following dukkha

uideo meliora proboque, deteriora sequor. (Metamophoses VII.20) Ovid, that witty chronicler of desire, was perhaps being just a little more than witty when he wrote that—no doubt with a wry shrug of the shoulders.

something like: “I see the better course, and approve, yet follow the worse”, it’s hard to think of an adult, or even a child past the earliest years, who hasn’t felt that guilty wavering of the needle, as intention, saṅkappa, flicks from one course to another finally settling the way of pain, the way you know is inferior or downright wrong, the course you know is heralded by a rushing breath as every deva within a thousand yojana sighs in a sudden access of domanassa.

framed in a Buddhist schema, the thought could be paraphrased as “why do I follow courses of action that I know result in dukkha?” Certainly, the phrase leads a Buddhist mind directly to the question? Why do we persist in behaviours we know to be detrimental? Or, put another way, why don’t we cease actions we know result in dukkha?]

this behaviour can be seen at its clearest in the frantic last phases of addiction, where the actions are continued when any real pleasure, or sukkha, has long vanished from the activity. Whether drug use, pornographic obsession, the so-called ‘buzz’ that comes from “risk-taking” activities such as boosting cars or climbing mountains: the actions are continued—almost as if with a mind of their own.

If these behaviours issue forth from obsession and attachment, taṇhā or lobha, then there can be only one result.

so how is it that even when we can apparently perceive the cycle of dukkha, or at least one phase, one revolution, that we persist?

to say that we lack the right intention, sammā saṅkappa, in some ways is just restating the problem.

perhaps part of the explanation might emerge from an examination of the division of right view, sammā-diṭṭhi, into two types: ‘mundane’ and ’superior’.

when one has attained mundane sammā-diṭṭhi, or perhaps it is better to say, are practising mundane sammā-diṭṭhi you recognize the principle of kamma, you see that kusala kamma results in sukkha, akusala in dukkha. You also understand the mula, or roots—i.e. the roots from which these actions spring up, our old friends lobha dosa moha.

actions springing from roots of these three are invariably akusala, resulting in suffering, not tending to liberation, the phala or vipakha resulting is laden with dukkha.

actions springing from volition based in alobha, adosa, amoha, free from greed anger and delusion, are kusala , leading to happy results, tending to a fortunate rebirth.

but even full understaning of this entire cycle of kamma, from root to fruit, mula to phala, is still only mundane right view.

although as one voyages deeper and deeper into the understanding of this universal law you will tend less and less to towards akusala
kamma, you will still be vulnerable to Ovid’s paradox, even seeing the better way, you might take the worse—seeing clearly the good path, the Ariya Magga, you step forward, pierced with infinite regret, upon the muddy trail to torment.

the imprint of this unfortunate pattern will only finally be erased with supramundane sammā-diṭṭhi.

through the diligent application of vāyāma in samādhi and sati, insight can arise. No longer a mental cogitation on dukkha and its causes, no longer an intellectual view of kamma, insight or pañña can arise, the noisy chatter of the intellect quieted, a direct apperception of dukkha pierces the thickest veil of avijjā.

only then can we finally say farewell to stubborn stain of regret that each of us has felt as we turned our face from the good and moved into the shadow of ignorance.

as the Buddha said in his first sermon, the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, a part which always moves me deeply:

Cakkhuṃ udapādi ñāṇaṃ udapādi paññā udapādi vijjā udapādi āloko udapādi.

Vision arose, insight arose, discernment arose, knowledge arose, illumination arose within me with regard to things never heard before…

note: I’m indebted to Bhikku Bodhi’s ‘The Noble Eightfold Path’ for his very clear explanation of sammā diṭṭhi.