Envy Stinginess Regret
Introduction
There are three akusala dhammas which can arise only with dosa-mūla-citta, citta rooted in aversion, namely: envy (issā), stinginess (macchariya) and regret (kukkucca). Aversion tends to arise often, both in sense-door processes and in mind-door processes, because we have accumulated so much aversion. Dosa-mūla-citta is always accompanied by unpleasant feeling. We may notice that we have aversion and unpleasant feeling, but we should also come to know other defilements which can arise with dosa-mūla-citta, namely: envy, stinginess and regret. These akusala cetasikas can, one at a time, accompany dosa-mūla-citta. This does not mean that dosa-mūla-citta is always accompanied by one of these three akusala cetasikas. Sometimes dosa-mūla-citta is accompanied by one of these three and sometimes it is not accompanied by any of them. I shall now deal with these three akusala cetasikas.
Envy (issā}
As regards envy or jealousy, this can arise when someone else receives a pleasant object. At such a moment we may wonder why he receives a pleasant object and why we don’t. Envy is always accompanied by unpleasant feeling, because it can only arise with dosa-mūla-citta, with the citta which dislikes the object which is experienced. We dislike unpleasant feeling, but merely disliking it does not help us to have kusala citta instead of akusala citta. We should know the different types of defilements which can arise with akusala citta. It is useful to study their characteristics, functions, manifestations and proximate causes. When we see how ugly defilements are and when we understand their danger, we are reminded to develop satipaṭṭhāna which is the only way to eradicate them. There is no other way.
The Atthasālinī (II, Book I, Part IX, Chapter III, 257) gives the following definition of envy: …It has the characteristic of envying, of not enduring the prosperity of others, the function of taking no delight in such prosperity, the manifestation of turning one’s face from such prosperity, the proximate cause being such prosperity; and it should be regarded as a fetter.
The Visuddhimagga (XIV, 172) gives a similar definition(124).
The proximate cause of envy is someone else’s prosperity. When there is jealousy one cannot stand it that others receive pleasant objects. At that moment there cannot be “sympathetic joy” (muditā). We may be jealous when someone else receives a gift, when he receives honour or praise because of his good qualities or his wisdom. When there is jealousy we do not want someone else to be happy and we may even wish that he will lose the pleasant objects or the good qualities he possesses.
Envy is dangerous. When it is strong it can motivate akusala kamma patha (unwholesome course of action) and this is capable of producing an unhappy rebirth. One may, because of jealousy, even kill someone else.
We all have accumulated jealousy and thus it is bound to arise. It is useful to notice the moments of jealousy, also when it is of a slight degree. We may be jealous when someone else is praised. We want to be praised ourselves and we do not want to be overlooked, we find ourselves important. In reality there is no self, only nāma and rūpa which arise because of their own conditions. The sotāpanna has right understanding of realities, he knows that there is no person who can receive or possess pleasant objects. He realizes that all experiences are only conditioned realities which do not stay and do not belong to a self. He has no more conditions for jealousy, he has eradicated it.
When we see the disadvantages of envy we will cultivate conditions for having it less often. Sympathetic joy, muditā, is the opposite of envy. Muditā is sympathetic joy in someone else’s prosperity and happiness. The Buddha taught us different ways of developing wholesomeness and the development of sympathetic joy is one of them. At first it may be difficult to rejoice in other people’s happiness, but when we appreciate the value of sympathetic joy there are conditions for its arising. It can gradually become our nature to rejoice in other people’s happiness. When there is sympathetic joy, the citta is kusala citta. Each kusala citta is accompanied by non-attachment, alobha, non-hate, adosa, and it may be accompanied by right understanding or without it. Envy cannot be eradicated by sympathetic joy, even if we have many moments of it. Only right understanding of nāma and rūpa can eventually eradicate envy.
Stinginess (macchariya)
Stinginess or avarice, macchariya, is another akusala cetasika which can arise with dosa-mūla-citta. It does not arise with every dosa-mūla-citta, but when it arises it accompanies dosa-mūla-citta. When there is stinginess there is also aversion towards the object which is experienced at that moment and the feeling is unpleasant feeling. Stinginess cannot arise with lobha-mūla-citta or with moha-mūla-citta.
The Atthasālinī (II, Book I, Part IX, Chapter II, 257) gives the following definition of avarice (meanness):
It has, as characteristic, the concealing of one’s property, either attained or about to be attained; the not enduring the sharing of one’s property in common with others, as function; the shrinking from such sharing or niggardliness or sour feeling as manifestation; one’s own property as proximate cause; and it should be regarded as mental ugliness.
The Visuddhimagga (XIV, 173) gives a similar definition.
