The Buddhist Teaching of Right View

The word right view is called sammA diTThi in pAli. It further means the basic wisdom that is necessary to begin the path of purification. Buddhist discourses emphasized that sammA diTThi is the first step of spiritual progress. The µahActtArisakesutta of MN introduces two forms of right views.

      “ßammA diTThimphaM bhikkhave dvayaM vadAmi. Athi bhikkhave sammAdiTThi sAsavA puJJabhAgIyA upadhivepakkhA. Athi bhikkhave sammAdiTTHi ariyA anAsavA lokuttamaggaGgA”

= O monks! The right view is two-fold. O monks! There is right view with defilements bents towards merits and for the maintenance of aggregates. Then O monks! There is right view that is noble without defilements as the limbs of the path of supra-mundane.

      The first category of the right view is explained as the opposite of ten moral wrong views of materialists. This form right view therefore recognizes the validity of moral behaviour. In ways of such as: atthi diNNaM, atthi iTThaM, atthi mAtA, atthi pitA and so on.

      The second category of right view is explained in the following ways:

“KathaJca bhikkhave sammAdiTThi ariyA anAsavA lokuttara maggaGgA, yA kho bhikkhave ariyacittassa anAsavacittassa aruyamaggasamaGgino ariyamaggaM bhAvayato paJJA, paJJindriyaM, paJJAbalaM dhammavijaya sambojjhaGgo sammAdiTThimaggaGgaM”

=O monks! how is the right view that is noble, without defilements and the limbs of noble path of supra-mundane. O monks! that wisdom that faculty of wisdom, the power of wisdom, the factor of enlightenment of analyzing the dhamma of whom that noble mind, of whose mind is free from defilement of one endowed with noble path, of one who practice noble path. That is the limbs of path of right view.

      Net we find a very significant statement of the Buddha in ßammAdiTThipaccayasutta of AN as:

      “∂ve me bhikkhave paccayA sammAdiTThiyA uppAdAya katame dve? Parato ca ghoso, yonoso manasikAro”

= O monks! There are two causes for the origin of right view. What are these two? What is learnt from other and mindfulness?

      The right view in Buddhism gives the meaning of understanding reality related to life. Through the analysis of phenomena if one can understand sullenness, and through causality the continuity of life that is mainly by these forms of sammAdiTThi. Even the Buddha says this kind of understanding can not expect from the person at the beginning. Therefore it is said in KItagirisutta of MN that ‘O monks! I don’t express approaching to knowledge at the very beginning (nAhaM bhikkhave Adikeneva aJJArAdhanaM vadAmi).

      In Buddhist path when one is progressing he attains some levels called diTThi. ∂iTThipaTilAbha, diTThisampanna, diTThippatta are some terms used to give two meaning. These words stand for the attainment of right view. The ßevitabbasevitabbasutta of MN says the usefulness of receiving right view in spiritual progress.

      “YathArUpaJca kho bhante diTTHipaTilAbhaM sevato akusalA dhammA parihAyanti, kusalA dhammA abhivaDDhanti, evarUpo diTThipaTilAbho sevitabbo”

= O venerable sir! By the association of some right views, any unwholesome factors are reduced and wholesome factors are developed that view is to be associated.

    The KaccAnavacchagottasutta of SN explains the philosophical atmosphere of views. The logical arguments in the human language are concerned. Either they hold affirmative term like yes or negative term like no. in the philosophical sense they represent Eternalism and Nihilism.

      “∂ve yanissito kho ayaM KaccAna loko yebhuyyena atthitaJceva natthitaJca. lokasamudayaM ca kho KaccAna yatthA bhUtaM sammappaJJAya passato yA loke natthitA sA na hoti. lokanirodhaJca bhikkhave sammappaJJAya passato ya loke atthitA s Ana hoti”

=O KaccAna! This world is two cornered (in view). Mostly as there is and there is not. O KaccAna! When the origin of the world is seen with right knowledge, the view of negative does not occur. When the cessation of suffering is seen with the right knowledge, the affirmative does not occur. Unsatisfactoriness itself emerges and disappears. If there is any other knowledge that is free from doubt and question that is sammAdiTThi (the right view).

      Accordingly one who comes to the true, true doctrine who sees it is endowed with view. Once when the person is established in it neither he accept nor he follows any wrong views such as Atma, brahmA or îZvara. Instead they use to see the things in their reality.

