DHAMMA PADETHA – 29. SLOWLY AND SPEEDILY SHOULD BE THE WAY
DHAMMA PADETHA – SLOWLY AND SPEEDILY SHOULD BE THE WAY
All those living in this human world there is none who has nothing to do. With the exception of arahants everyone has things to do. While doing things they must differentiate what to do slowly and which cases to be handled speedily; Only if they can differentiate, can their work be carried out in time and in good shape.
Things to be done slowly are:
(1) acquiring knowledge and education
(2) acquiring wealth and property
(3) ascending mountains
(4) desiring worldly pleasures
(5) losing temper
(1) An individual wishing to acquire education in haste tries to learn the second lesson before he is thorough with the first lesson. Because this person is not thorough with the first lesson and the second lesson he will find much difficulty in learning the third, the fourth and higher lessons. That is why he might become discouraged in acquiring education.
An individual when acquiring education tries to learn the first lesson thoroughly and slowly till he has memorized them. He goes on learning the second the third lessons and so on, slowly after being thorough with the first lesson. Since the first lesson has been of help, this person will be able to study or acquire higher lessons till he has completed. That is why, when acquiring knowledge and education one must be slow.
In saying that one must be slow in learning, does not mean that one must simply waste the time without studying. Instead, one must study the lessons taught by the teacher repeatedly until one is thorough. This is the meaning of learning slowly.
(2) An individual, in acquiring wealth and property, wishing to be prosperous overnight, tries to expand and set up different kinds of work without having enough investment or basic property. This person has no skill in many kinds of work and means to supplement in his work. Thus, none of his work will be accomplished, with the result that he becomes discouraged.
An individual, when acquiring wealth tries to do, one work in which he is skilful, slowly and continuously, so that it develops. This person, in as much as he puts in effort, he will accumulate wealth and become wealthy. That is why, when acquiring wealth one must be slow and steady.
(3) An individual climbing a mountain which is 4000, 3000 feet high runs and climbs rapidly so as to reach the summit quickly. This person will be exhausted before reaching the summit. Not being able to climb anymore he will get into trouble.
An individual, while ascending a mountain climbs slowly and mindfully according to his strength. This person will reach the top as expected in good shape. That is why, when climbing mountains one must climb slowly.
(4) It is the nature of worldlings to look for a spouse. Because one is in haste in looking for a partner one does not study or think deeply and chooses someone to marry and gets engaged. Only after the engagement they find out the differences in their attitude and become unhappy. There have been cases when one or the other, bride or groom runs away and hides on the day of the marriage ceremony. Parents and elders from both sides lose face or are embarrassed. They lose the property bought for the marriage ceremony. That is why in looking for a life partner and worldly pleasures one should be slow.
(5) An individual, encounters an occasion to lose his temper he will not think of cause and effect or weigh the pros and cons and gets furious at once. He becomes violent in his behaviour and threatens with abusive language. Because this person say things and behaves wrongly his good reputation is lost or degraded, good friends who respect him will have wrong impression and will disassociate with him. That is why, when an occasion arises to lose one’s temper one should be slow.
Three things that should be done slowly.
Because it is difficult to mend one must think and carry out these three things slowly.
(1) getting married (matrimony)
(2) building a pagoda
(3) tattooing (making a permanent mark on the skin)
(1) Good men and women who have moral shame (hiri), and moral dread (ottappa), wish to get married just once and not several times. To alter it, is a difficult thing. That is why matrimony must be done thoughtfully and slowly.
(2) Building pagodas and Buddha images to worship, the site must be chosen appropriately and the Buddha image must look glorious. If the site is unsuitable and the image does not have the great qualities of glory they cannot be destroyed. To mend them is a difficult task. That is why in building pagodas one must think slowly and carefully in doing it.
(3) Young men are in the habit of tattooing on their aims, chest and back, pictures of cats, tigers, and spirits. They wish to erase them as they grow old. But the dyes have been stuck so fast in their flesh that they cannot erase them. Thus tattooing should be thoughtfully and slowly considered before undertaking it.
(4) Ancient people have composed a poem about the three things that should be done slowly as they are difficult to mend.
Motto: Matrimony, building pagodas and tattooing. If done unproperly is difficult in mending.
Things which must be done immediately.
They are dana, sila, samatha, vipassana merits. Lord Buddha had said if you have the opportunity to do merit today, do it today.
The opportunity you have today should not be postponed till the next day. Why mustn’t you put it off? Though you are alive today, you may not be, the next day. Why can’t you be alive the next day? Because your inner body has (96) kinds of ailments and outwardly death has many kinds of weapons such as swords, spears, poisons etc. You cannot possibly request death to let you stay in this human world one or two days, one or two months, one or two years more because you have not attained dhamma. You cannot make any appointments.
It is impossible to make friends with death and make appointments. You cannot bribe him either. You can neither collect warriors to fight death. That is why Lord Buddha had instructed to practise vipassana meditation so as to realize Nibbana if you have the opportunity to, do it today immediately. That is why meritorious deeds must be done rapidly. (Ma 3/226)
Motto: Warriors and bribe we do not have, against death unable to fight, we have not collected soldiers, will we be alive tomorrow, we do not know. Hence, do not postpone till tomorrow practise vipassana today. (Mahasi)
