The Way, Part Six

Buddha Precepts, Part Five

Do not ingest intoxicants: Respect and value clarity of mind and health of body.

That hackneyed phrase, “garbage in, garbage out,” has abundant application in this domain of life. While this precept often is used as a basis for denying ourselves alcohol and drugs, it also applies to food, information, and all the other things we take in to ourselves. A clear mind is a mind that sees directly and does not filter sensory data through clouds of crap.

When going to a movie or watching television, we should exercise great care in what sort of material we are “ingesting.” Media presents us with the three poisons poison wrapped up very nicely. Psychologists and marketers, politicians and media executives understand this and exploit the processes involved through sensory input over extended periods.

What do we need; what do we want; how do we feel about world events: All of these are grossly and finely massaged from content to production values. Media messages tease and tickle us all the while acting as filters for our understanding so that while we think we are seeing clearly or thinking critically, we are in fact becoming near parrots of those who are the media.

Content from newspapers, books and blogs, can also be quite toxic. We often have our emotions charged over a news story, unable or unwilling to place something in a context, we experience the story, its images, and impact as raw data. Truth? No. Everything we see and hear is crafted to make a point, arouse a certain response, and masquerade as truth.

So what? Should we bury our heads in the sand? Should we listen to even more noise in order to catch the context? No and no. What we need to do is approach what we receive through our senses with great skill and mindful practice. We need to be aware of what is going on in the world, but we need that awareness to be bounded. We need to learn how to put things in context, we need to learn how to identify and sort. Most of all we need to learn how not to keep things we see, hear, and feel and instead practice with them.

The Buddha said the antidote for hate is love. The next time you find yourself watching ostensible “news” and talking heads are screaming, turn them off and heal yourself with love. Better yet, sell or give away your television. Remember, for every act of hate there are millions of acts of love. For every act of greed, there are millions of acts of generosity. For every delusion, there is a wise alternative.

So, while we should not cloud our mind with drugs and alcohol, sex and food, money and power, we should also work very hard to notice our vulnerability and protect our loving hearts.
Do not ingest intoxicants: Respect and value clarity of mind and health of body.

Be well.