u/titikshakshanti

Where the Kosambiya Sutta connects"Right View" and harmony, HH teachings are often interpreted as an introspective pursuit that minimizes the role of the positive actions that foster harmony and emphasise the role of avoiding the negative actions rooted in greed, aversion, and delusion.

The Buddha provides specific, actionable behavioral instructions (the six qualities) to resolve a conflict. The practice here is functional and relational. Even if imperfect, such a practice can be helpful even if the person has not attained right view, as long as it is done within the training with precepts and sense restraint.

Avoiding actions rooted in unwholesome intentions is one part of the training. Doing actions that aren’t rooted in such intentions but rooted in opposite intentions should be another part of the training. The other part is not emphasised by Hillside Hermitage.

Buddha instructs Bhikkhus to treat others with bodily, verbal, and mental kindness and not just asks them to avoid actions of bodily, verbal and mental enmity.

Buddha says that these things are also essential along with living according to precepts and having right view.

I understand that like meditation and mindfulness, one’s understanding of what counts as metta and karuna or friendliness and kindness will not be correct initially. But, one should strive towards that understanding in both ways: by avoiding certain actions and by doing certain actions.

Consider these quotes:

1. “… are you treating your spiritual companions with kindness by way of body, speech, and mind, both in public and in private?”

2. “Mendicants, these six warm-hearted qualities make for fondness and respect, conducing to inclusion, harmony, and unity, without quarreling”

3. “Furthermore, a mendicant shares without reservation any material things they have gained by legitimate means, even the food placed in the alms-bowl, using them in common with their ethical spiritual companions …”

My question is: Have I understood the teachings of this and similar suttas correctly? Do Hillside Hermitage also emphasise such teachings in their talks? Are such positive qualities should be cultivated while striving for the right view along with training with the precepts? Are there HH videos on this topic?

It would be great if a whole sutta study like talk is made on this topic.

> “Regardless of everything else – the specific situation, the immediate or superficial outcome, and whether people approve of it or not – an action motivated by greed cannot be harmless or blameless. The same applies to any action motivated by aversion (which includes fear, irritation, impatience and so on, as well as outright anger). And the same also applies to whatever is motivated by sheer carelessness or disregard.”

Why is it easy to apply this teaching on anger and difficult to apply on other states like irritation,fear, impatience, carelessness, etc? I find that such unwholesome states have grades and some are easy to discern while some are difficult to discern as underlying motivations. Any pointers or help in this direction will be welcome. How to work on seeing each of these motivations when you lack self-transparency? How to be less delusional in regards to these motivations than you already are?

Anupubbi-katha is the Buddha's progressive teaching that he used to prepare a listener's mind for ore advanced spiritual teachings. The teaching typically unfolds in five distinct stages:

• Talk on Giving (Dāna): Cultivating generosity and letting go to loosen attachment.
• Talk on Virtue (Sīla): Establishing basic morality and ethical behavior.
• Talk on the Heavens (Sagga): Explaining the rewards of virtue and the nature of celestial realms.
• Dangers of Sensual Pleasures (Ādīnava): Highlighting the impermanence and drawbacks of worldly attachments.
• Blessings of Renunciation (Nekkkhamma): Realizing the value and peace of letting go of worldly desires.

The Four Noble Truths: Once the mind is receptive, the core teaching particular to Buddhas is introduced: suffering, its cause, its cessation, and the path.

...

I do not find any reasonable resources on Anupubbi-katha on the internet. Just like anupubbasikkhā (gradual training), I see a great value in anupubbakatha (gradual discourse/instructions). But, unlike anupubbasikkhā, I don't even find sutta's that go into the details of anupubbakatha instead of just giving the list of the topics Buddha used in his anupubbakatha. Are there suttas that go into the details of anupubbakatha? If not, was it a deliberate idea to not list the actual instructions of anupubbakatha beyond just naming the themes? Even if this is the case, still an anthology of whatever is available on the topic in suttas will be highly valuable.

Also, just like HH's detailed videos and writing on anupubbasikkhā (gradual training), I see a great value in their teaching along the lines of anupubbakatha (gradual discourse/instructions).

If you any suggested reading lists and resources around this topic, please share them.

Let’s take few examples.

If a question is asked and I don’t reply fearing that truth will offend the people around, saying silent is equivalent to telling lie.

If someone leaves something in my room and I don’t return it, it amounts to stealing.

If a situation puts me in danger of violating celibacy and I don’t leave, the inaction amounts to violating the precept.

Not saving a bug lying on my stove that eventually dies burning itself can be seen as killing it.

Different examples may bring up different aspects of the problem. But, the central problem I am facing is this. Inaction is also a kind of action and I am equally responsible for it. But, this idea gets complicated if developed further. Refraining from breaking a precept is straightforward. Refraining from inaction means taking an action to protect a precept and it’s not so straightforward. Otherwise, precepts wouldn’t be presented as negative statements. So, I can’t make such positive actions a rule yet not doing so has obvious pitfalls as illustrated by the examples above. What is the solution?