that
taking people’s lives would be to his advantage. So he became
a serial killer and even tried to murder the Buddha.
Blind acceptance can be very dangerous. Yet many
people just accept without considering for example such notions
that “God exists” or “It is alright to kill animals as food for
human consumption.” When I was young I remember some
people telling my friends, “Animals suffer in saṃsāra. So it’s
better to kill them now.” There are people who follow such
untrue advice. As the majority are not enlightened, their advice
can be asaddhamma. By following it, we are likely to go wrong.
So it is very important to be able to tell apart what is good
advice and what is bad.
However, as many people cannot distinguish whether
this is right or that is wrong, they have to rely on tradition or
other people to advise them, such as their mentors or religious
teachers.
Making a sacrifice
If you were to seriously wonder about this present age, you
would find it frightening with regard to the akusala committed
by some people. For example, they take pāṇātipāta to be
kusala. If they believed that it was wrong, such acts of killing
would not take place.
During the Buddha’s lifetime such rituals of killing living
beings were popular. The number slaughtered depended on
how much people could afford. For those who could spend a
lot, humans too would be offered as sacrifice besides cows,
goats and sheep. The blood of these victims would then be
offered at the altar.
Killing for merit

If you were able to ask these people the reason for making
these offerings, they would tell you that it was to obtain merit.
Tradition had taught them that by making these sacrifices, they
would reach a good destination at the end of their life. If these
52
people had been given the religious advice that they would fall
into hell, nobody would carry out such a ritual. Because they
thought that it was good, they performed it. Despite their
notion that it was kusala, no meritorious work was being done.
Instead, an act of akusala remains strictly unwholesome. Thus
what they had expected would not be realised.
Warding off bad luck

Another reason for performing such rituals was to ward off
misfortune. For example people would usually consult
astrologers about their dreams on what should be done,
especially if these were thought to bring bad luck. In present
times too it still happens. You may have heard about the 16
dreams of King Kosala which have been recorded in the
Mahāsupina Jātaka. In many pagodas throughout Myanmar
you can find captioned paintings depicting his extraordinary
dreams. What the king did was to consult his Brahmin priest
about them.
One day, as dawn was about to break the king was
sound asleep. At this time he began to dream one after
another, a series of 16 dreams. This he had never experienced
before. Finding himself awake all of a sudden, King Kosala sat
up at once in bed. Struck by the vivid strangeness of these
dreams, he could not possibly fall asleep again.
At daybreak the king’s personal Brahmin priest34 arrived
as usual to inquire, “Your Majesty, did you sleep well?”
34
Purohita, the court’s Brahmin priest who officiates at royal ceremonies
and advises the king.
53
The king began to speak about his frightening
experience in dreaming, which he had never come across
before.
The Brahmin asked, “What did you dream about?”
One by one, the king recounted his dreams. The
Brahmin raised his hands in wonder, “Heavens! These are really
bad dreams. How dreadful they are! I see danger ahead for
Your Majesty.”
This was the usual way of scaring the king in order to
extract money from him. True enough, King Kosala became
worried, “What should I be anxious about?”
The Brahmin explained that he foresaw three kinds of
dangers, given such extraordinary dreams.
“What dangers do you mean?”
“I can see that your Majesty’s throne is under threat.
Then your life is in danger. I also can see that your wealth will
be lost. Due to these very inauspicious dreams, your Majesty
will certainly face these three dangers.”
“If that’s so, do something! Can a rite dispel the
dangers?”
(In Myanmar too some people rely on astrology to ward
off misfortune or fulfil a wish. You can find them climbing up
the pagoda stairways at Shwe Dagon to “bathe” the Buddha
statues by pouring water over them.)
“Your Majesty, it can be easily done. We shall have to
hold a sacrificial offering.”
“Then do it,” ordered the king.
54
Being a king meant that he could spend a lot. It called
for a ritual on a grand scale35: 100 goats, 100 cows, and so on
to be killed. The blood from their slit throats would be offered
to the deities with the chanting of mantras. Imagine this
slaughter occurring during the Buddha’s lifetime.
With the king’s order, the Brahmin priests immediately
started preparing for the ceremony. (It was a lucrative business
for them as they got to keep the meat and the money.) Busily
making arrangements, they went in and out of the palace.
Queen Mallika, seeing the bustle of activities, went to the king
to ask what was going on. In a bad mood, he snapped, “Don’t
you know a viper has arrived in my presence? I’m in trouble.”
“What kind of trouble are you in?”
”This morning I had very bad dreams. Because of them,
my life, the throne and my fortune are all under threat. That’s
why I’m trying to avert this disaster with a sacrifice.”
“Your Majesty, who has been advising you in this
matter?” asked the queen.
“It was the Brahmin priest.”
“Why do you have to ask these Brahmins? Go and ask
the Buddha, please.”
Only on hearing Queen Mallika’s advice, did he
remember the Buddha36. Counting on Him, King Kosala left for
the monastery.
35
Sabba sataka.
36
He had a close relationship with the Buddha. During the Buddha’s
residence in Sāvatthi for over twenty years, King Kosala had the habit
of visiting His monastery about three times a day.
55
There, in the Buddha’s presence, he asked to recount
his dreams, wanting to know whether they were good or bad.
“Well, tell Me then what you dreamt,” replied the
Buddha.
One after another, the King Kosala related his dreams.
After the Buddha had explained the significance of each of
them, He reassured him that all of them were omens of what
was to be in the future.
“They indicate no danger whatsoever to you. However
these priests at the palace are making use of these sacrificial
offerings to line their pockets. It is not natural to kill animals for
such occasions. It is also not just to try to extend one’s own life
and at the same time take others’ lives. It is absurd that by
taking others’ lives one can prolong one’s own life,” advised the
Buddha.
Back at the palace the king immediately gave new
orders, “Free all those animals kept for the offering. The
ceremony is cancelled.”
All these creatures were joyful to be freed, escaping
from the danger of death. If not for the Buddha’s advice to the
king, a big slaughter would have taken place.
What did the Buddha have to say about the
consequences of such an act? If pāṇātipāta is repeatedly done,
it can lead to rebirth in hell, the animal kingdom or the realm of
petas. At the very least, it results in a shortened lifespan. This is
to say that its lightest retribution is a short life, according to the
Buddha.
Intending to get people to stop such a practice, He
condemned ritual killing in His discourses -- and not just on a
56
few occasions. He taught that it was not meritorious, being
akusala, with the person having to bear the result. That is why
when the Buddha gave the five precepts, the first one was the
most important -- pāṇātipāta veraṃaṇi sikkhāpadaṁ
samādiyami – on which the others rested.
Finally, given time, this practice has died out among the
Hindu communities throughout India. Until now, no animals
have been slaughtered. Instead “ahimsa” or the practice of
non-cruelty has thrived, so much so that most Hindus are now
vegetarians.
As the Buddha pointed out, it is vital to be able to
distinguish right from wrong now that we have come to obtain
a human existence in this life. This is because whatever we
have done we have to bear its consequences by ourselves.
What happens if we cannot tell the difference between kusala
and akusala or between what should be done and what
shouldn’t be done? The following will give the outcome.
******
57
No mixing with fools
In the Jātaka stories there is an episode about a mother and a

