Akusala?

 

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)