The Perfection of Equanimity - Perfections and their opposed defilements I
The Commentary to the “Basket of Conduct”, in the “Miscellaneous Sayings” explains with regard to each of the perfections to which kind of akusala it is opposed.
We read about generosity:
“Further, giving is opposed to greed, hatred, and delusion,
since it applies the qualities of non-greed, non-hatred,
and non-delusion to gifts, recipients, and the fruits of giving, respectively.”
As we read, the perfection of generosity is opposed to akusala, to lobha, dosa
and moha, because when one is generous and accumulates the perfection of
generosity, one practises the quality of non-attachment to one’s gift. If someone
still clings to the object he intends to give, he cannot give, he regrets the loss of
his gift. He may think of giving, but he cannot give, he desires to wait for an
opportunity to give. If someone is not firmly established in his determination to
give, he may think of giving, but he does not give. At such a moment there is no
generosity. Whereas, when there is true generosity, it is accompanied by
nonattachment; one does not cling to the object one is giving. At the moment of
kusala citta there is also non-aversion towards the person who receives the gift.
If one is displeased and dislikes the receiver, one will not give. This may happen
when someone sees a beggar and notices that he has physical strength; he may
be irritated and hence does not give. Or when someone sees a handicapped child
the beggar takes along, he may be irritated about the beggar causing affliction to
his child, and then he does not give. When generosity arises it has to be
accompanied by the good qualities of non-attachment to the gift, nonaversion
towards the receiver and it may be accompanied by nondelusion or panna as well.
When panna knows the result of generosity, when it realizes that generosity is
wholesome, there is true liberality and defilements are abandoned.
We read further on in the Commentary to the “Basket of Conduct” about sila and
about renunciation:
“Virtue, sila, is opposed to greed, hatred, and delusion,
since it removes crookedness and corruption in bodily conduct, etc.
Renunciation, nekkhamma, is opposed to these three corruptions
since it avoids indulgence in sense pleasures,
the affliction of others and selfmortification.”
If we do not cling to sense pleasures it is natural that there will also be less
aversion. If someone has a great deal of attachment to visible object, sound,
odour, flavour and tangible object, but does not obtain these objects, he will be
displeased.
- Citta unaffected by attachment and aversion
- All perfections support and enhance each other
- Perfections and their opposed defilements I
- Perfections and their opposed defilements II
- Perfections and their opposed defilements III
- A thousand goods & a cotton thread
- The wise Lomahamsa I
- The wise Lomahamsa II
- The wise Lomahamsa III
- The wise Lomahamsa IV
- We need all perfections