daughter pounding rice. At one point a gnat alighted on the
woman’s forehead and bit her. As her hands were not free to
swipe it off, she called out, “Daughter, there’s an insect biting
me on the forehead. Drive it away for me, please.”
What did the girl do? “How dare you bite my mother!”
Saying so, she grabbed a pestle lying nearby and struck a blow
at the gnat. It escaped, of course, by flying off. The mother,
her forehead smashed in, fell dead. Horrified by what had
happened, the girl broke down in tears.
This kind of act can be called stupid, as the others
commented, “How very senseless! That’s not the way to do
things.”
When the girl tried to hit the insect, she did not realise
that it would be her mother who would die. Not to have known
the consequences by acting this way is really foolish.
For this reason the Buddha advises us not to associate
with fools (asevanā ca bālānaṁ). Not to associate with wise
people is less harmful than to associate with fools. Mixing or
staying with such people leads to our detriment, as we are
liable to get influenced by their foolish ways and thinking.
Indeed, the Buddha gave this topmost priority -- as Number
One of the 38 kinds of blessings given in Maṅgala Sutta. So
should we wish to be blessed with success and happiness, it is
important not to mix with foolish people.
What makes someone a fool? What do we see in a
person to call him or her a fool? According to the Buddha, such
people are just like the blind. Shrouded in the darkness of
avijjā, they lack the knowledge of what is right and wrong and
are unable to differentiate between what should or shouldn’t be
done. In mistaking evil for good and vice versa, they do what
they like, committing all kinds of akusala – unaware that they
are doing wrong. Only when these misdeeds bear fruit, they
cry, “Oh, why is this happening to me!” to find themselves in
trouble.
What it means to be a bāla

Such a person would be called a bāla in Pāḷi. There are however
further definitions of what the term means.
Harms himself: The fool is capable of causing two kinds
of harm37. What are they? First, what is beneficial or good at
present is harmed. Second, prospects for obtaining it in the
future are also ruined. The type of person who can do these is
a bāla.
Harms others too: Then again he not only harms
himself twice over, he harms others too. Thinking that he
stands to benefit himself, he acts – only to be adversely
affected. It is like someone picking up a lump of excrement to
37
“Bāla” actually consists of two words: “bā” and “la”, each with its
own meaning. “Bā” means “two [things]” while “la” is to be able to
harm or destroy.
59
throw at the others. In doing so, wouldn’t he be the first to soil
his own hand? Yes, the fool is this way. Thus the bāla is one
who doubly impairs not only his own welfare but others’ as
well38.
The present life and the hereafter : In this sense how do
we understand the term “bāla”? It shows that the fool can
cause two kinds of detriment – in this life as well as the next39.
So he is unable to gain happiness and benefits at present and in
the hereafter, acquiring only bad results.
Worthy of human life? What enables people to maintain
themselves in life40? It is their knowledge. Unlike animals, they
are able to differentiate between what should or should not be
done. At the very least they should be able to realise that “This
word is suitable to be spoken. That word isn’t suitable.” Or,
“This should be done. That shouldn’t be done,” and so on. With
this knowledge that knows how to tell the difference, they can
sustain themselves throughout life.
It is not this way with the bāla. Although he remains
alive by breathing, he lacks this sort of knowledge. Thus he
knows practically nothing. In this sense he is a stupid person.
Both foolish and wicked: The bāla can be described as
being both wicked and foolish by being able to harm not only
his own but others’ wellbeing as well. Unlike him, a fool is
38
In Pāḷi literature it is described as “dve atthe lunāti” where two
kinds of interests are harmed because of the fool.
39
The “la” of “bāla” can take on a different meaning: to be able to
acquire (lāti gaṇhāti).
40
The word “bāla” has yet another meaning as it is derived from
“bala” which means to support life.
60
merely ignorant, in not knowing how to work for his own
interests and happiness.
Don’t be like a soup ladle

There are times when effort is made to teach or rehabilitate
those considered stupid or delinquent. However there will
always be some who remain incorrigible.
What did the Buddha compare these persons to? He
gave the example of a food ladle. Though it is stirring the food,
it is unable to tell whether the dish is sweet, sour, salty, spicy or
bitter. Even though it is in contact with all kinds of food, not
even once can it tell the taste. The bāla is the same. No matter
how good his friends, teachers and parents, he knows nothing
about good and bad.
Having been born as humans, we should know what
should or shouldn’t be done, and how to differentiate between
the two. We should value others’ welfare as well as our own.
We should also be able to secure our wellbeing and interests in
this life as well as the next. If that is not possible, then in
whose list should we be enrolled? We should find ourselves
registered as fools or bālas.
So as a start in order not to be classed as one, we
should try to improve ourselves. So as not to become bad and
foolish, we should strive to acquire and further improve our
knowledge and to develop ourselves.
******
61
Comparing the fool with the wise
What distinguishes a fool from the wise and learned?

