4.2 (a): The Moral Foundation for Dhyāna

[Full title: 4.2: The Preliminaries Practice (a): The Moral Foundation for Dhyāna]

The jhānas do not arise out of a void but in dependence on the right conditions. They come to growth only when provided with the nutriments conductive to their development. Therefore, prior to beginning meditation, the aspirant to the jhānas must prepare groundwork for his practice by fulfilling certain preliminary requirements. He first must endeavor to purify his moral virtue, sever the outer impediments to practice, and place himself under a qualified teacher who will assign him a suitable meditation subject and explain to him the methods of developing it . After learning these disciple must then seek out a congenial dwelling and diligently strive for success. In this section we will examine in order each of the preparatory steps that have to be fulfilled before commencing to develop jhāna.

A disciple aspiring to the jhānas first has to lay a solid foundation of moral discipline. Moral purity is indispensable to meditative progress for several deeply psychological reasons. It is needed first, in order to safeguard against the danger of remorse, the nagging sense of guilt that arises when the basic principles of morality are ignored or deliberately violated. Scrupulous conformity to virtuous rules of conduct protects the mediator from this danger disruptive to inner calm, and brings joy and happiness when the mediator reflects upon the purity of his conduct. ^[1] A second reason: a moral foundation is needed for meditation follows from an understanding of the purpose of concentration. Concentration, in the Buddhist discipline, aims at providing a base for wisdom by cleansing the mind of the dispersive influence of the defilements. But in order for the concentration exercises to effectively combat the defilements, the coarser expressions of the latter through bodily and verbal action first have to be checked. Moral transgressions being invariably motivated by defilements–by greed, hatred and delusion–when a person acts in violation of the precepts of morality he excites and reinforces the very same mental factors by which his practice of meditation is intended to eliminate. This involves him in a crossfire of incompatible aims which renders his attempts at mental purification ineffective. The only way he can avoid frustration in his endeavor to purify the mind of its subtler defilements is to prevent the unwholesome inner impulses from breathing out in the coarser form of unwholesome bodily and verbal deeds. Only when he establishes control over the outer expression of the defilements, he can turn to deal with them inwardly as mental obsessions that appear in the process of meditation.

The practice of moral discipline consists negatively in abstinence from immoral actions of body and speech and positively in the observance of ethical principles promoting peace within oneself and harmony in one’s relations with others.

The basic code of moral discipline taught by the Buddha for the guidance of his lay followers is the five precepts:

1. Abstinence from taking life,
2. Abstinence from stealing,
3. Abstinence from sexual misconduct,
4. Abstinence from false speech,
5. And abstinence from intoxicating drugs and drinks.

These principles are bindings as minimal ethical obligations for all practitioners of the Buddhist path, and within their bounds considerable progress in meditation can be made. However, those aspiring to reach the higher levels of jhānas and to pursue the path further to the stages of liberation, are encouraged to take up the more complete moral discipline pertaining to the life of renunciation. Early Buddhism is unambiguous in its emphasis on the limitations of household life for following the path in its fullness and perfection. Time and again the texts say that the household life is confining, a “path for the dust of passion,” while the life of homelessness is like open space. Thus a disciple who is fully intent upon making rapid progress towards Nibbāna will when outer conditions allow for it, “shave off his hair and beard, put on the yellow robe, and go forth from the home life into homelessness.” ^[2]

The moral training for the bhikkhus or monks has been arranged into a system called the fourfold purification of morality (catuparisuddhisila).^[3] The first component of this scheme, its backbone, consists in the morality of restraint according to the Patimokkha, the code of 227 training precepts promulgated by the Buddha to regulate the conduct of the Saṅgha or monastic order. Each of these rules is in some way intended to facilitate control over the defilements and to induce a mode of living marked by harmlessness, contentment and simplicity. The second aspect of the monk’s moral discipline is restraint of the senses, by which the monk maintains close watchfulness over his mind as he engages in sense contacts so that he does not give rise to desire for pleasurable objects and aversion towards repulsive ones. Third, the monk is to live by a purified livelihood, obtaining his basic requisites such as robes, food, lodgings and medicines in ways consistent with his vocation. The fourth factor of the moral training is proper use of the requisites, which means that the monk should reflect upon the purposes for which he makes use of his requisites and should employ them only for maintaining his health and comfort, not for luxury and enjoyment.

After establishing a foundation of purified morality, the aspirant is advised to cut off any outer impediments (palibodha) that may hinder his efforts to lead a contemplative life.

These impediments are numbered as ten which are as follows:

1. A dwelling, which becomes an impediment for those who allow their minds to become preoccupied with its upkeep or with its appurtenances;
2. A family of relatives or supporters with whom the aspirant may become emotionally involved in ways that hinder his progress;
3. Gains, which may bind the monk by obligation to those who offer them;
4. A class of students who must be instructed;
5. Building work, which demands time and attention;
6. Travel;
7. Kin, meaning parents, teachers, pupils or close friends;
8. Illness;
9. The study of scriptures;
10. And supernormal powers, which are an impediment to insight. ^[4]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

See A.V. 1-7.

[2]:

Majjihima-Nikāya I.179.

[3]:

A full description of the fourfold purification of morality will be found in the Visuddhimagga.

[4]:

The Visuddhimagga of Buddhaghosācāriya 90-97; The Path of Purification91-98.