      The major things that occur with the sammAdiTThi are the giving up of self-view, self-pride, and self-craving. They lead the person to reduce his karmic production. Neither he generates new kammas for future and nor they will enrich available karmic forces. In this manner he is naturally led to the freedom from fetters and eventually his mind gets purify.

The Nature of Eternalism and Nihilism

For the proper life style the man needs independent and correct idea and ideal of life. Whenever it was not there human being falls into difficulties and wrong values devastated the peace and prosperity of human life and society. This happened in recent history when the world was emerged depending on nationalistic ideologies. They caused death to million of human beings and social difficulties to others. Such fanatic views are mostly based on self-view, emphasizing the self-supremacy.

      Eternalism and Nihilism are two extremes of religious extremism at the time of the Buddha. Both they had given wrong notions of the lifer which led people astray in religious practices.

      The first of these that the Eternalism is based on self-view. According to sensual enjoyment and feeling human beings get the notion that there is a person called ‘I’. (See no 6.2.1. The Analysis of Five Aggregates)  In the same way Nihilism is again generated to references to sensual enjoyment of sense faculties and establishing the view as body itself is the soul. In the Nihilism it is accepted that body and soul are the same. In the Brahmajalasuta of DN this is called ‘dehAtmavAda’.

     “îdha bhikkhave ekacco samaNo vA brahmaNovA evaM vAdI hoti, evaM diTThi yato kho bho ayaM attA nApi cAtummahAbhUtiko mAtApettikasambhavo kAyassabheda ucchijjanti vinassanti. Na hoti parammaraNA ettAvatA kho bho ayaM attA samucchinno hoti. Itteke … sattassa ucchedaM vinAsaM vibhavaM”

= Here, O monks! Some recluses and Brahmins hold this theory, this view. From which O friends! The soul is formed, made of four great elements, born of parents and annihilate and perish after the breaking of body, and it is not there after death. With this O friends! This soul is annihilated. Thus some show the annihilation perishing and not being of the being.

     There are some other form of Annahilatism which derived from absorptions with the development of mind and attainment, the higher knowledge of seeing the birth and death of beings (cutUpapAtaJANa) and some of them were able to absorb limited numbers of births and deaths of mental development.

      Eternalism on the other hand was holding the view that soul is different from the body (aJJaM jIvaM aJJaM sarIraM). What they meant was the existence of the body was temporary while that of soul was eternal. The religion with creation theory falls into the category for they maintain the birth of soul to the creator and liberation of soul to the same.

      Again, due higher knowledge, Eternalist theory has been stressed to have convinced in religious practice. Due to higher knowledge of remembering former births sassatavAda was convinced by the some practitioners with this knowledge they could see certain number of past lives of their own. Some could see a few and other a many. Thereby there were different forms of Eternalism. The Brahmajalasutta presents such four theories of Eternalism, three of them based on remembering past births and the last on knowledge and logic.

      So far what we considered above these views was their origin. We also should pay our attentions to the results of those views. Both these above vies are depending on the belief of soul in one way or other. The Eternalist is unable to see soullessness as everything is free from soul (sabbe dhammA anattA). The Nihilist on the other hand does not accept the continuity of existences. Therefore he is unable to think of further spiritual development.

      To have free from these extremes is to be directed to yathAbhUtaJANa. There the wise person sees that the things are free from soul and still there is continuity of existence depending on causality. He can see the truth as it is for he is free from extremes.

Buddhist Criticism on Extremist View

At the time of the Buddha Indian religions were based on epistemological principles. Many they therefore were presenting some new knowledge to the world. Even the Buddha accepted with the following statement that occurs in the Brahamajalasutta of DN:

“ßanti bhikkhave eke samaNabrhamaNA … aneka vihitAni adhivuttipadAni abhivadanti”

=O monks! There are some recluses and Brahmins who proclaimed various philosophical views.

      Their views were based on some true facts like absorption, logic or ethics, something all the three or few. Therefore their views were having a strong base although they were not sound in a final sense.

      According to the Vacchagotasutta of MN there are ten philosophical topics that were discussed in philosophical and doctrinal circles at the time of the Buddha. Almost every philosophical thinkers or religious teachers express their views on these ten topics of philosophical interest. 

1.  ßassato loko – is the world eternal?

2.  åsassato loko – is the world not eternal?

3.  åto vA loko – is the world finite?