The Buddha has pointed out three characteristics
common to bālas. What are they? Firstly, the mind never dwells
on what is good. There is only the thought to cause trouble for
others, with the intention to bring them dukkha. Even
nowadays, there are those who scheme to cause suffering
among innocent people. Such individuals are evil fools.
The next feature is that in speech the bāla does not talk
about anything good, beneficial or uplifting, only that which
brings about trouble. Thirdly, as for his actions, only
unwholesome ones are performed. Thus in a wicked fool, what
is thought, spoken or acted is not good.
The opposite of the bāla is a wise and knowledgeable
person who possesses paññā or a discriminating understanding.
One who has this kind of knowledge is a paṇḑita. One who has
not is a bāla.
In comparing the two types, the Buddha said that
people in general with little intellect or understanding to reflect
are usually preoccupied with getting enough objects of sensual
pleasure, unlike people with wisdom. Like keeping precious
jewels such as diamonds and gold in a safe place to prevent
loss and damage, those wise people – ever mindful of the merit
of kusala – look after their mind just as much as those costly
gems. Foolish ones do not have this sort of esteem.
A danger to others
There are times when a bāla is able to acquire some sort of
training requiring manual skill. Let’s say he has learnt to shoot
an arrow or use a gun. Try and imagine what will happen. With
a weapon in his hands, there is potential for danger. He may
have learnt to shoot an arrow, but nothing good will come out
of it.
In contrast, a knife, for example, in the hands of a good
person can result in a crafted item for one’s use. With it he can
trim or prune trees and shrubs.
Whether unplanned or planned, whatever fools carry out
is not up to the mark as they do not know the right way to do
it. To illustrate this point is an incident taken from the Jātaka
tales occurring in a village. As it was surrounded by woods and
water channels, the area was infested with mosquitoes.
Nowadays spraying with insecticides (not available in those
times) would be carried out.
Being badly bitten, the villagers decided on an organised
operation to fight these insects. What did they do? On entering
the wooded areas, one by one, arrows were shot at the
mosquitoes as they came to bite their victims. Of course the
mosquitoes flew off unharmed, leaving the people dead. This
stupidity typifies a fool’s way of doing things.
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According to the Buddha, the knowledge acquired by a
fool is of no use as it can only bring a bad result41. Either he
harms himself or gives trouble to others. Only problems can be
obtained since he does not know what should or shouldn’t be
done. With his lack of wisdom and a pure mind, not even a bit
of good will emerge from the work he carries out.
Why do I say this? The following account will show you
why.
A target for goat dung

In the old days there was a cripple who could not go about here
and there as he liked. To move anywhere he had to be
supported on both arms. Nowadays such a case would be
termed a polio victim. Though disabled (dukkhita), he had very
powerful arms.
Being skilled in throwing pebbles, he could not only
throw them right on target, with flawless aim he could perforate
leaves with them. Doing so, he could create various shapes,
having perfected his ability into a wonderful art.
One day, tired of hearing the same talk repeatedly from
a garrulous Brahmin, the king summoned the disabled man to
ask for his help. “There is an overly talkative person with me. Is
it possible to make him shut his mouth?”
The disabled man replied that if he was given a small
basket of goat’s dung, he could do the job.
42
41
Yāva deva anatthāya.
42
A capacity of about one-sixteenth bushel. (A bushel is about 36
litres.)
64
When the time came for the Brahmin to see the king,
the cripple was already seated behind a movable screen, placed
directly opposite where the Brahmin would sit. Through a hole
in the screen, he could aim at the Brahmin’s mouth. So each
time the Brahmin would start to talk, he would aim a pellet of
the goat dung, one by one, into the Brahmin’s mouth every
time it was open. Once he opened his mouth to speak, the
others in the audience would have no chance to have a say.
Having arrived, the Brahmin sat in front of the king and
began to speak. With one word uttered, a dung pellet would be
thrown into the open mouth. Another word uttered, another
pellet would fly inside.
How marvellous was the cripple’s timing and accuracy to
coincide with the mouth opening. Not only that, he directed the
pellet so that it reached right into the palate. This way it could
not be spat out; it could only be swallowed. Goat dung
resembles peanuts or the little pills used in traditional medicine
-- of the right size to be easily swallowed.
The Brahmin had no idea what these little balls were
that were entering his mouth. Given his great desire to speak
and his fear of being interrupted, he would quickly swallow.
Although the basket of dung was used up, he had yet to finish
speaking.
At this point the king had to interrupt, “Teacher, a small
basketful of goat dung has reached inside your stomach. Once
you’ve reached home, do take some purgative to rid your
stomach of it.”
Hearing this, the Brahmin felt very humiliated. From
then on, he hardly spoke at all.
65
Witnessing this incident, a man was much taken with
the cripple’s skill. So much so, he approached him to ask,
“Teacher, please teach me this art of yours.”
“Why do you want to learn it? I don’t wish to teach,”
replied the disabled man.
To win his approval, this man served him well, by
helping him with various tasks. In the end the cripple gave in to
the man’s pleading. As his teacher’s instructions were thorough,
in the end he learnt all there was to learn.
“Now your training is all complete. Test it out. But don’t
go and try it out on animals. In such times you’ll be fined a
certain sum for causing an animal’s death. Should it be a
person, you’ll be fined even more. You can of course test it out
on a homeless vagrant, one with no mother or father or anyone
who will take you to court -- that kind of individual whom
nobody knows where he’s from.”
Choosing his victim

As the man was considering where to find such a candidate, he
came across a Pacceka Buddha, dressed in robes and carrying
an almsbowl. He was coming from the woods where he lived
alone.
“Oh, yes. There’s no mother or father with him. He’s the
one. I’ll test it out on him.”
As the Pacceka Buddha drew near, the man aimed a
sharp and pointed stone at the left ear. It entered the earhole
with such force that it emerged from the other earhole.
Receiving such a violent impact, the Pacceka Buddha passed
away into Parinibbāna.
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Later devotees and followers of the Pacceka Buddha
gathered together for the cremation. The stone-thrower was
present too.
He told them, “That was my handwork. This morning as
he was coming to town on almsround, I tried out my hand in
aiming a little stone at his earhole. It came out the other ear.”
Hearing what he said, in great fury the others
surrounded him and killed him. For transgressing against a
Pacceka Buddha, he fell into Avīci hell. What happened at the
time when he could leave Avīci? He was reborn as a peta near
Rājagaha. Wherever he went, big and flaming hammers from
the sky would appear to pound his head.
A lesson to remember
This goes to show that this man was a fool as he did not know
what should or should not be done. It also proves that no
matter what skill a fool learns, he gets no benefit from it. For
causing the Pacceka Buddha to enter Parinibbāna, he was
beaten to death. Not only did he suffer in hell, he was also
tormented as a peta. All because of his little action, he had to
undergo so much dukkha.
For this reason he could be called a bāla, having given
only trouble. Yet he thought that what he was doing would be
to his advantage. Instead he was his own worst enemy in what
he did or said.
As for the disabled man who was able to close the
mouth of the garrulous Brahmin, he was much rewarded. This
was because he knew how to discreetly and sensibly apply his
skill unlike the other man.
67
Whatever the era, there will always be the unwise in
contrast with the wise, each type with his particular kind of
deed and thinking. It is not possible to have a combination of
the two.
******
68
5. Watch your Habits
Unique in our make-up
In journeying through saṃsāra, we come to acquire a certain

way of behaving or doing something, given habitual practice.
Look around you. There are those people who are rather
solemn and formal, while some are playful and light-hearted.
Some strive to gain an education in contrast to those who do
not value learning. Certain people are hard-working compared
to lazy ones. Then there are impatient ones unlike others who
are forbearing. Some see red even in non-aggravating
situations.
Losing one’s head

