THE ANUD¢PAN¢
verbal action and the purity of mental action.
The proximate cause for arising of morality is moral shame for doing an immoral act
(
hirÊ
) and moral dread for doing an immoral act (
ottappa
). Although listening to the
Dhamma promotes arising of morality, it serves only as a remote cause. It is only through
hirÊ
and
ottappa
the precepts are observed.
(4) WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF MORALITY?
A man of virtuous conduct enjoys many benefits such as a gladdening heart which leads
to joy and happiness (
pÈmojja
). This in turn results in delightful satisfaction (
pÊti
). In one
who enjoys delightful satisfaction, there arises calmness of mind and body (
passaddhi
)
followed by bliss (
sukha
). The tranquil state of mind and body brings about development of
concentration (
samÈdhi
) which enables one to see things as they really are (
yathÈbh|ta-
ÒÈÓa
). When one gains this knowledge of things as they really are, one gets wearied of and
detached from the ills and suffering of the cycle of rebirths. In him arises powerful insight
into reality (
balava vipassanÈ-ÒÈÓa
). With this insight, he becomes detached from craving
and achieves the knowledge of the Path, which leads to full liberation (
vimutti
) through the
knowledge of Fruition. After gaining the Path and Fruition knowledge, he develops
reflective knowledge (
paccavekkhanÈ-ÒÈÓa
) which enables him to see that the cessation of
phenomena of the aggregates of
nÈma
and
r|pa
has taken place in him. In other words, he
has realised the Perfect Peace, NibbÈna. Thus morality has many benefits including the
realisation of NibbÈna. (
AN III, P. 615
).
In several discourses, the Buddha mentions the following five benefits gained by one who
observes precepts and who is established in morality:
(1) based on mindfulness through
sÊla
, he acquires great wealth;
(2) he gains fame and good reputation;
(3) he approaches and enters any assembly of nobles,
brahmins
, householders or recluses
with complete self-assurance (born of his morality), without any indication of
inferiority complex;
(4) he lives the full span of life and dies unconfused. (An immoral person repents on his
death bed that he has not done meritorious deeds throughout his life; a man of moral
habits never suffers from any remorse when death approaches him; instead,
memories of good deeds previously performed by him flashed past his mind's eye
making him fearless, mentally lucid, unconfused to face death even as someone who
is about to acquire a golden pot gladly abandons an earthen pot.)
(5) he is reborn after that in happy realms of devas and human beings.
—— (DN II, p. 73; AN II, p. 22 I; Vin III, p. 322) ——
In the Œka~kheyya Sutta of the Majjhima NikÈya, the Buddha enumerates 13 benefits
which come from practising morality; such benefits range from reverence and respect
shown by fellow followers of the Teaching to realization of
arahatta-phala
, that is,
attainment of arahatship.
(5) HOW MANY TYPES OF MORALITY ARE THERE?
Morality in Groups of Twos:
(1) Precept involving performance of certain action (
cÈritta
); Precept of abstentions
(
vÈritta
).
Of these two kinds, the precept laid down by the Buddha saying, ‚This should be done‛ is
CÈritta-sÊla. For example, performance of duties towards a preceptor (
upajjhÈya vatta
); or
duties towards a teacher (
Ècariya vatta
), is fulfilment of
cÈritta
sÊla
through practice.
Not doing what is prohibited by the Buddha saying, ‚This should not be done‛ is
fulfilment of VÈritta-sÊla. For example, observance of
Parajika
rules of the Vinaya (which