When there is stinginess there is a cramped state of mind, one cannot stretch out one’s hand in order to give a gift. The proximate cause of avarice is one’s own property, whereas, as we have seen, the proximate cause of envy is someone else’s prosperity. When there is avarice one is unable to share what one has (or will acquire) with someone else.
There are five kinds of objects on account of which stinginess can arise. We read in the Dhammasangaṇi (par1122) in its definition of the fetter of meanness:
The five meannesses, (to wit) meanness as regards dwelling, families, gifts, reputation, dhamma—all this sort of meanness, grudging, mean spirit, avarice and ignobleness, niggardliness and want of generosity of heart—this is called the fetter of meanness.
The Atthasālinī (II, Book II, Part II, Chapter II, 376), in its explanation of the words of the Dhammasangaṇi, states that the mean person also hinders someone else from giving. Stinginess can motivate one to try to persuade someone else, for example one’s husband or wife, to give less or not to give at all. We read in the Atthasālinī :
A “niggardly” person seeing mendicants causes his mind to shrink as by sourness. His state is “niggardliness”. Another way (of definition):- “niggardliness is a “spoon-feeding”. For when the pot is full to the brim, one takes food from it by a spoon with the edge bent on all sides; it is not possible to get a spoonful; so is the mind of a mean person bent in. When it is bent in, the body also is bent in, recedes, is not diffused—thus stinginess is said to be niggardliness.
“Lack of generosity of heart” is the state of a mind which is shut and gripped, so that it is not stretched out in the mode of making gifts, etc., in doing service to others. But because the mean person wishes not to give to others what belongs to himself, and wishes to take what belongs to others, therefore this meanness should be understood to have the characteristic of hiding or seizing one’s own property, occurring thus: “May it be for me and not for another”…
As regards the five kinds of objects one can be stingy about(125), the Atthasālinī (II, Book II, Part II, Chapter II, 373-375) explains about these five kinds and mentions that there is no stinginess if one does not want to share these things with a person who will use them in the wrong way or with a bhikkhu who will disgrace the Sangha.
As regards stinginess about dwelling, the “dwelling” can be a monastery, a single room or any place where one stays, no matter whether it is big or small. We can be stingy with regard to any place where we are comfortable, such as a corner in a room or a seat.
As regards stinginess about “family”, this can be a family of servitors to a monastery or one’s relatives. A bhikkhu who is stingy does not want another bhikkhu to approach a family he usually visits, because he does not want to share with someone else the goods he receives. We may be stingy not only with regard to things, but also with regard to words of praise. For example, when we, together with others, have accomplished a work of charity, we may only want to be praised ourselves; we may not want to share honour and praise with others, although they deserve to be praised as well. We should scrutinize ourselves as to this form of stinginess; we should find out whether it is easy for us to praise others. If we understand that praising someone’s virtues is an act of generosity, we will more often remember to do this when the opportunity arises. When we praise someone else there is no room for stinginess. There are many different ways of kusala and in our daily life there are opportunities right at hand for one kind of kusala or other, no matter whether we are alone or with other people.
Someone may be stingy as to Dhamma. He may not want to share Dhamma with others because he is afraid that they will acquire the same amount of knowledge as he himself or even more. The sotāpanna who has realized the four noble Truths, has eradicated all forms of stinginess. He wishes everyone to know and realize the Dhamma he has realized himself. Those who are non-ariyans may have stinginess as to Dhamma. However, there may be good reasons for not teaching Dhamma. One should not teach Dhamma to someone who is bound to abuse the Dhamma and to interpret it wrongly, or to someone who will erroneously take himself for an arahat because of his knowledge. There is no stinginess if one does not teach Dhamma to such persons, because one acts then out of consideration for the Dhamma or out of consideration for people.
In the ultimate sense there are no things we can possess, there are only nāma and rūpa. If we remember this we can see that it is foolish to think that realities which arise and fall away belong to us and that we can keep them. Why are we stingy about what does not belong to us? We cannot take our possessions, our money with us when we die. Human life is so short and we waste many opportunities for kusala because of our stinginess. In the absolute sense there is no self, no person who can possess anything. Our life consists of nāma and rūpa which arise and fall away. Life is actually one moment of experiencing an object; this moment falls away and is succeeded by a next moment which is different again. We cannot possess visible object or hardness. They are only rūpas which do not stay and do not belong to us. When understanding has been developed more there will be less stinginess. The sotāpanna who sees nāma and rūpa as they are, as impermanent and not self, has no more conditions for stinginess.