For instance, in Sagaing there was a Sayadaw who was very
short-tempered despite efforts to restrain his mind. On one
occasion he went to a layman’s house for his meal. Being early,
he was the first to arrive. At the appointed time the other
invited monks still had not shown up. Saying, “Are you all going
to eat?” he then rose and left. He had lost his temper having to
wait. There are really people like that. All of a sudden the mind
becomes irritated.
Over nothing certain people can get provoked, make
trouble or do even worse. For example, long ago there were
two brothers. At one time they slaughtered a cow and cut it up,
having agreed to divide it equally between themselves.
Afterwards, the younger one said,
“Elder brother, as I’ve many people in the house, please
give me the tripe.”
“You’d agreed to share it equally. What more do you
want?” replying thus, the older man grabbed the chopper used
to cut up the beef and hacked his brother. Only on seeing him
dead did he regret his action. What happened was that on
hearing the request to have more, he erupted in anger. For the
rest of his life he lived in misery, realising the wrong he had
done. He became afflicted with a chronic sickness. Though he
ate as much as he could, he could get no nourishment from the
food. Given his sorrow, not before long, his life came to an end.
Even nowadays, reading the papers, we can sometimes
find such kinds of incidents happening. Over an insignificant
matter, a person blows a fuse due to dosa to the extent that
homicide is the result.
Such acts on impulse can be attributed to a bad inherent
nature. Should this evil trait be left unremedied through
repeated births, then that person is surely in trouble. This is
how bālas become what they are. Despite efforts to change
them for the better, some will never convert to the side of
good.
You can also find a range of traits good and bad not
only in humans, but in non-humans such as devas, ogres or
animals.
Animal behaviour
Consider animals, cows, for instance. Don’t think that all cows
are good-natured. Only some are so, unlike some others who
70
are often in a fury, wanting to butt here and there violently.
Some are domineering in nature. It is the same with dogs.
Regarding dogs, I recall that in my monastery at one
time there were about over 30 strays. People would come to
dispose of them at the entrance. As not one of these animals
had been trained, they showed all kinds of behaviour. Some
were well-behaved. For instance they never went to toilet in the
swept or paved areas.
There was a little puppy which I remember distinctly.
She had followed the novices on almsround in town back to the
monastery. Fat and round, and being good-natured, she had an
endearing way of greeting everyone she met by wagging her
tail. One day she was locked up by accident. Finding no way to
escape, she began howling. When freed, where did she rush to?
She headed straight for the bushes. Like any well-behaved dog
she waited to go to toilet.
Others were not the same. They chose only clean areas
like floors and paved roads – even doormats on stairways -- for
their toilet. Another type would bite and tear up slippers unlike
others who did not. Then there were hostile ones who would
bark at anyone, even the monks. There was one who would
cast a sidelong look at any passer-by, snarling and growling.
Just like people, all of them showed different traits
which had followed them in the cycle of rebirths.
Six temperaments but one of a kind

It is quite apparent that one individual’s character is unlike
another’s. In Pāḷi the term “cariyā” is used to denote this
difference in a person’s temperament as well as his behaviour.
71
(By itself the word means “conduct” or “behaviour”.) Based on
his mental state, his verbal and bodily actions take place. No
two persons can be identical in these aspects. Thus cariyā
indicates the person’s natural (pakati) state of mind with the
repeated occurrence of a certain trait.
However, people’s characters can generally be
categorised. Six basic temperaments are listed in the Buddhist
literature43. Three bad ones concern lust (rāga), hate (dosa)
and delusion (moha). The remaining three good ones relate to
faith (saddhā), intelligence (buddhi) and thinking (vitakka).
On the negative side, people with a greedy or lustful
temperament often have desire on coming into contact with
sense objects. They delight in high-quality things and
appreciate beauty. For instance they are fond of scents, make-
up and adornment. They are neat and proper in their habits and
in the way they dress.
As for those with a hating temperament, they are
usually quick-tempered, their anger flaring up all of a sudden.
This is usually a sign of dosa-cariyā. They can also be contrary
and slovenly in their habits and way of life. The manner of
walking gives an impression of annoyance. The sound of the
feet stamping the ground is apparent.
Then if things are done clumsily or in a disorderly way,
blunders are usually made in speech, and thoughts are often
disconnected or rambling, these are signs that the person has a
deluded temperament.
As for the good side, with a pious temperament one
has the wish to do kusala: to make offerings, to observe
43
Such knowledge is important for yogis in the practice of meditation.
72
precepts, to listen to Dhamma talks, for example. The person is
also keen to practise meditation. In short, devotion is shown to
all wholesome activities. So a person is said to have a saddhā-
cariyā when faith arises frequently in him or her.
Then people with an intellectual temperament give
serious thought to whatever matter that crops up. They never
act on impulse -- without deliberating first -- which usually is
the case with less intelligent people.
As for those with a thoughtful temperament, they
ponder over any issue that arises. Too preoccupied with
thought, they usually are unable to sleep well. They tend to
speculate on abstract matters far more than other people.
However our particularity in traits makes us distinct in
character. We are unique in the way each of us acts or behaves
(and thinks) – even among arahants. Consider the different
temperaments of Venerables Sāriputta and Moggallāna.
Arahants have character too

