The Perfection of Loving-kindness - Based on the home life


Unintelligent indifference means indifference based on ignorance, moha. When we have ignorance, we do not know realities as they are, and then we cannot understand kamma, which produces its appropriate result.
With regard to the expression about equanimity “based on the home life”, this means, based on visible object, sound, odour, flavour and tangible object, thus, the sense objects. When we see what appears through the eyes and we are indifferent, we do not seem to have attachment or aversion, but we should not believe that that is necessarily kusala. It is indifference “based on the home life” because at such moments we do not know the truth. We cannot abandon defilements if we do not listen to the Dhamma and if we do not understand it; if there is no panna which knows the characteristics of realities as they really are. There is indifference which is the near enemy of the brahmavihara of equanimity when we do not consider what is right and what is wrong, and we do not investigate the true nature of the realities that are appearing.
Our thinking of other people and their actions can be motivated by the four brahmaviharas of loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity. When people see someone who commits akusala kamma that is harmful for society, they are upset and they hope that he will receive the result of his action accordingly.
However, a person should consider what kind of citta motivates his thinking, whether he thinks with metta, compassion, sympathetic joy or equanimity. When someone receives the result of a bad deed, when he is in trouble and distress, or he has to suffer, people will feel sorry for him. But actually, they should have metta and compassion for him at the moment he commits akusala kamma which is the cause of a future result. If one sympathizes with him when he receives an undesirable result, one sympathizes too late.
If we are a real friend we can help a person to be free from deeds and thoughts which are akusala, to have wholesome conduct instead of unwholesome conduct.
In the ultimate sense there are no beings or persons, there are only realities arising and falling away, each with their own characteristic. We think of different situations and people with kusala citta or with akusala citta. We should know the difference between kusala and akusala. If we live according to the Dhamma, we shall further develop panna and every kind of kusala. We shall know immediately at which moment we have no loving-kindness but akusala. Then we shall be able to have loving-kindness immediately, also for a person who behaves like an enemy.

Topic 285