TheThe RootsRoots ofof GoodGood andand EvilEvil Ven. Nyanaponika Thera HAN DD ET U 'S B B O RY eOK LIBRA E-mail: [email protected] Web site: www.buddhanet.net Buddha Dharma Education Association Inc. e publisher acknowledges with thanks the following: Buddhist Publication Society (BPS), Kandy, Sri Lanka, for permission to reprint this booklet. May the merits from this Dhamma-dāna be to the welfare and happiness of all beings. T R G E An Inward Journey Book Published by INWARD PATH P.O. Box , Penang, Malaysia Tel/Fax: Email: [email protected] Website: http://www.buddhanet.net/ipp.htm First published by BUDDHIST PUBLICATION SOCIETY (BPS) Kandy, Sri Lanka (). is edition () is published by Inward Path, Penang for free distribution with kind permission from BPS, Sri Lanka. Copyright © Buddhist Publication Society Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia Cataloguing-in-Publication Data e roots of good and evil Buddhist texts / translated from Pali with an introduction and comments by Nyanaponika era. (An Inward Journey Book) Bibliography: p. ISBN 983–9439–26–X . Buddhism-Buddhism. Meditation-Buddhism. eravada Buddhism. I. Nyanaponika era, -. II. Series. III. Title. Book Layout and Design by Sunanda Lim Hock Eng Cover design by Sunanda HELim ––– A I J B IJ/ B P N T Published by INWARD PATH Penang • Malaysia v C e Author ............................................................................................................................................ viii e Roots of Good and Evil ...................................................................................................... ix Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ xi Buddha Vandanā — Homage ........................................................................................... xviii C O Basic Explanations 1 • Definitions ........................................................................................................................... 19 Comment ................................................................................................................................. 19 e Range of the Six Roots ....................................................................................... 21 (a) e Unwholesome ........................................................................................... 21 (b) e Wholesome ................................................................................................ 22 2 • e Commentarial Definitions of the Unwholesome Roots .... 22 3 • e Commentarial Definitions of the Wholesome Roots .......... 23 4 • e Nature of the Wholesome Roots ........................................................... 24 5 • e Diversity of the Unwholesome Roots ................................................ 28 Comment ................................................................................................................................. 28 C T General Texts 6 • Overcoming Birth and Death ............................................................................ 34 7 • Māra’s Prisoner ............................................................................................................... 34 8 • Crossing the Ocean ...................................................................................................... 35 9 • e ree Fires ................................................................................................................ 35 From the Commentary by Bhadantācariya Dhammapāla .............. 36 10 • ree Inner Foes ............................................................................................................ 37 Comment ................................................................................................................................. 39 v C T e Roots and Kamma 11 • e Cause of Action .................................................................................................... 40 Comment ................................................................................................................................. 41 12 • e Ten Ways of Action ........................................................................................... 42 Comment ................................................................................................................................. 43 13 • e Roots of the Ten Unwholesome Ways ............................................... 44 14 • Rebirth and its Cessation ........................................................................................ 44 (Section I) ............................................................................................................................... 44 (Section II) .............................................................................................................................. 45 Comment on Section II .............................................................................................. 46 15 • e Exposition of Prevalence (U-K) ................................. 47 C F e Social Significance of the Roots 16 • From the Kālāma Sutta ............................................................................................ 50 17 • Why Give Up the Roots of Evil? ........................................................................ 51 18 • e Visible Teaching .................................................................................................... 52 Comment ................................................................................................................................. 53 19 • Four Types of People .................................................................................................. 54 20 • e Roots of Violence and Oppression ....................................................... 54 Comment ................................................................................................................................. 55 C F e Removal of the Unwholesome Roots 21 • e Triple Gem and the Abandoning of the Evil Roots ............... 58 Comment ................................................................................................................................ 60 vi vii 22 • It Can Be Done ............................................................................................................... 62 Comment ................................................................................................................................. 62 23 • e Arising and Non-arising of the Roots ............................................... 63 Comment ................................................................................................................................ 64 24 • Five Methods for Removing Unwholesome oughts ................... 66 Comment ................................................................................................................................. 68 25 • For One’s Own Sake ................................................................................................... 71 26 • e Noble Power ............................................................................................................ 72 Comment ................................................................................................................................. 74 C S Removal through Mindfulness and Insight 27 • To Be Abandoned by Seeing ................................................................................ 78 Comment ................................................................................................................................. 78 28 • From the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta ................................................................................ 79 29 • Beyond Faith ..................................................................................................................... 79 30 • e Visible Teaching ................................................................................................... 81 Comment on Text 28–30 ........................................................................................... 82 31 • Removal through the Contemplation of Feelings .............................. 83 Comment ................................................................................................................................ 84 C S e Goal 32 • e Visible Nibbāna .................................................................................................... 87 33 • What is Nibbāna? .......................................................................................................... 87 34 • Two Aspects of Nibbāna ......................................................................................... 88 35 • e Happiness of Liberation ................................................................................ 89 vi vii e Author Venerable Nyanaponika era (–) was one of the fore- most interpreters of eravada Buddhism. Born in Germany he came to Sri Lanka and ordained as a Buddhist monk in . In he founded the Buddhist Publication Society in Kandy which he served until his death in . e Venerable was highly respected for both his practice and erudition. He was the author of the now classic “Heart of Buddhist Meditation.” His other writings have been collected into a volume entitled “A Vision of Dhamma.” He also authored, “Abhidhamma Studies,” a ground- breaking exploration of consciousness and time. viii ix e Roots of Good and Evil Greed, hatred,