Towards the others, Venerable Sāriputta showed only great
kindness. Despite being the foremost disciple or sāvaka, he was
unlike the other monks who would go off on their own on
almsround. Instead he would first make a round to inspect the
whole monastery. If an area had yet to be swept, he would do
it. If some robes had been left in a pile, he would fold them
neatly for the owner. If he came across any sick monk lying in
bed, he would feel the forehead for signs of fever, asking,
“What would you like to eat?” So he would see to providing
food for those who were unwell. These were the tasks the
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Venerable routinely took on, being of a kind and gentle
disposition.
This was not the case with Venerable Moggallāna.
Venerable Sāriputta had a bent for knowledge. Whatever the
matter, he would deliberate on it. Venerable Moggallāna was
not this way. His interest lay in entering phala samāpatti and
using the power of samādhi to try out all sorts of supernormal
feats. By nature he was inclined to be a bit impatient – not that
this was due to dosa. By tendency he seemed to be of an
irritable sort, as shown in the following incident which has its
place in the text.
It was usual for the Buddha to deliver an admonition
after the Saṅghā’s recitation of the Pātimokkha. On one
occasion all the monks had already assembled to hear His talk.
Nonetheless, the Buddha remained quiet at His seat. When the
first watch of the night had passed, Venerable Ānandā said,
“Venerable Sir, we have been sitting here for quite a
long while. Please exhort and advise the Saṅghā.”
The Buddha said nothing, remaining still. It was past
midnight.
At the last watch of the night as dawn was near
breaking, once again Venerable Ānandā repeated his request,
“Venerable Sir, soon it will be dawn. The Saṅghā have been
sitting here the whole night. So please give them an
exhortation.”
The Buddha in reply, uttered only a sentence, “Ānandā,
the assembly is not pure.”
While the other monks remained seated, Venerable
Moggallāna immediately arose on hearing these words. With his
74
cetopariya abhiññā44, he scrutinised the others’ minds. The
individual who was blameworthy thought to himself, “It’s me
that’s being referred to, as the Buddha already knows.”
Thinking thus, his heart went pit-a-pat, which Venerable
Moggallāna detected. Approaching the individual, the Venerable
prodded his shoulder, saying, “Monk, the Buddha knows
everything. Don’t remain here. Get out.”
The monk remained sitting, saying nothing. Venerable
Moggallāna grabbed and pulled him to the door. Shoving him
outside, he then bolted the door. Only then he told the Buddha,
“Venerable Sir, the assembly is now pure. Please advise and
admonish the monks.”
So even among arahants it is still possible to make a
distinction between their character traits.
******
44
Knowledge of reading others’ minds.
75
5. Watch your Habits
Smell of an empty beer bottle
What happens when one’s traits becomes so well ingrained so

that it cannot be kept in check? As it has become firmly
embedded in the mind, it turns into a habitual tendency. In Pāḷi
it is known as vāsanā45. This is commonly found among people.
Some Myanmar people take this term to mean a person’s
interest or hobby, for example, in singing or dancing.
Here we shall discuss instead another meaning of
“vāsanā”: in considering the case when the mind is
overwhelmed by some akusala state. Because of the frequent
arising of rāga, dosa or moha46, the mind becomes habituated
to this mental state. As a result a tendency is formed. A vāsanā
actually stands for the kilesa’s forceful power. Just like cariyās,
there are good and bad vāsanās.
Although a trait can be checked or even changed, only
on becoming a Buddha can you remove – without any trace – a
45
Usually translated as tendencies (of the past), (former) impressions
which remain in the mind. Vāsanā actually refers to something that is
diffused to another: For example, if sweet-smelling flowers are
wrapped in a piece of cloth, that cloth will smell fragrant after a while.
(Good) vāsanās are like that. Similarly, after eating durians, even after
washing, the smell remains.
46
Or saddhā, buddhi and vitakka in the case of kusala.
vāsanā. Even arahants are not able to eliminate it entirely. This
is due to the power of the kilesa.
Take a bottle of beer after it has been emptied. Sniff the
mouth and you will find that there is still a lingering odour of
beer. It is like a person whose mental defilements have all been
wiped out in attaining arahantship. Yet despite the total
destruction of kilesas, their power still remains. This is to say
that the ingrained habits or vāsanās are left behind in the
arahant. (As for common people or puthujjanas — not just a
whiff – all remain.)
Only the Buddha is able to eliminate not only the kilesas
but their tendencies at the same time. Not a trace or odour of
any vāsanā remains in the Buddha – leaving no clue of their
previous presence. In arahants the unpleasant smell of kilesas
still lingers on, as a reminder of their former lives as
puthujjanas.
For instance, there is an account about Venerable
Sāriputta’s vāsanā which is not mentioned in the Theravada
literature, its source remaining unknown. Invited somewhere for
a meal, on the way the Venerable came across a water puddle.
Rather than wade across, he jumped over it47. The donor
following behind thought to himself, “My goodness, supposedly
an arahant, yet he doesn’t have self-control.”
Coming to another pool of water, Venerable Sāriputta
again leaped across it.
“Hah! This arahant really lacks dignity. If he jumps again
the next time, I’ll no longer invite him for meals,” the donor
promised himself.
47
This was due to his habit in a past life as a monkey.
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At the next puddle the Venerable did not leap over it.
Though whoever related this incident is not known, even so it
shows that arahants are not able to cast off their old habits.
However, what is recorded about Venerable Sāriputta in the
text is only praiseworthy.
So although temperaments can be changed, not even an
arahant can get rid of a vāsanā completely. Regarding this
point, there is an example worth taking note of.
Rat dung or long peppers?