4.  ånanto vA loko – is the world infinite?

5.   TaM jIvaM taM sarIraM – is the soul and the body one and same?

6.  åJJaM jIvaM aJJaM sarIraM – is the soul and the body different?

7.   Hoti tathAgato parammaraNA – does the liberated one exist after death?

8.  ña hoti tathAgato parammaraNA – does not the liberated one exist after death?

9.   Hoti ca na hoti ca tathAgato parammaraNA – does the liberated one exist or not exist after death?

10. ñeva hoti na hoti tathAgato parammaraNA – does not the liberated one exist or not exist after death?

Having given these ten questions to the Buddha’s notice Vaccagotta questioned whether they are true or false or does the Buddha accept anything of them. The Buddha replied that he will not emphasize any one of them as true. Vacchagotta further questioned that the bad effect of coming to these conclusions as philosophical views.

      “∂iTThagatametaM diTThigataM diTThikantAraM, diTThivisUkaM sadukkhaM savighAtaM saupAyAsaM saparilAhaM na nibbidAya na nirodhAya na upasamAya na abhiJJAya na sambodhAya na nibbAnAya saMvattati. imam kho ahaM Vaccha AdinavaM sampassamAno evaM imAni sabbaso diTThigatAni anupagato”

=This went to extreme views, taking of extreme views, a desert of them, a deformation of them, with suffering tiresome, boring and exist for uneasiness, not for calm not for appeasement, not for tranquility, not for deep knowledge, not for good understanding, and not for liberation. O Vaccha! Seeing these bad effects, did not come to all these views.

      Then Vaccha questioned the Buddha whether he has any such views. The Buddha says all such views (dogma) are given up by the Buddha ‘∂iTThigatati kho Vaccha apanItametaM tathAgatass’.

      The µettasutta of Sn also states the Buddhist way is free dogmas (diTThiJca anupagamma …).

      Ven. îsidatta has given a very clear explanation on the origin of ten points mentioned above. Householder Citta begins a discussion with Ven. Isidatta and the later makes the following statements:

      “YAnicimAni dvAsaTTHi diTTHigatAni BrahmajAle bhaNitAni. imA kho gahapati diTThIyo sakkAya diTThIyA sati honti”

=These sixty two views said in the BrahmajAla, O Housholder! Are theories born when there is self-view?

      According to this explanation the philosophical view of Eternalism and Nihilism etc. are born from self-view. Therefore it is given as the first of ten fetters. The åbyAkatavatthusutta of AN says that with the cessation of views there will be no doubts in the trained disciples on the ten unanswered questions (diTThi nirodhA kho bhikkhave sutavato ariyasAvakassa vicikocchA nUpapajjati abyAkatavatthusu).

      Very often in the suttas the ten wrong views occur that which are born from extremist views:

11. ñatthi dinnaM – There is no meaning of charity

12. ñatthi yiTThaM – There is no meaning of sacrifice

13. ñatthi hutaM – There is no meaning of fire sacrifice

14. ñatthi sukaTa dukkatAnaM kammAnaM phalaM vipAko – There is no result of good and bad deeds

15. ñatthi ayaM loko – There is no this world

16. ñatthi paro loko – There is no the other world

17. ñatthi mAtA – There is no mother

18. ñatthi pitA – There is no father

19. ñatthi opapAtikA sattA – There are no spontaneous beings

20. ñatthi loke samanabrAhmaNa sammaggatA, sammA paTipannA, ye imaJca lokaM paraJca lokaM sayaM abhiJJA sacchikatvA pavedenti – There are no in the world a recluse or a Brahmin who is well born, practiced well and who properly says having realized this world and the other worlds by himself.

                                                        (åpaNNakasutta, µñ)

These ten wrong views were held by ücchedavAdins and they show that that these thinkers did not accept even family and social ethics. Buddhism considered dealing with such fanatic views to be useless and they are not to serve any purpose for the betterment of spiritual progress. 

      When the two views Eternalism and Nihilism are strongly held by a person he does not get the change of beginning any form of noble conduct that is the general nature of extreme. They will not make space for human personalities to blossom at free and full levels. The Buddha says when these two views are held the noble life is impossible. Whether world is eternal or not birth, decay, death, grief, lamentation, suffering, unhappiness, and being tire would be there.

