I love reading classical Buddhist teachings—the repetition, the (occasionally outlandish) analogies, the connection to ancient India, the images of students doing their best to make something meaningful out of a difficult life. We're so fortunate to have such texts widely available in modern languages, translated by practitioner-scholars.
We usually hear these teachings either (1) translated as literally as possible or (2) roughly paraphrased in a contemporary teacher's own words. These are both helpful ways to learn, but I'd like to explore something of a hybrid presentation. In the text below, I've taken a translation of a sutra excerpt and rewritten it in more everyday language, letting my reading of it come through while preserving the original form. This is not meant to replace the original translation, but rather to offer a telling of it that's more accessible to some people.
In this teaching, the Buddha is telling his students that actions and habits matter. Our well-being is not totally determined by the situation we find ourselves in. Some people are likely to get super-stressed from being caught in traffic; others are more likely to see it as no big deal and enjoy the scenery. This kind of inner freedom depends largely on whether we've practiced to make a familiar home of our bodies and minds. It also depends on whether we've investigated what kinds of actions support this cultivation.
It's important to note that the text does not say that an individual's actions and habits are the only factors that determine the quality of their experience. Such a misperception could encourage us to blame the victim when we see someone suffering, forgetting that there are such things as injustice and natural disasters. It's crucial to cultivate habits of mind that help us and those around us, but we must also remember that a network of interdependent forces is at play in every situation.
A Handful of Salt
adapted from the translation by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
It's possible for one person to do something slightly unwise and suffer terribly, but for another person to do the same thing and have only a passing stress.
What kind of person will suffer terribly from doing something slightly unwise? A person who hasn't had much practice in body awareness and contemplation, who hasn't reflected much on what kinds of actions are ultimately helpful and unhelpful, and who hasn't practiced to develop some calm and clarity of mind. This person will feel restricted, without much of a sense of space and friendliness to hold difficult experiences. This person will suffer terribly from doing something slightly unwise.
What kind of person will have only a passing stress from doing something slightly unwise? A person who has practiced body awareness and contemplation, who has reflected on what kinds of actions are ultimately helpful and unhelpful, and who has practiced to develop some calm and clarity of mind. This person feels free and has a sense of space and friendliness to hold difficult experiences. This person will have only a passing stress from doing something slightly unwise.
Imagine someone putting a handful of salt into a small cup of water. What do you think? Would the water become too salty to drink?
Yes. Since it's only a small cup of water, it would become too salty to drink.
Now imagine someone putting a handful of salt into a huge river. What do you think? Would the water become too salty to drink?
No. Since it's a huge mass of water, it wouldn't become too salty to drink.
In the same way, it's possible for one person to do something slightly unwise and suffer terribly, but for another person to do the same thing and have only a passing stress.