During the Buddha’s lifetime, there was an extraordinary
arahant named Pilindavaccha. Before he entered the Sāsana, he
was a practitioner of the magical arts48. He had powerful
psychic abilities, being able to read minds and fly in the sky.
Due to his powers, he was venerated by many.
On one occasion the Buddha arrived in the vicinity
where he was. At that time this wizard lost all his psychic
powers. He thought over the reason why, “Ever since the monk
Gotama came here, I’ve not been able to fly in the sky or read
the thoughts of others. I’ve heard that once a wizard of greater
power appears, one of lesser power loses all his skills.”
Convinced that monk Gotama was a wizard of superior
powers, he decided to ask to be His pupil to undertake training.
When he approached the Buddha with this request, the Buddha
replied,
“Yes, I will teach you, but you will have to wear the
robes just like we do here.”
48
Vijjādhara.
78
Of course the wizard complied in putting on the robes of
a monk. Afterwards the Buddha taught him meditation. Under
His guidance in practising, he eventually became an arahant.
However Venerable Pilindavaccha retained a bad habit of his
earlier life as a high-caste person. What was it? Every time he
met someone, he would rudely address that person as a
“scoundrel49”. What would it be like if someone were to call you
this? In this world you can find all kinds of behaviour among
people – something you should pay heed to. Despite having
attained arahantship, he kept his old lay habit of greeting every
one he met, “Hey, scoundrel.”
At one time a cart driver was on his way to the market
to sell his cartload of long peppers. He came across the
Venerable. Despite attaining arahantship, the monk was not the
sort to remain calm and quiet, given his type of vāsanā. He
called out,
“Hey you, scoundrel, what are you carrying in your
cart?”
How could the man possibly like being addressed as a
“scoundrel”? He retorted sharply,
“Rat dung, monk.”
“So I see! If it’s said to be rat dung, then of course it’s
rat dung.”
Arriving at the market, the driver found the cart filled
with rat dung instead of the long peppers.
49
Vasala: usually translated as “outcaste” or “wretch”. He would use
such abusive terms in speaking to lower caste people.
79
“Ohh! Coming here i was carrying long peppers.
Reaching the market, now how on earth is there rat dung
instead?” he wailed aloud.
Having heard, a passerby – who happened to be in the
know – asked the cart driver,
“Who did you meet on your way here?”
“Hah, I ran into a monk who spoke very rudely, ‘Hey,
scoundrel, what do you have in your cart?’ I became annoyed
and shot back, ‘Rat dung.’ ”
“In that case, drive back the same way you came to
where you met Venerable Pilindavaccha. If he asks you again,
reply respectfully.”
Doing so, the cart driver again encountered the
Venerable. Again the monk asked,
“Hey, scoundrel, what are you carrying in your cart?”
“If you please, Venerable Sir, these are long peppers,”
replied the driver.
“Yeah, if it’s said to be long peppers, then of course
they’re long peppers.”
Only then did the long peppers reappear in the cart.
Thus even arahants are not able to discard their old
habits. This incident can be found in the text.
Don’t think that this sort of conduct cannot possibly
happen. I myself have encountered something similar on
meeting a Sayadaw in Sagaing. He was of course from a remote
area. Like Venerable Pilindavaccha, he too had the same habit.
On seeing a person, what would he do? He would call out,
“Hah! Haven’t you died yet, fellow?” Far from being a
pleasantry, his remark was not appreciated. I have not seen
80
him greet anyone in a more pleasing way. So he was just like
the Venerable.
Need to assess
Hence even among arahants it is possible to size up their traits
and tendencies as they are unable to abandon their vāsanās
which differ from one to the other. It is of course well and good
if these are on the good side. Should they be on the bad side,
then even the arahant can still act unbecomingly, as shown in
the examples above.
In our case it is necessary to check ourselves to find out
the traits we have, good and bad. It is vital to nurture only the
good ones. Those bad ones should be corrected, instead of
ignoring them.
Keep in mind that if something is overly repeated, it will
become an ingrained habit. Left unchecked, it will continue to
grow in strength even in the next life.
******
81
6. Changing for the Better
How to change a temperament
What if somebody comes up to you to ask, “What is your

temperament like?” or “What mental states are usually present
in you?” If you have not tried to examine your own mind
before, it would be rather difficult to respond off the cuff. Does
lobha arise frequently? Or is it dosa instead? Or even moha?
Otherwise could it be the confidence of saddhā or the
considering mind? Are there many thoughts? You should be
aware if these phenomena are taking place in the mind.
Try to examine your own mind to see what usually
occurs, apart from the hours spent in sleep. What thoughts
commonly arise? What kind of temperament frequently shows
up?
If you wish to find out, after this Dhamma talk, you can
start to study and assess yourself. Not knowing about oneself
can result in inadequacy and failings. People usually think they
know themselves. However many do not. To get to know about
oneself: what is needed for the task? This can only be done
with mindfulness (sati) and clear comprehension (sampajañña).
That is why in the Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta the Buddha
explained His practical technique using these two factors.
According to this method, you should note mindfully all
your actions so as to gain knowledge. Without sati no insight
knowledge will arise. A paññā that is without sati does not
exist50. So only when mindfulness is applied can knowledge
appear.
The Buddha linked sati with sampajañña – the
examining and reflective knowledge in any situation – as it does
not occur without sati. Therefore using this pair, it is necessary
to observe and reflect on the dhammas that often arise in your
mind. In the sutta the Buddha instructed that sati-sampajañña
should be applied to bodily actions and movements as well.
Even in looking, there has to be sati-sampajañña. In putting on
your clothes, in bending or stretching your arm or leg, and so
on: these should be done mindfully and with clear
comprehension. The same too goes for eating and drinking.
Usually most of us while eating or sitting down, for
example, are busily absorbed in thinking instead of observing
the process. Those who do so with full awareness are far from
many. Even listeners at a Dhamma talk: though they may be
seated in the hall, yet their minds may have already gone
home. Sati is only possible if the mind and the person are at
one with each other. To what extent did the Buddha mean
when He said that sati should be present in all matters?
Whether we are eating, drinking, just before falling asleep at
the end of the day, waking up, or going to the toilet, He taught
that sati should be present.
To be able to do so requires training in and developing
sati-sampajañña. Only then will you be able to assess your type
of temperament. Only then can you come to know your traits.
Then, having done a check-up on yourself, you decide to
50
Na hi sativirahita paññā nāma atthi.
83
change your temperament for the better. How should it be
done?
For those with lust

People with a lustful temperament are attached to beauty,
partial to lovely forms, harmonious sounds, fragrant smells and
delicious tastes. Attachment and lobha are strong in such
people. If this temperament becomes more obvious, what can
be done to cut it down? Abhidhammattha saṅgaha has listed 40
ways of meditation practice, compiled from various texts.
Among them is asubha bhāvanā which is suitable for people
with rāga cariyā. Contemplation is carried out on the repulsive
aspects of the body for example.
Why this is important is because such people are always
preoccupied with what looks good or beautiful. The method is
to try to perceive what is not lovely or clean. In this way they
are able to lessen their attachments. So asubha meditation
should be practised as it can remove rāga51.
People usually have the idea that this technique calls for
a visit to the funeral parlour or the mortuary. However asubha
also concerns what is still alive. The word “asubha” denotes
unattractiveness and repulsiveness.
To find out whether your own body is loathsome or not:
try sniffing at what oozes out from the nine orifices you have.
As for the insides, there is not even one bit that is fragrant.
From its tear duct the eye expels its waste. What is excreted by
the nose is snot. As for the ear, the dirt it produces is ear-wax.
However in polite circles nice euphemisms are used to disguise
51
Asubha bhāvetabbā rāgassa pahānāya.
84
the loathsome aspect of these excretions. Not a single item of
all these bodily wastes is worth keeping. There is not any that
has a good smell. The human body is not naturally fragrant. If
people smell nice, that is due to the scent they have applied on
themselves, which is only temporary. It is the powder, perfume
or lotion that gives the fragrance, giving the impression that it
is the bodily scent.
Reflecting on this point, we will find that there is nothing
beautiful or attractive about the body. Indeed, we will come to
realise its repulsive nature. In this way of considering its
loathsome aspect, the mind with rāga can be discarded.
Attachment can be lessened.
Hair, body hair, toe- and finger-nail, teeth, skin, and so
on: bit by bit the body is taken apart. Consider the hair which
looks so attractive on the head. Should one strand drop onto
your plate of rice, it becomes disgusting. People only realise its
repulsive nature when this happens. While it is still on the head,
they will dye it in various colours to prettify it. They will spray
scent on it. Yet the hair on the head is the same as the one that
has fallen on the plate.
This way of reflecting on the unattractive nature of
various parts of the body can weaken the rāga temperament.
For those with dosa