      “ßassato loko vA µAlunkyaputta diTThiyA sati brahmacariyavAso abhavissAti, evaM no asassato loko’ti va µAlunkyaputta diTThiyA sati brahmacariyAvAso abhavissAti … evampi akkheva jAti, atthi maraNaM, atthi sakaparidevadukkhadomanasUpayAsa”

                                            (µAlunkyaputtasutta, µñ II)

      The circle of birth and death prolong due to self-view and construction of formations when there is no a proper teacher who sees reality. There can be no opportunity for the world to know about destroy. Sentient beings are not always mindful; therefore they were on their wrong view and perception. Buddhism recommended that they should kept in mind any of the defilements which protect sensual enjoyment, remembering and materialistic views.

      “∂iTThisaMyojanasaMyutto bhikkhave assutavA puthujjano na parimucchati jAtiyA jarAmaraNehi sokehi paridevehi dukkhehi domanassehi upAyAshi na parimucchti dukkhasmAti vadAmi”

                                             (ßabbAsavasutta, µñ)

= O monks! The unheard worldling who is with views and fetters does not free himself from birth, decay, death, grief, lamentation, suffering, unhappiness, and being tired. I declare that he does not free himself from suffering.

Rejecting of Four Contemporary Theories of Causality by the Buddha

There were four theories of causality upheld by the contemporary religious teachers of the Buddha.

1.  ßayaM kataM dukkhaM – suffering made by oneself, held by ßat karaNavAda or ßassatavAda

2.  ParaM kataM dukkhaM – suffering is made by others, held by ücchedavAda

3.  ßayaM kataJca paraM kataJca dukkhaM – suffering is made by oneself as well as others

4.  åsayaM kAraM aparaM kAraM adhiccasamuppannaM  dukkhaM – suffering is neither by oneself nor by others it is spontaneous.

The åJJatiTThiyasutta of the SN II has a record of these four theories which were prevailing in the time of the Buddha holding the causality thus:

1. ßayaM kataM dukkhaM : this theory upheld the view that the suffering in life is made by oneself. This is to be examined according to the causality and also the theory of kamma. It maintains that the doer itself undergoes the results. The åcelakassapasutta of SN explains theory as follows.

      “ßo karoti so paTisaMvediyatI’ti kho Kassapa Adito sayaM kataM dukkhan’ti vAdaM sassataM”

=O Kassapa! The theory which says he does, he receives result, and thereby it is made by oneself that is eternalism.

      The same theory was presented with related to causality also. In the Vedanta philosophy there is idea called sakkAranavAda which maintains that cause itself is the result or the result is already there in the causes. The sankya philosophy which is a post Buddhist philosophical tradition maintains the same theory as satkAraNavAda.

2. ParaM kataM dukkhM : This theory holds the direct opposite view of the first theory. According to this view the doer does not receive the result. Doer is one the receiver of result is another. The åcelakassapasutta of SN explains this theory as follows:

“åJJo karoti aJJo paTisaMvedIyatI’ti kho Kassapa … paraM dukkhan’ti vAdaM ucchedaM”

= O Kassapa! The theory which maintains doer is one and the receiver of result is another as suffering is made by others. This theory is nihilism.

      Contrary to the first theory the present one maintains a soul of temporary existence.

3. ßayaM kataJca paraM kataJca dukkhaM : The endless argument on the problem of suffering in two early groups opened the door for another third theory to arise. The new third theory accepts that the above two views were partly correct. That means the problem of suffering is part made by oneself and the other part by others.

4.     åsayaM kAraM aparaM kAraM adhiccasamuppannaM dukkhaM : In the field of discussion on causality another fourth vie arose in response to above three views. They said that suffering is not made by oneself, not by another. But it is spontaneously arisen.

      The Buddhist view of causality does not fall into anyone of these four theories. In the åJJatiTThiyasutta of SN, the Buddha says:

      “PaTiaccasamuppannaM kho Avuso dukkhaM vuttaM mayA”

= O friend! Suffering is called by me to be causally condition.

In this manner, budhism explains the function of psycho-physical phenomena with relating it to causality. Visuddhimagga, the treatise by Ven. Buddhaghosa explains the Buddhist path to purity as follows:

      “Kammassa kArako natthi – vipAkassa ca vedako,

    suddhadhammA pavattanti – esAyaJJassa sampadA”

=There is no doer of the action, nor the receiver of the result.

Bear phenomena exist, this is the principle here.