July 02, 2007
On Bonno soku Bodai Again
Ki to Revitalization
Bonno or Klesha
Buddhism & Positive Thinking
"Always hungry and always thirsty is the victim of avarice. He knows no satiation. He is devoid of the sense of proportion. The more he acquires, the more he requires. The more he gets, the more he covets." -- Zarathushtra
Most of you have heard of the phrase 'Bonno soku Bodai.' Bonno is a translation of Kilesa {Pali} or Kelsha {sankrit}. The word Klesha means 'knot.' In Buddhism, it refers to negative or undesirable emotions and thoughts that tie the mind in knots. Bonno comes from a Chinese word meaning 'troublesome thought.' In modern Japan, the word Bonno has been dumbed down to mean 'earthly desires,' evil passions, or even sexual lust. Bodai is a transliteration of Bodhi; meaning wakefulness; while soku literally means equals.
The Three Poisons or Three Fires is a concept from Jainism or Hinduism, I think. These are generally given as:
Raga = passion, emotional greed.
Avija or Avidja = ignorance {lack of Vidya or skillful knowledge}.
Pratigha = anger, displeasure.
Sometimes given as:
Kama = sensory desire; desire for pleasure. Hedonism.
Mudhi = stupidity, foolishness.
Arati = aversion / or Byapada = Antipathy, Enmity, Ill-will.
In the Suttas, the Buddha taught Three Unhealthy Roots {akusala-mula}:
Lobha = materialistic greed, ambition, avarice.
Moha = mental confusion, bewilderment.
Dosa or dvesha = hatred, dislike, repugnance, revulsion, loathing.
Mula means root. Aksukla means unskillful, unwholesome, or unhealthy. So the Buddha saw all the Kleshas as stemming from these roots. You can see that the Three Poisons are close synonyms, with slightly differences nuances. They can be expanded like this:
1. Greed : avarice {lobha}, sensory desire {kama},
Also: Tanha or trsna = craving, gluttony.
Also: Upadana = clinging; this is sometimes given as a 4th or 5th Klesha.
Sometimes, other related emotions: Irsya = envy, covetousness; and Matsarya = stinginess, miserliness, jealousy; are given as the separate 4th or 5th Klesha.
Pride is sometimes given as a 5th or 6th Klesha: Mana = pride, arrogance; {measuring one's worth against that of others}; Mada = conceit, egoism, self-infatuation, hubris; Mraksha = concealment of flaws; Dambha = hypocrisy; Garva = haughtiness, vanity; Pramada = impudence, carelessness, reckless indifference; Maya = deceit; duplicity, fraudulence; Asatya = guile, cunning Atrapa, Anapatrapya, Anottappa = lack of conscience, and Ahrikya = shamelessness.
2. Confusion : bewilderment {moha}, ignorance {avija}, stupidity {mudhi}.
There are related 'knots' which are seen as derivatives, though some are sometimes listed as separate in a list of ten: Styana = torpor, mental obscuration; Silabbataparamasa = superstition; Kausidya = lethargy, indolence; Thina = sloth, boredom; Middha = drowsiness, listlessness.
Also, Viksepa = distraction; Musitasmrtita = heedlessness, forgetfulness, not mindful; Auddhatya or Uddhava = restlessness, dis-ease; Kukkucca = anxiety; and Asamprajanya = thoughtlessness.
Also, vicikiccha = self doubt; aashraddha - faithlessness,
Also: Dhitti or Drsti = opinion, perspective, viewpoint is sometimes given as 4th, 5th or 6th Klesha.
3. Hatred : loathing {dosa}, anger {pratigha], aversion {arati}, byapada {enmity}. Also: Upahana = resentment, Pradasa = spite, vindictiveness, vexation; Manyu: = grudge; Asuya = malice, malevolence; Krodha = fury, wrath, rage; Jighansa = treachery, vengefulness; and Vihimsa = violence, harmfulness.
Some of these are listed as Taints, Fetters, or Hindrances. The point is that all of these negative emotions and thoughts are extrapolated from the basic three poisons or unskillful roots. Root is a metaphor here. The Kleshas do not grow in the ground. They are within the minds, hearts, and 'guts' of people.
One thing to stress, desire {Chanda} was never seen as bad in Buddhism. It is the negative passions and thoughts; which tie our minds in knots, that cause so much misery. The question is what to do about them? Chant to fulfill them? Suppress them? Direct them against evil? Transform them into positive thoughts and emotion? See them as Empty?
Buddhism and Positive Thinking
Posted by rbeck at July 2, 2007 08:14 PMIf I was looking for anything it was probably my cigarette lighter.
Posted by: clown hidden at July 5, 2007 12:05 PMPhil, all your life is wrapped with Buddha Nature if you believe in the Lotus Sutra, if you don't than you will think there is a need to worry about such things as what shall I do? You can simply life your life as a Bodhisattva as told in the Lotus Sutra and enjoy instead of looking for practices that don't exist but in your mind.
Maltz out
Posted by: chogenki at July 5, 2007 01:34 AMGreat Answer Phil.
Posted by: robek at July 2, 2007 11:27 PM"The question is what to do about them? Chant to fulfill them? Suppress them? Direct them against evil? Transform them into positive thoughts and emotion? See them as Empty?"
As contradictory as it seems I think you do all of those things. If your lust is so rapacious that it can not be denied without obsessing over it, then fulfill it in the most conscious way possible, and if one recognizes it as a bad thing then do it with a mind towards eliminating it over time. If you view them as evil and can live without them then supress them. If evil can be fought with these energies then that would be a good use, I think this would require a certain amount of wisdom and self knowlegde that many people would need to develope. To transform them into positive thoughts and emotions would be great. If everytime I had a negative thought about someone I forced myself to think of two positive things about them I think my relationships would be better. Seeing them as empty is maybe the most essential as not identifying with or seeing them as constants is really how these other methods work.