Archives Dhamma 102
When We and Our Surroundings Are Unclean, the Mind Wanders Outward
“What is remarkable is this: the more unclean we ourselves or our surroundings are, the more the mind refuses to remain within — it races outward entirely.” One may wake in the morning in fine spirits and a pleasant mood,…
What Principle Should Guide Our Judgement of Good and Evil?
The more refined our mind becomes, the more clearly, we are able to perceive both good and evil — for the discernment of good from evil is itself a matter of great refinement, and must be developed gradually through training.…
How Are Good and Evil to Be Judged?
Good and evil cannot be measured by any instrument or weighed by any scale — so how then are they to be judged? The Fully Enlightened Lord Buddha therefore proclaimed: “Whatever kamma one performs and need not suffer remorse afterward…
Do What Leaves No Regrets Afterwards
“If there is something you can do without remorse afterward, do it — for it is good.” “If there is something you would regret afterward, do it not — for it is evil.” If what you do requires no remorse…
See Both Gain and Loss
When about to undertake any action, do not perceive only what is to be gained — one must also perceive what is to be lost and the dangers that will follow. Only then should a judgment be made as to…
How Does One Judge What Is Appropriate and What Is Not?
There was once a monk who went to ask the Venerable Sāriputta: how does one judge what is appropriate and what is not? Right and wrong, good and evil, one can discern reasonably well according to the Dhamma and Vinaya…
May the Fruit of Merit Never Be Used Toward Unwholesome Ends
Upon making merit, beyond the two resolutions made — “May I never turn back and have regret in my merit done” and “May even the offering of a single baht fill my mind with a joy as complete as though…
The Most Elementary Goodness of a Human Being
Human beings are the very producers of impurity and defilement — yet when the time comes to cleanse and restore what has been made unclean, one invariably finds only a circle of mutual deflection, each party shifting the responsibility onto…
A Life of True Worth Is a Life Lived in the Pursuit of Wholesome Conduct
The food and nourishment consumed at each and every meal is eaten for the sustenance of life — eaten to dispel hunger — so that one may have the strength and vitality to go forth and cultivate wholesome deeds. The…