We should find out why we are stingy. We do not want to give things away because we fear that our possessions will decrease, but then we are likely to suffer from the very things we are afraid of. The experience of objects through the senses is vipāka, the result of kamma. We read in the Kindred Sayings (I, Sagāthā-vagga, Chapter I, The Devas, Part 4, par2, Avarice) that devas of the Satullapa group came to see the Buddha and spoke to him about avarice and generosity. One among them said:
The five kinds of avarice can motivate akusala kamma which is capable of producing an unhappy rebirth or akusala vipāka in the course of one’s life: one may have to endure hardship, poverty, disease and dishonour. The Atthasālinī, in the section about meanness (375) speaks about the unpleasant results produced by the five kinds of stinginess and states about the results of stinginess with regard to praise and to Dhamma:
…one who extols his own praises and not those of others; who mentions this and that fault of anyone saying, “What praise does he deserve?” and does not impart any doctrine of learning to him, becomes ugly, or has a mouth dripping with saliva…
The person who has a mouth dripping with saliva cannot speak in a pleasant way and is ugly to look at, therefore people do not like to listen to him. Further on the Atthasālinī states that the result of stinginess with regard to praise can also be that one is born without beauty or reputation. Owing to stinginess with regard to Dhamma one may also be reborn in one of the hell planes, the “hot-ash hell”.
So long as one has not become a sotāpanna there are opportunities for the arising of stinginess. Some people have stinginess more often than others, or someone may have stinginess as to certain objects, such as money, but not as to other objects, such as praise or Dhamma; it all depends on people’s accumulations. But even if someone is very stingy by nature, his attitude can be changed. Through right understanding one can learn to develop generosity.
We read in the commentary to the Sudhābhojana-Jātaka (Jātakas, Book V, no. 535) about a monk in the Buddha’s time who practised the utmost generosity. He gave away his food and even if he received something to drink which was merely sufficient to fill the hollow of his hand, he would, free from greed, still give it away. But formerly he used to be so stingy that “he would not give so much as a drop of oil on the tip of a blade of grass”. The Buddha spoke about one of this monk’s former lives when he was the miser Kosiya and this is the story of the “Sudhābhojana Jātaka”.
Kosiya did not keep up the tradition of almsgiving of his ancestors and lived as a miser. One day he had craving for rice-porridge. When his wife suggested that she would cook rice-porridge not only for him but also for all the inhabitants of Vārānasi, he felt “just as if he had been struck on the head with a stick”. As we have read in the definition of avarice in the Atthasālinī, its manifestation is “the shrinking from such sharing, or niggardliness or sour feeling…” When there is avarice there is always unpleasant feeling, there cannot be any happiness.
We then read in the Jātaka that Kosiya’s wife subsequently offered to cook for a single street, for the attendants in his house, for the family, for the two of them, but he turned down all her offers. He wanted to cook porridge only for himself, in the forest, so that nobody else could see it. We should remember that the characteristic of stinginess is the concealing of one’s property. One wants to hide it because one does not want to share it.
We then read in the Jātaka that the Bodhisatta who was at that time the god Sakka wanted to convert him and came to him with four attendants disguised as brahmins. One by one they approached the miser and begged for some of his porridge. Sakka spoke the following stanza, praising generosity (387):
Kosiya reluctantly offered some porridge to them. Then one of the brahmins changed himself into a dog. The dog made water and a drop of it fell on Kosiya’s hand. Kosiya went to the river to wash and then the dog made water in Kosiya’s cooking pot. When Kosiya threatened him he changed into a “blood horse” and pursued Kosiya. Then Sakka and his attendants stood in the air and Sakka preached to Kosiya out of compassion and warned him of an unhappy rebirth. Kosiya came to understand the danger of stinginess. He gave away all his possessions and became an ascetic.
At the end of the Jātaka the Buddha said: “Not now only, monks, but of old also I converted this niggardly fellow who was a confirmed miser”.
Right understanding sees the danger of akusala and it conditions the development of kusala. When we still cling so much to our possessions and are stingy with regard to them it will be all the more difficult to become detached from the self. We should develop generosity in giving away useful things and also in praising those who deserve praise. We should see the value of all kinds of kusala. When the citta is kusala citta there is no stinginess, but stinginess can only be eradicated by the development of right understanding of any reality which appears.
Regret (kukkucca)
Regret or worry, kukkucca, is another akusala cetasika which can arise with dosa-mūla-citta. It does not arise with every dosa-mūla-citta, but when it arises, it arises only with dosa-mūla-citta. It cannot arise with lobha-mūla-citta or with moha-mūla-citta. When there is regret there is also aversion towards the object which is experienced at that moment. Therefore, the feeling which accompanies kukkucca is always unpleasant feeling.
The Atthasālinī (II, Book II, Part IX, Chapter III, 258) gives the following definition of kukkucca:
…It has repentance as characteristic, sorrow at deeds of commission and omission as function, regret as manifestation, deeds of commission and omission as proximate cause, and it should be regarded as a state of bondage.
