In an environment of collective karma, where a deer is called a
horse, and where the pots call the kettles black, I often think of Buddhist
teachings. In Early Buddhism it is much
stressed that life is suffering, and there is a way to the cessation of
suffering. The Buddha points out the
way. He calls it the Noble Eightfold
Path. People need to know it, to
practice it and to achieve it. The Noble
Eightfold Path is: right view, right intention, right speech, right action,
right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration. But what is right and what is wrong? Since Buddhism is not governmental decision
on free-to-air television permits, there is no need to hide behind the
Executive Council’s confidentiality rule and to shy from explaining. There are discourses discussing and
explaining morality. Pairs of terms are
commonly used to describe praiseworthy and apprehensible actions and states of mind. Kusala and akusala are one of such pairs.
Kusala is a Pali term to describe things in a good sense, while
akusala is the opposite term to describe something bad or even evil. In the Sammaditthi
Sutta (the Discourse on Right View),
examples for akusala actions include killing living beings, taking what is not
given, misconduct in sensual pleasures, false speech and ill-will. Kusala actions are expressed as the
abstention from akusala actions. The Discourse also identifies the roots for
akusala actions. They are refereed to as
akusala states of mind, which include: greed, hatred and delusion. In the reverse, non-greed, non-hatred and
non-delusion are described as kusala.
Kusala is translated in different terms. The most commonly used are wholesome and
skillful. This is because like
translation of other languages, a term usually carries several meanings
especially when used in different contexts.
I tend to understand kusala as wholesome when referring to the mind, and
as skillful when referring to an action.
Of course doing so might deviate form the original teaching a bit. But many a time, how something is done is as
important as, if not more important than, whether the action is wholesome from
an absolute objective point of view.
Moreover, as early as in 1766, Adam Smith had postulated in his classic
work The Worth of Nations that an
individual’s for-his-own-interest action might bear no relation to the end
result to the society: “… he intends only
his own gain, and he is in this, as in many other eases, led by an invisible
hand to promote an end which was no part of his intention. Nor is it always the worse for the society
that it was no part of it. By pursuing
his own interest he frequently promotes that of the society more effectually than
when he really intends to promote it. I
have never known much good done by those who affected to trade for the public
good.” It was his dictum that: “It is not from the benevolence of the
butcher, the brewer, or the baker, that we expect our dinner, but from their
regard to their own interest. We address
ourselves, not to their humanity but to their self-love, and never talk to them
of our own necessities but of their advantages.”
Judging an individual’s state of mind is not easy. How about an organization? It is even more difficult to assess the state
of mind of the government, if such thing does exist. Seemingly Hong Kong is now having a very
strong government in the eyes of Adam Smith, as many officials are taking care
of their own interests rather than doing good to the society. Apparently, and sadly, the “invisible hand
theory” seems not applicable to a government.
However, whether the actions of a government are skillful or not are
not that difficult to judge. In the
recent incident of issuing free-to-air television permits, akusala or
unskillful is the verdict. I am not as
naïve as to believe that all governmental decisions are fair and
transparent. It is for the officials to
act in a skillful manner so as to allow implementation of decisions. It is not up to me as a
knowing-nothing-citizen to comment on strategies and planning. But I always fantasize the advisors and
spin-doctors in TV series like The House
of Cards, The West Wings, or even
The Good Wife. What strikes me is that this television
permit issue is but one of a series of akusala acts. Discontent seems to be stirred up from all
walks of life: the right of abode in Hong Kong, maternity beds, milk powder,
kindergarten admission, moral and national education in high schools, illegal
structures, housing, and even the use of language, and even cemetery niches.
Interestingly, if we take another point of view, it would be near mission-impossible
to mobilize so many Hong Kong people to voice out their concerns. Hong Kong citizens have been well known for
their political indifference, short attention span and indulgence in
self-interest. So, do all these arise
from an akusala intention with kusala acts?
Or from an akusala intention with akusala acts? Or from a whatever mind with kusala
acts? Or from a whatever mind with
akusala acts?
(Source: HKMA News November 2013)
