Saturday, May 15, 2010

The Letter And The Spirit

The letter (vayanjana) refers to the exact literal meaning of a statement and the spirit (attha) refers to the broader nuances and implications that the letters might convey. The Buddha said that an enlightened person is ‘skilled in the words and their interpretation’ (niruttipada kovido, Dhp.352) and that we should understand and practise the Dhamma ‘in both the letter and the spirit’ (D.III,127; Vin.I,20). This is because only a harmonious balancing of the two will make our spiritual journey fruitful. If we focus too much on the letter we tend to become pedantic, rigid and even edge towards fundamentalism. If we do not give the letter the attention it deserves we can end up thinking that we are practising the spirit of the Dhamma when all we are doing is interpreting it to suit ourselves. The letter orientates, the spirit illuminates.
There are many examples where the disengagement of the spirit from the letter can create problems. For example, the Buddha placed the highest value on honesty and said that we should always tell the truth. However, it is possible to tell the truth with the specific intention of hurting someone. One can say something, the literal meaning of which is one thing, while the tone in the voice or the expression on the face suggests the exact opposite. By omitting just one or two essential facts or highlighting others, it is possible to give an entirely different picture of the event one is recounting and yet maintain, quite truthfully, that everything one has said is true. It is also possible to speak with just enough equivocation that the exact meaning of one’s words is unclear and later deny or affirm what one has said according to what is convenient. These examples show that one can adhere exactly to the letter of the Precepts, the Vinaya or other aspects of the Dhamma while being cruel, devious, manipulative or dishonest.
How can we avoid this kind of distorted approach to the Dhamma? The first thing that can help us integrate the letter into its spirit is to always put any of the Buddha’s words within the context of the whole Dhamma. For example, the Buddha made a rule that a monk or nun who develops psychic powers should not display them. Some time later, when two children were kidnapped by bandits and a certain monk used his psychic powers to rescue them, he was roundly condemned by his fellows for ‘breaking the rule.’ But the Buddha cleared him of any offence, for while the monk had broken that particular rule he had conformed to the spirit of the Dhamma by acting out of compassion for the children and their parents (Vin.III,67). The other thing that guarantees a fruitful integration of the letter with the spirit is what the Buddha called (M.III,38) internalizing the Path (patipabam yeva antarma karitva). If we commit ourselves to practise sincerely, wholeheartedly and honestly, this will give us the self-confidence and wisdom to know the words and to see their deeper and broader meaning.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

The middle way saves the day!

Thanks Bhante. That was concisely and beautifully written.

Anonymous said...

Indeed, this is a big help. The part about internalization is really important I believe. For example with the precepts at first, it's easy to fall into one of the two extremes, especially legalism, but if you keep at it, and keep studying the Dharma to improve your understanding, the precepts become so internalized it really alters your behavior. Such has been my observation for the last three years or so. I have a long way to go, but by and by the precepts become more natural.

Namo Shakyamuni Buddha
Namo Amitabha Buddha

P.S. Could I trouble you to ask you a question offline? If you have trouble finding my email address, feel free to leave a comment on my blog where I can find your contact information.

Thanks very much,
Doug

Shravasti Dhammika said...

Dear JLR,
You can contact me at pitijoy@yahoo.com