To Do An Action

Rāhula, when you intend to do an action with the body, you should reflect upon that same bodily action thus: Would this action that I intend to do with the body lead to my own harm or to the harm of others, or to the harm of both? Is it an unwholesome bodily action with painful consequences, with painful results?

When you reflect, if you know: This action that I intend to do with the body would lead to my own harm, or to the harm of others, or to the harm of both; it is an unwholesome bodily action with painful consequences, with painful results:

Then you definitely should not do such an action with the body.

But when you reflect, if you know: This action that I intend to do with the body would not lead to my own harm, or to the harm of others, or to the harm of both: it is a wholesome bodily action with wholesome consequences, with wholesome results:

Then you may do such an action with the body.

(Reference: MN 61)

In this Teaching from Gotama Buddha, he shares how one should reflect prior to performing an action considering whether it would produce any harm. If the action will cause one’s own harm, harm to others, or both one’s own harm and harm to others, then The Buddha guides one to not do this action.

While this Teaching is specifically discussing bodily actions, this same Teaching can be applied to verbal and mental actions as well.

Through consideration by a Practitioner of whether their bodily, verbal, or mental actions would be harmful or harmless based on The Teachings of The Path to Enlightenment, one can decide whether they should or should not do such an action ensuring no unwholesome Kamma is produced.

Through choosing to only perform wholesome bodily, verbal, and mental actions, one is generating exclusively new wholesome Kamma leading to wholesome results. In this way, a Practitioner will be able to “clean up” any and all decisions from the past leading to exclusively wholesome results.

If one notices they are about to perform an unwholesome bodily, verbal, or mental actions, if the Practitioner has been training the mind using Breathing Mindfulness Meditation, they can apply Right Effort to eliminate the thought to perform this conduct through cutting it off and letting it go.

You may need to take note of the unwholesome thoughts and work to actively eliminate them from the mind so they will not arise in the future. In this way, a Practitioner can stop the conduct before doing the action and eliminate any harmful results. One may be quietly and inwardly frustrated or irritated but at least you have not caused harm to others which would result in harm returning to you.

As a Practitioner learns and practices The Eight Fold Path for an extended period of time, they will be able to make wise wholesome decisions that lead to only wholesome results. Over time, one’s mind and life improve through improved decision making based on generosity, loving-kindness, and wisdom.

Decisions from the past, prior to learning and practicing The Path to Enlightenment, were based in craving, anger, and ignorance (unknowing of true reality) leading to unwholesome results in one’s life. The mind did not have the wisdom of these Teachings to make wise decisions and is why you have been experiencing constant struggles throughout life.

There is much unwholesome Kamma that one needs to extinguish through making all wise wholesome decisions that will lead to more and more wholesome results. In this way, over time a Practitioner will be cleaning up their past decisions leading to improved results in their life. The wisdom of how to make wise decisions is found in these Teachings from The Buddha.

With a mind that is eliminating craving, anger, and ignorance (unknowing of true reality) as part of training on The Path to Enlightenment, unwise decisions based in The Three Unwholesome Roots can be reduced. Eventually, with the elimination of craving, anger, and ignorance (unknowing of true reality), decisions are no longer tainted or polluted with these defilements and exclusively wholesome results are experienced. Through The Eight Fold Path, a Practitioner is learning how to make wise decisions to extinguish any and all craving, anger, and ignorance (unknowing of true reality) that would negatively affect one’s decisions leading to unwholesome results (i.e. unwholesome Kamma).

To attain Enlightenment, a Practitioner will closely learn and practice The Eight Fold Path that leads to wise decision making to extinguish all unwholesome Kamma. Attaining Enlightenment is to eliminate 100% of one’s unwholesome Kamma through making exclusively wise wholesome decisions based on The Eight Fold Path producing wholesome results (i.e. wholesome Kamma).