What can be done to reduce the dosa if we have an angry
temperament? With dosa we can never remain clear-headed
with any object as it is always associated with hate. Thus in
order to change this type of cariyā, we should try to cultivate
85
mettā to remove its hatred52. To develop loving-kindness, which
wishes for the well-being of others, khanti can provide great
help. So by means of forbearance and forgiveness, we should
strive to remove dosa in radiating mettā.
If we are unable to make this effort, then we will
become habituated to this anger, which will turn eventually into
an innate tendency. This means that should we obtain a human
rebirth after this life we are likely to be short-tempered.
If we are reborn as animals, then we are likely to be the
fierce and angry types, such as tigers and lions. To prevent
such an occurrence – now that we are aware of the danger – in
this life we should start to infuse mettā in our heart. By doing
so we would be able to transform this temperament.
For those with moha

How should we rectify a deluded temperament? We should instil
the Dhamma in our heart by listening to talks, by studying what
the Buddha taught in His discourses, and seeing teachers with
our queries. In this way through learning and inquiring we can
lessen our ignorance.
In order that we acquire knowledge or paññā, what is
the most important step to take? Firstly, mental calm is needed.
For that we need to practise so that our sati becomes strong
and stable. As a start we can meditate on the out- and in-
breath with close attention. In coming to gain sati, only then
can paññā be obtained.
52
Mettā bhāvetabbā dosassa pahānāya.
86
Conclusion
A bad temperament should be improved on. Left as it is, we will
wander about saṃsāra with it. Gaining a human existence we
will be born with an innate bad disposition. It is only to be
expected that we will only meet with all kinds of dukkha in
future lives. That is why this present life is the only opportune
time we have to rectify any bad traits.
******
87
6. Changing for the Better
Letting good thoughts arise
How do you make wholesome thoughts53 arise on meeting a

sense object, especially a pleasant one? It is not an easy matter
for everyone. What is needed to do so? Let’s say you happen to
see a beautiful flower in bloom. There can be two kinds of
thinking. “Oh, I’ll tuck this lovely flower in my hair.”
Can’t the following thought occur also? “What a lovely
flower! I shall put it in the vase at the Buddha altar.” The
thought to wear the flower in the hair was due to the arising of
the dynamic mind with greed (lobha javanas), while the other
type of thought showed the presence of kusala javanas.
However, it is not usually the case on encountering desirable
sense objects for a wholesome mind – and not lobha cittas – to
appear.
Are there suitable factors to support the arising of good
javanas? There are four points which can be used in self-
training for kusala to arise54.
1. Determination
You should begin by building up determination (niyamita) in
your mind. “Only wholesome thought will arise in my mind, not
53
That is, kusala javanas or the dynamic mind.
54
Aṭṭhasālinī.
akusala thought.” Making this decision is necessary. Otherwise
unwholesome states will overcome your mind. Even with a
resolution, should you forget or become negligent, kilesas will
prevail.
Why this happens is due to “pāpasmiṁ ramati mano.” It
is as though a crease has already been folded in the mind so
that it lies on the side of akusala. Like a pot of sour pickles:
whatever is added inside turns sourish. Similarly whatever citta
that comes to arise will surely do so on the unwholesome side.
Saṃsāra is like a giant pot of pickles. Anything that
enters it will only turn sourish. So that this does not happen, it
is necessary to cultivate cittas whose natures are on the
opposite side. You need to prepare ahead by telling yourself,
“Akusala must not arise in my mind. Only kusala.”
Determination is thus needed.
2. Inclination
Next is number two. What is it? It is pariṇāmita where you
train to incline your mind always to the side of kusala. As effort
is needed to make the mind stay on the side of goodness, you
have to work at it through practice.
3. Attention
The third is called ābhujita or attention, meaning bearing in
mind. In this case constant attention is always given to kusala.
Whatever occurs, your thought remains on the side which is
blameless. This is yoniso manasikāra or wise attention, the
most important factor.
89
4. Practice
The next one is practice (samudācāra). Practice is needed in
order to let kusala arise. Consider someone who has always
been offering flowers to the Buddha statue at the altar.
Catching sight of some beautiful flowers, the thought of
adorning her head with these blooms would never occur to her.
Why this is so is that the practice of offering flowers to the
Buddha has already been instilled in her.
As for another woman who has the habit of putting
flowers in her hair, it would naturally cross her mind to decorate
her hair with these flowers. So the thought differs from one to
the other: one had the idea to beautify herself, while the other
thought at once of the Buddha. This is what habitual practice is
about which is very important.
In this way for whatever object you come across, you
must remember to work for kusala55 to arise. Otherwise there
can be no practice or wise attention. Neither will there be
resolution. Also without the inclination of the mind, only
akusalas will keep on appearing. Finally, to sum up: there must
be the determination first of all, to be followed by inclination.
55
It is only when you succeed in the practice of samatha that
rūpāvacara and arūpāvacara kusalas occur. Otherwise they do not
arise. As for lokuttara kusala, you have to practise successfully in
vipassanā till magga. If not, magga kusala will not occur. These
kusalas are only concerned with the practice of either samatha or
vipassanā. Without practice jhāna kusala has no absolute chance of
appearing unlike kāma kusala which can appear under natural
circumstances. Then what about lokuttara kusala? It can only come
with insight meditation. Not even the pure practice of samatha will
enable magga kusala to arise.
90
Then attention is called for in order that practice is possible.
With these factors in place, there is a chance for
wholesomeness to arise. Without these four, kusala will not
occur.
******
91
Conclusion
Goodness needs effort
Why you are here today — the person that you are — is
through your good rebirth consciousness that produced your
human birth in this life. This wholesome consciousness is the
result of some kusala kamma you did in a previous life which
has now ripened. You must have carried out some meritorious
actions, like offering dāna, observing sīla or practising
meditation.
So in this life you have knowledge, health and a good
situation in life to study and practise the Dhamma. Surely you
can understand this although you are not able to check and see
the circumstances in your previous life.
However, it is not yet over and done with because you
still have this life — that is, if you want to continue on the right
track in the rounds of rebirth and death. Having been born as
humans, we should rely on our knowledge to sustain ourselves
in life. According to the Buddha, this is the best course to take.
We should conduct ourselves in all matters by always bearing in
mind that there is good and evil as well as cause and effect.
To do this, we should listen to Dhamma talks, accept
our teacher’s guidance and admonishment, and study the
Buddhist text. Why do we need to do all these? It is in order to
avoid becoming a bāla. Freed from a fool’s existence, there is
no possibility of becoming a bad character.
Otherwise, should we follow the path used by wicked
fools, we will find that there is nothing good to be found, only
evil, at the end of the road. We will arrive then to find great
adversity in the hell realm, the animal kingdom and the plane of
petas and asuras.
Switching sides
Being bad and foolish -- these qualities do not come from the
outside. They emerge from within oneself, from the heart.
Should they come to arise in us, we ourselves would have to
clear them up. Parents and teachers can only advise. But should
we continue to maintain these bad qualities, we would only be
taking the path used by bālas.
It is not enough just to know about mental states and
how to discriminate between the good and bad ones. We have
to apply the knowledge to ourselves. We should strive to
weaken any bad traits of rāga, dosa and moha, while cultivating
good ones to make them stronger. This is the essence of what
the Buddha taught.
Yet we cannot directly remove what is unwholesome
within us. Only kusala can expel akusala. This is like taking
antibiotics to kill disease germs. Moreover, just abstaining from
evil is not quite enough: it would be just like sleeping. For
instance adosa is not just the absence of dosa or hatred. When
you are fast asleep, there is also no hatred (as well as no greed
or delusion), which is not the same as adosa or anti-hatred.
When systematically developed adosa becomes loving-kindness
93
or mettā, which is not only opposite in nature to dosa, it can
actually remove this mental defilement.
Likewise for alobha — usually translated as non-
attachment — it is not just that greed or attachment is missing.
Not only is alobha free of this defilement (kilesa), it removes
craving or greed. It is the cause of generosity.
It is the same for amoha which is not just the lack of
delusion. Amoha is also known as paññā or knowledge. This
mental phenomenon can expel delusion.
Unrelenting effort needed

