RIGHT ACTION
spect the property of others, but I will prevent others from
profiting from human suffering or the suffering of other spe-
cies on Earth.” This training tells us not just to refrain from
taking what is not ours or exploiting others. It also exhorts us
to live in a way that brings about justice and well-being in so-
ciety. We have to learn how to live simply so that we do not
take more than our share. When we do something to pro-
mote social justice, that is Right Action.
The Third Mindfulness Training is about sexual responsi-
bility: “Aware of the suffering caused by sexual misconduct, I
am committed to cultivating responsibility and learning ways
to protect the safety and integrity of individuals, couples,
families, and society. I am determined not to engage in sexual
relations without love and a long-term commitment. To pre-
serve the happiness of myself and others, I am determined to
respect my commitments and the commitments of others. I
will do everything in my power to protect children from
sexual abuse and to prevent couples and families from being
broken by sexual misconduct."
Loneliness cannot be alleviated just by the coming to-
gether of two bodies, unless there is also good communica-
tion, understanding, and loving kindness. Right Mindfulness
helps us protect ourselves and others, including children,
from further suffering. Sexual misbehavior creates so much
suffering. To protect the integrity of families and individuals,
we do our best to behave responsibly and encourage others to
do the same. Practicing this training, we not only protect our
selves and those dear to us, but we protect the whole human
species, including children. When Right Mindfulness shines
its light on our daily life, we are able to keep this training
steadily.
Sexual misbehavior has broken so many families. There
has been so much suffering because people do not practice
sexual responsibility. A child who is sexually abused will suffer
his or her whole life. Those who have been sexually abused
95
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Right Action
Right Action (samyak karmanta) means Right Action of the
body. It is the practice of touching love and preventing harm,
the practice of nonviolence toward ourselves and others. The
basis of Right Action is to do everything in mindfulness.
Right Action is closely linked with four (the first, second,
third, and fifth) of the Five Mindfulness Trainings. The First
Training is about reverence for life: “Aware of the suffering
caused by the destruction of life, I am committed to cultivat-
ing compassion and learning ways to protect the lives of
people, animals, plants, and minerals. I am determined not
to kill, not to let others kill, and not to support any act of kill-
ing in the world, in my thinking, and in my way of life." We
may be killing every day by the way we eat, drink, and use the
land, air, and water. We think that we don't kill, but we do.
Mindfulness of action helps us be aware so we can stop the
killing and begin saving and helping.
The Second Mindfulness Training is about generosity:
“Aware of the suffering caused by exploitation, social injus-
tice, stealing, and oppression, I am committed to cultivating
loving kindness and learning ways to work for the well-being
of people, animals, plants, and minerals. I will practice gener-
osity by sharing my time, energy, and material resources with
those who are in real need. I am determined not to steal and
not to possess anything that should belong to others. I will re-
1 The Fourth Mindfulness Training is about Right Speech. See chap. 12.
94
THE HEART OF THE BUDDHA'S TEACHING
have the capacity to become bodhisattvas, helping many chil-
dren. Your mind of love can transform your own grief and
pain, and you can share your insight with others. This is Right
Action, and it frees you and those around you. When you
practice to help others around you, at the same time, you are
helping yourself.
The Fifth Mindfulness Training encourages mindful eat-
ing, drinking, and consuming. This is linked to the Four
Noble Truths and all of the elements of the Noble Eightfold
Path, but especially Right Action: "Aware of the suffering
caused by unmindful consumption, I am committed to culti-
vating good health, both physical and mental, for myself, my
family, and my society by practicing mindful eating, drinking
and consuming. I will ingest only items that preserve peace,
well-being, and joy in my body, in my consciousness, and in
the collective body and consciousness of my family and soci-
ety. I am determined not to use alcohol or any other intoxi-
cant or to ingest foods or other items that contain toxins,
such as certain TV programs, magazines, books, films, and
conversations. I am aware that to damage my body or my con-
sciousness with these poisons is to betray my ancestors, my
parents, my society, and future generations. I will work to
transform violence, fear, anger, and confusion in myself and
in society by practicing a diet for myself and for society. I un-
derstand that a proper diet is crucial for self-transformation
and for the transformation of society." Right Action means
bringing into our body and mind only the kinds of food that
are safe and healthy. We practice mindful eating, mindful
drinking, not eating things that create toxins in our body, not
using alcohol or drugs, for ourselves, our family, and our so-
ciety. We consume mindfully so that life will be possible for all
of us. We practice mindful consumption to protect our body
and our consciousness from ingesting toxins. Certain televi-
sion programs, books, magazines, and conversations can
bring into our consciousness violence, fear, and despair. We
96
RIGHT ACTION
have to practice mindful consumption to protect our body
and consciousness and the collective body and consciousness
of our family and our society.
When we practice not drinking alcohol, we protect our-
selves, and we also protect our family and our society. A
woman in London told me, “I have been drinking two glasses
of wine every week for the last twenty years, and it has done
me no harm at all. Why should I give it up?" I said, “It's true
that two glasses of wine do not harm you. But are you sure
they do not harm your children? You may not have the seed
of alcoholism in you, but who knows whether the seed of alco-
holism is in your children. If you give up wine, you'll be doing
it not only for yourself but also for your children and for your
society.” She understood, and the next morning she formally
received the Five Mindfulness Trainings. That is the work of a
bodhisattva, doing it not for herself alone but for everyone.
The Ministry of Health in France advises people not to
drink too much. They advertise on television, “One glass is
okay, but three glasses invite destruction.” They want you to
be moderate in drinking. But if the first glass were not there,
how could there be a third glass? Not having the first glass of
wine is the highest form of protection. If you refrain from
having a first glass, you are protecting not only yourself, but
all of us at the same time. When we consume mindfully, we
protect our body, our consciousness, and the body and con-
sciousness of our family and society. Without the Fifth Train-
ing, how can we transform the difficult situation of our
society? The more we consume, the more we suffer, and the
more we make our society suffer. Mindful consumption seems
to be the only way out of this current situation, the only way
to stop the course of destruction for our body, our conscious-
ness, and the collective body and consciousness of our society.
Looking deeply, we can see the interbeing nature of the
Five Mindfulness Trainings and the Eightfold Path. We apply
Right Mindfulness to see whether our eating, drinking, and
97
THE HEART OF THE BUDDHA'S TEACHING
Path, especially Right Action.
consuming is Right Action. Right View, Right Thinking, and
Right Speech are all present when we put the Fifth Mindful-
ness Training into practice. The Five Mindfulness Trainings
are interpenetrated by the elements of the Noble Eightfold
Right Action is based on Right View, Right Thinking, and
Right Speech, and is very much linked to Right Livelihood.
Those who earn their living by manufacturing weapons, de-
priving others of their chance to live, destroying the environ-
ment
, exploiting nature and people, or producing items that
bring us toxins may earn a lot of money, but they are practic
ing wrong livelihood. We have to be mindful to protect our
selves from their wrong action. If we don't have Right View
and Right Thought and are not practicing Right Speech and
Right Livelihood, even if we feel we are trying to go in the di-
rection of peace and enlightenment, our effort may be wrong
action.
A good teacher only needs to observe a student walking or
inviting the bell to sound to know how long he has been in
the practice. You look at his Right Action and see all the
things that are contained in it. Looking this way into any of
the elements of the path, you can measure the realization of
that person as far as the whole path is concerned.
There are so many things we can do to practice Right Ac-
tion. We can protect life, practice generosity, behave respon-
sibly, and consume mindfully. The basis of Right Action is
Right Mindfulness.
98
Purchase answer to see full
attachment