Avoid from doing evil in deed, word and thought

Yassa kāyena vācāya manasā natthi dukkaṭaṃ saṃvutaṃ tīhi ṭhānehi taṃ ahaṃ brūmi brāhmaṇaṃ. (Dhamma pada. 391)

           He who does no evil in deed, word, and thought, who is restrained in these three ways- him do I call a holy man.

              This verse says that to observe our deed word and thought in good behavior in day to day life. In short, that means we have to refrain from ten unmeritorious deeds (Dasa Duccarita) like killing, stealing and so on. It is opposites of ten meritorious deeds. I will mention about ten meritorious deeds below. Those ten unmeritorious deeds are also called unwholesome (Akusala) such as lobha(greed), dosa(hatred) and moha(delusion). We have to avoid from the bad things and bad behaviors. When we refrain from  the unmeritorious deeds, we can be a good person. How do we observe those things in our daily life? For example, from morning to the bed time for a day, we are able to maintain carefully and nicely our behavior according to these three ways. There are also different behaviors as follows,

a.    Kāya= deed

1.    Refrain from killing

2.    Refrain from stealing

3.    Refrain from indulging in ignoble sexual enjoyments

b.    Vāca= word

1.    Refrain from telling lie

2.     Refrain from slandering

3.    Refrain from harsh speech

4.    Refrain from vain talk

c.    Mana = mind, thought

1.    Refrain from covetousness

2.    Refrain from ill-will

3.    Refrain from wrong view

In Abhidhamma term, those ten are called “The Ten meritorious deeds. In this way,

we have to observe our behaviors or actions everyday, each time and every moment. Regarding with these three ways, in pubbāṇha sutta as well, the Buddha delivered about how we behave or act in our daily life, dividing into three times such as morning, afternoon and evening for a day. He said that “for those who train in good deed, word and thought in the morning, that morning is Good morning, for those who train in good deed, word and thought in afternoon, that afternoon is good afternoon and for those who train in good deed, word and thought in evening, that evening is Good evening”. So we should practise carefully ourselves as much as we can in the three conditions as the Buddha said.

 If we do so, our day of life will become better and bright in human society. Besides, we can get good benefits. Especially, we are sure that we will get wholesome or merit because of observing those ten Good actions. The Buddha preached to ven. Bahiya that “ tasmātiha te bāhiya ādimeva visodhehi kusalesu dhammesu- bahiya, if you want to walk on the right way, firstly, you have to fulfill the initialness of the Dhamma of wholesome”. There are two ways to begin wholesome.

Kocādi kusalānaṃ dhammānaṃ? What is the initialness of the wholesomes, merits?

Kusalānaṃ dhammānaṃ ādi silañca suvisuddhaṃ, diṭṭhi ca ujukaṃ.

The initialness of the wholesome, merits is very pure morals and right and straight view. 

Morals are only the Ten meritorious deeds as I mentioned above and right and straight view also has already included in them. That is why, it is very important for everyone to avoid evil in deed, word and thought and to behave good things in daily life. If we do and speak bad things, we will lose our valuable times as well as merits and as the Lord Buddha said, we can not be a holy man. Therefore, From now on, Let’s change our actions carefully and practise in good deed, word and thought?