However, being good requires some work and determination.
Special effort is needed to remove the darkness of akusala, not
just by sleeping, eating or other activities. We need to actively
cultivate kusala light to dispel akusala darkness since light and
darkness cannot coexist. When light is there, darkness has to
disappear. By studying we can remove ignorance. Knowledge
is also light. If we have a small candle, we can remove a little
bit of the blackness of moha. If we have a big lamp, more
darkness is dispelled.
In our attack against akusala, we cultivate kusala
kamma in our daily life. For example, we carry out wholesome
actions, like offering dāna, to remove lobha and dosa. We
maintain precepts (sīla) to control our verbal and physical
actions. This helps in our avoidance of the 10 unwholesome
actions. With our mind we cultivate concentration (samādhi) to
protect it from unwholesomeness. However, only paññā can
remove it totally. So by the regular practice of insight
94
meditation (vipassanā), we build up knowledge (amoha) to
remove delusion.
It is the same if we want to buy something. First we
have to check out that item carefully. Watchfully focusing to
check is samādhi. Paññā investigates to find whether it is good
or bad. Mindfulness (sati) takes note of the article with the
help of effort (vīriya). Thinking about it is right thought (sammā
saṅkappa). Understanding the situation is right view (sammā
diṭṭhi).
It is beneficial if we use these factors to distinguish the
characteristics of good and evil within us. Some mental states
we have to overcome, others to cultivate.
For instance as a yogi, if you know how sensual desire
(kāmacchanda) arises in you, you avoid that situation. If you
know how it can be removed through certain conditions, then
you should follow those conditions. The importance is to realise
when kāmacchanda exists and when it does not, and to know
how to remove it. Follow what should be followed, and avoid
what should be avoided.
This way we increase kusala power to weaken akusala,
and then finally remove it totally. That would be as an arahant.
In the meantime, the effort must be unrelenting. For those who
are immature, it would take time. For the lazy ones, it would be
quite hopeless — until they buck up. I hope every one of you
listeners will be able to build up sati and saṃvega to strive to
become good or even better people.
******
95

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GOOD AND BAD

Which side are you on?

Number of copies: 1,000

Published by the Dhamma Sahāya Sāsana – Institute for

Printed by Aung Aung Moe Offset (00817), Mandalay, Myanmar.

Biography of Dr. Nandamālābhivaṃsa v

Introduction: Going up- or downstream? 1

1 Distinguishing good from evil

The first priority 4

Can good and bad be combined? 17

2. How good and bad occur

Taking a turn for the worse 21

Going from bad to good 27

Becoming better and better 30

“Have you ever seen anyone with a toothache smile?” 33

3. Fruit of good and evil

Any priority in the outcome of good and bad? 37

A gram of merit, a ton of hell-fire 45

Accepting a poisoned drink 51

No mixing with fools 58

Comparing the fool with the wise 62

5 Watch your habits

Unique in our make-up 69

Smell of an empty beer bottle 76

6 Changing for the better

How to change a temperament 82

Letting good thoughts arise 88

Conclusion: Goodness needs effort 92

Sayadaw Dr. Nandamᾱlᾱbhivaṃsa, born

At the age of 16, he had already passed

Sayadaw Dr. Nandamᾱla is one of the founders of the well-

At the same time Sayadaw Dr. Nandamᾱla holds numerous

Sayadaw Dr. Nandamᾱla serves to promote and propagate the

List of some publications in English

• The 90 Years of Life of Daw Malayee (1975)

Because of his excellent knowledge of the Buddha’s teachings

Going up- or downstream?

Many people are often confused about whether something to be

Taking the easy way

The first priority

Whatever the Buddha taught only concerns two points: good

* Evil states that have arisen should be removed.

Our immediate task

It’s the thought that counts

Good and bad roots of thought

Many people often get confused or mistaken about which

Joyful over what?

Mistaking greed for the wish to act

10Kattukamyatā chanda = the chanda that only wants to do.

Karuṇā is not sadness

Mettā is “spirit of a friend” but not a boy- or girl-friend

“Mātā yathā niyaṁ putta-,

Pride is a mental defilement

Knowledge and right view needed

Can good and bad be combined?

As kusala and akusala are opposite in nature, you cannot take

Taking a turn for the worse

You should take heed that based on kusala, akusala can

Going from bad to worse

Going from bad to good