Sīla—is that which sets a limit to the “outgoing exuberance”1 in a person’s actions of body and speech and the responsibility for these actions and their results rests with the heart. Good people do not like to associate with someone whose “outgoing exuberance” is not restrained by sīla, and nobody trusts him. In business and other affairs, even if there are only one or two people who have bad sīla and no sense of shame in their behaviour, it is certain that the social group in which they live and work cannot remain secure for long. It is bound to be destroyed or set in disorder by them in whatever way they can, as soon as they have a chance when others are off their guard. It is like living with a fierce poisonous snake which is just waiting to bite whenever one is unprotected.
Thus sīla is the Dhamma which protects the world, keeping it cool and happy so that there shall be no cause for doubt, suspicion and mistrust which can arise from a mutual lack of confidence in those things which are liable to cause friction and trouble. These things often start in a small way and develop into larger things, things which everyone wants to avoid. Sīla is of many kinds, but here we will only consider the five sīla, the eight, ten and 227 sīla, which different kinds of people should variously maintain as it suits their status, age, and physical capabilities. The five sīla are the most important for lay people who have dealings with society in its various aspects.
They should maintain these sīla as that which gives a recommendation of their individual personal integrity and of their mutual integrity, thus keeping them from falling apart when they gain and lose from each other in business or society everywhere. It is noticeable how, if there are one or two people working in business, in a company or in government service, who always maintain the five sīla, they are just the people who are most liked, praised and trusted in all kinds of affairs by their business associates, such as those affairs which are connected with money. Whether such people remain in that work or go elsewhere, they will be well liked and respected everywhere, because when they maintain sīla, it means that they also have Dhamma within their hearts—like the taste of food which cannot be separated from its nature. And conversely, when such people have Dhamma within them, they also have sīla, so that whenever they break any part of their sīla, it means that at that time they do not have Dhamma within them, because Dhamma is associated with the heart and sīla is associated with bodily actions and speech. Therefore the good and bad actions of the body and speech indicate and show the state of the heart—which is the leader and the one that is responsible.
If the heart always has Dhamma within it, the ways of the body and speech are bound to be clean and free from blame in all their activities. Therefore, people who perform clean actions of body and speech proclaim by these actions that they are the kind of people who have Dhamma in their hearts, and moral behaviour in their actions, speech and hearts. This attracts the hearts of other people everywhere so that they turn to such people—and so it is that they are always popular and well thought of in all ages. Even those who are unable to promote their actions, speech and hearts in the foregoing way still have respect and reverence for those who have moral behaviour in their actions, speech and hearts, in the same way as all of us have respect and reverence for the Lord Buddha and his true followers (sāvaka). This indicates that moral behaviour, meaning that which is good and graceful, is always desirable and valuable in the world, and is never out of date.
Sometimes however, it happens that the nature of moral behaviour is altered from its true or “inherent nature” into doctrines and traditions which come from a people’s national, class, or cultural background. This is the reason why moral behaviour becomes a thing of nation, class or cult, in accordance with these popular doctrines; and this is why different peoples throughout the world are constantly criticizing and blaming each other. But apart from this, moral behaviour is the way of merit which can always lead this age towards progress and development for as long as people in this world are still interested in adjusting their own actions of body, speech and heart to accord with the ways of moral behaviour. Whenever the world has been disturbed and troubled, it is obvious that it is because people have been lacking in moral behaviour and nowadays, if people do not hasten to improve themselves in accordance with the true nature of moral behaviour, the powers of the world will soon erupt in their full fury, and even those who wield the power will not survive and all will be destroyed.
But in particular in each family circle, if sīla, which is the basis of proper behaviour is lacking both husband and his wife will lack confidence in each other. Before long there will arise doubt and suspicions that each is associating with other women and men and having clandestine love affairs, which will undermine the unity and prosperity of their family. If moral behaviour is lacking to this extent, the dissatisfaction in their hearts will begin to come to fruition and they will be full of trouble and worry. Even work, which is the basis of steady family life, will be disrupted, and the children will all be involved in the prevailing air of dissension. But those who continue to act in immoral ways that are progressively worse than the foregoing, are sure to find that sooner or later, all those things which were firmly established suddenly start to flare up into dissension and trouble. Like a pot full of water which is hit and breaks and all the water pours out and disperses at once.
So if the world wants prosperity and civilisation, it is still necessary that it should conform to the standards of moral behaviour—and how can anyone truly speaking, object to the principle of truth which is moral behaviour, which has been in the world since time immemorial? Natural moral behaviour does not have to be asked for as precepts from a bhikkhu (monk) or from someone in an official capacity in a Wat (monastery) or elsewhere before it is established. For if a person respects and likes those characteristics within himself which are right, good and graceful, and if he behaves in this way personally as well as in association with others, avoiding actions which are contrary to such good behaviour, it indicates that he has moral behaviour within his character. The reasons why morality arises in the heart and in behaviour of a person are: Firstly—that it arises from a person’s “inherent nature”, as already mentioned above.
Secondly—that it comes from association with wise people, such as recluses and teachers—and that after learning from them one puts their teaching on moral behaviour into practice. These two things are sufficient to arouse the practise of moral behaviour in oneself, and to enable one to become a person in whom it is constantly present. These two will also be sufficient to preserve one’s own status and that of one’s family in all forms of society with which they have dealings, and it will maintain a freedom from suspicion and doubt both within one’s family circle and amongst friends. Lay people may practise only the five sīla, and while their activities are within the bounds of moral behaviour, it will enable them and their families to be at ease with a clear heart.
As for the eight, ten and 227 sīla, they are based upon the five sīla and are progressively more refined for those people who wish to practise the higher levels of moral behaviour. But both in the practices of maintaining sīla and in paying attention to what one is doing, the rules or the method differ progressively from those of the five sīla as one goes higher. Summarizing briefly, sīla of every grade is for the purpose of controlling “outgoing exuberance” in the behaviour of body and speech. For one who practises it correctly, it is also for the purpose of living in a “peaceful” way with a happy and easy heart. And if one associates with other people, who themselves maintain sīla, it is essential that one should oneself be a good person. But those who have low or vulgar minds are not likely to understand the necessity for sīla, because they do not want to become good people, nor to get involved in the world of good people, and they always try to break up the happiness of others and to instigate trouble and anger in the world whenever they get a chance to do so.
One should not think that moral behaviour is exclusively a human faculty, for even animals can have some aspects of it. One needs only to observe the animals which people look after in their homes to see how in some degree the hearts and the behaviour of animals are permeated with the nature of Dhamma. One who always has moral behaviour as the basis of his character, besides being good natured, having the confidence and being popular with the people of his village or district, will also be good-natured within himself every day of this life and the next life also. Moral behaviour is therefore a quality which is always necessary in the world.
Ajaan Mahã Boowa Ñãnasampanno Translated by Ajaan Paññavaddho