3.6.16

Lesson 3.6.16 Sīlappabhedakathā – Easy to Fall Prey to the Breakage of Sīla

This lesson on right livelihood concludes this chapter by emphasizing that upholding moral principles (sīla) throughout one's life is essential for spiritual growth. While these values benefit everyone by fostering a calm mind and a well-functioning society, they are a vital and non-negotiable foundation for someone who desires to follow the path as a kalyāṇa puthujjana they constitute an indispensable foundation for progress towards the attainment of a cūla sotāpanna – someone to whom further progress towards liberation from all bonds of craving, aversion and ill will is assured. For such a person, the principles of avoiding unwholesome actions (vāritta sikkhāpada) and actively performing wholesome ones (cārittaṃ sikkhāpada) are a necessary, twofold practice. A sincere meditator must use awareness to understand their volitional actions, maintaining the subtle dimensions of sīla by not only refraining from unwholesome deeds and from encouraging others to do them, but also from mentally approving of such actions in any way. This vital foundation of purity is necessary for developing the mental calm required for proper concentration (samādhi) and wisdom (pañña).