Thanh Tri – the 2nd Mind Dharma: SAMYAGDRSTI – PRABHA SAMADHI – Part 2: WHAT IS RIGHT VIEW? (Thế nào gọi là chánh kiến)

Thanh Tri – the 2^nd Mind Dharma: SAMYAGDRSTI – PRABHA SAMADHI – Part 2: WHAT IS RIGHT VIEW?

What is right view? The question raised by Kaccāyanagotta had received a thorough reasoning from the Buddha, accordingly right view (Sammaditthi) is a position that denies attachments or clinging derived from wrong perception which cites that all phenomena are existent or non-existent. Specifically, he said: “…One sees the origination of the world as it actually is with right discernment, ‘non-existence’ with reference to the world does not occur to one. When one sees the cessation of the world as it actually is with right discernment, ‘existence’ with reference to the world does not occur to one.

Kaccayana! Thinking “everything exists” is one extreme while thinking “everything doesn’t exist” is another extreme. The Tathagata avoids these two extremes and teaches the Dharma in the middle way, which means “When there is this, that is. With the arising of this, that arises.” Ignorance is the condition for the formation of mentality. Mental formation is the condition for consciousness. Consciousness is a requisite condition for name & form. Name & form are the conditions for the six senses. The six senses are conditions for contact. Contact is the condition for feeling. Feeling is the condition for craving. Craving is the condition for clinging. Clinging is the condition for becoming. Becoming is the condition for birth. From birth then come aging and death. And such is the origination of this entire mass of pain and suffering..” (from Samyutta Nikaya)

The Buddha’s clarification on right view lies just within several sentences but these teachings is the essence extracted from three great asamhkyeya kalpas of meditation and six continuous years under the Bodhi tree in present time when his manifestation is Prince Gautama, the son of King Suddhodana at Kapilavastu (ancient India). In the Buddha’s time, masters of 96 heretical sects believed in a so-called “Bharman” (ParamAtman), immortal celestial realms and beings deserved to be worshipped (God, Atula, Demon, Object). They claimed that men and women were created by God and this boundless world was formed and controlled by God’s hands or it was a dream of a Bharman, thus they worshipped those gods and tried all the way to please that “supreme beings”. On the contrary, some masters held that everything was existent if they could see with their own eyes and vice versa, it would be non-existent if they could not. Therefore, they denied the value of goodness and acted by instinct without concerning themselves with consequences. Others, by using their divine eyes or divine mind, seeing their ancestors once were animals like cow, dog or fish.., thus they refused to use meat. In short, such ideologyor empirical arguments have fallen in either of two extremes; self-grasping and dharma-clinging. These lead to the endless cycle of birth, old age, disease and death. The Buddha does not totally deny the outlook on life and cosmology of heretical sects but he wishes to help them reduce or rid themselves of ignorance and understand the causal nature, then give them means to escape from suffering. Since his attainment of enlightenment under the Bodhi tree, the Buddha had understood clearly what the sentient beings are suffering, what cause them suffer, then he taught them methods to cease suffering and finally showed them the truth of the end of suffering. His spiritual practices are categorized into 37 factors (aspects) of enlightenment, among which the most important one is the “Eightfold path”, including right view, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right diligence, right concentration and right mindfulness. Right view standing first indicates its importance, given the rest practices cannot exist or develop without it, just like the damage of the house’s foundation will lead to the collapse of its wall, roof and piles. For this reason, Buddhist practitioners should hold firm grasp of right view from the very beginning of their cultivation for it will give the light to the path that is full of risks and impediments caused by the beings and non-beings.

Wrong view (miccadithi) is the opposite of right view (sammadithi). Wrong view will also mean wrong path which is opposite to the right path shown by the Buddha. The word “wrong” (micca) doesn’t really have negative meaning but refers to “not being ultimate”, “not being liberated”. Masters of the Xiantiandao and Shintoism also advise people to do good deeds and avoid bad deeds but they finally remain in the cycle of birth and death. Instead of acclaiming supreme characteristics of bharman, devas, atula, the Buddha praises the precious chance of gaining human body because only human being has primal wisdom to practicing Dharma for cutting off ignorance and being liberated from the three worlds (Triloka, including the world of sensuous desire (Kamadhatu), the world of form (Rupadhatu) and the world of formless (Arupadhatu). This has been asserted in many of his sermons during his 49 years of Dharma propagation.

I remember a Zen story telling about a young monk who was sitting on the edge of the forest contemplating on earth. His diligence got admired by the Sakra (Lord of devas) who then appeared to bow and ask him: “You are young but have strong will. Tell me what you need. I will help you because I have magical power! I am delighted to offer you chamber, monastery, finest and delicate food and drink if you need.” The young monk shook his head: “I need one thing you cannot offer with your magical power!”. The Lord was surprised and asked him to tell what it was. The monk smiled, then slowly answered: “What I need most is Prajna. Could you do it?” Hearing this, the Lord who ruled 33 gods quickly flied back to his realm without asking more about it. It should be known that the wisdom (prajna) is likened to a house built by the bricks of “right view”. Therefore, right view is the foundation of wisdom in Buddhism. It is crazy if one wishes to attain wisdom without right view or with impure right view (i.e mixed with heretical viewpoint). Quite a few people who are practicing Buddhist Dharma while keep bowing or offering to devas or Naga which are the traditions of Tiandao or Hinduism. On the other hand, some bhikkhus act like atheist or negativist on denying the metaphysical world. Some Buddhists meanwhile adore metaphysical power by worshipping the God of Wealth and God of Earth for luck while others offer incense, fruits and candy or burn votive papers to demons every mid-month for fear of being harrassed by them. Some even believe that Buddhist monks are able to do exorcism to avoid bad fortune?! The Buddhists with right view shall never believe and act like that. Hence, what to believe, how and what to do to improve the right view of Thanh tri (Pure mind) practitioners will be presented in the 3^rd part: “Right View in Different Aspects”.

A rainy afternoon on the peak of Phu Van Mountain, January 10, 2018

Thinley- Nguyen Thanh

Translated by Mat Hue Phap

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Vietnamese version: THẾ NÀO GỌI LÀ CHÁNH KIẾN?

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Thanh Tri – the 2^nd Mind Dharma: SAMYAGDRSTI – PRABHA SAMADHI

Part 1: INTRODUCTION

Part 2: WHAT IS RIGHT VIEW?

Part 3: RIGHT VIEW IN DIFFERENT ASPECTS” (Bài 3: Những góc tư duy về chánh kiến)

Part 4: GAIN FROM RIGHT VIEW, LOSE OF WRONG VIEW (Đệ nhị tâm pháp Thanh Trí: Chánh kiến quang minh tam muội – Bài 4: Ích lợi từ chánh kiến, tác hại từ tà kiến)

Part 5: How to be equipped with the full right view (Bài 5: Làm sao để được trang bị chánh kiến toàn diện?)