The Visuddhimagga (XIV, 174) gives a similar definition.
The characteristic of kukkucca is repentance. Repentance is generally considered a virtue, but the reality of kukkucca is not wholesome, it arises with dosa-mūla-citta. Kukkucca which “regrets” the commission of evil and the omission of kusala is different from wholesome thinking about the disadvantages of akusala and the value of kusala. The conventional term “worry” which is also used as translation of kukkucca may not be clear either. When we say that we worry, it may not be the reality of kukkucca but it may be thinking with aversion about an unpleasant object without there being kukkucca. For example, we may worry about the way how to solve a problem in the future; this kind of worry is not the reality of kukkucca.
If we take note of the proximate cause of kukkucca we will better understand what kukkucca is. The proximate cause of kukkucca is akusala kamma through body, speech and mind which has been committed and also kusala kamma through body, speech and mind which has been omitted. We read in the Dhammasangaṇi (par1304 and 1305):
Which are the states that conduce to remorse?:
Misconduct in act, word and thought. Besides, all bad states conduce to remorse.
Which are the states that do not conduce to remorse?
Good conduct in act, word and thought. Besides, no good states (absence of good states) conduce to remorse.
The Atthasālinī (II, Book II, Part II, Chapter II, 389, 390) explains this passage of the Dhammasangaṇi:
In the exposition of the couplet of what “conduces to remorse” (Dhammasangaṇi, par1304), “remorse” arises from what has been done and what has been left undone. Acts of misconduct burn from commission, acts of good conduct burn from omission. Thus a person feels remorse (literally: burns) at the thought, “I have misconducted myself”, “I have left undone the right act”; “I have spoken amiss”, …I have left undone the right thoughts”. Similarly with what does not “conduce to remorse”. Thus a person doing good does not feel remorse over acts of commission or omission.
When we have slandered or spoken harsh words there may be remorse about it afterwards. There can also be remorse about our neglectfulness of kusala, we often waste opportunities for kusala. We may be stingy when there is an opportunity for giving or for praising someone who deserves praise. Or we are neglectful as to the development of right understanding of realities. As a consequence of our omission of kusala regret may arise.
We read in the Middle Length Sayings (III, 129, Discourse on Fools and the Wise) about the anguishes which may be experienced by a fool who has done wrong deeds through body, speech and mind. He experiences anguish because other people talk about his akusala, and thus he acquires a bad name. He fears punishment for his evil deeds and therefore he experiences anguish. Moreover, he has remorse because of his evil deeds and his neglectfulness as to kusala. We read:
And again, monks, while a fool is on a chair or bed or lying on the ground, at such a time those evil deeds that he has formerly wrongly done by body, speech and thought rest on him, lie on him, settle on him. Monks, as at eventide the shadows of the great mountain peaks rest, lie and settle on earth, so, monks, do these evil deeds that the fool has formerly wrongly done by body, speech and thought rest, lie and settle on him as he is on a chair or bed or lying on the ground. Thereupon, monks, it occurs thus to the fool: ”Indeed what is lovely has not been done by me, what is skilled has not been done, no refuge against fearful (consequences) has been made, evil has been done, cruelty has been done, violence has been done. Insofar as there is a bourn for those who have not done what is lovely, have not done what is skilled, have not made a refuge against fearful (consequences), who have done evil, cruelty and violence, to that bourn I am going hereafter”. He grieves, mourns, laments, beats his breast, wails and falls into disillusionment…
The committing of akusala kamma and the omitting of kusala kamma is a condition for remorse and because of this remorse one is unhappy, one does not have peace of mind. Akusala kamma can produce an unhappy rebirth and also unpleasant experiences through the senses in the course of life.
Regret is one of the “hindrances” (nīvaraṇas) and as such it forms a pair with restlessness, uddhacca. The “hindrances” are akusala cetasikas which hinder the performing of kusala. When regret arises there cannot be kusala at that moment.
We read in the definition of regret that it should be regarded as a state of bondage. The citta with regret is not free, it is enslaved. At such a moment there is no peacefulness, no happiness.
If one has not studied the Dhamma and if one does not know about the different types of citta which arise there are less conditions for the cultivation of kusala. If kusala is not developed there are more akusala cittas and thus also more opportunities for the arising of remorse.
The monk who has to observe the rules of the Vinaya may have worry with regard to his observance of these rules. He may have scruples and he may even wrongly assume that he transgresses a rule or that he observes a rule. Worry and doubt may arise because of this. We read in the Dhammasangaṇi (Chapter IX, par1161):
What is worry (kukkucca)?
Consciousness of what is lawful in something that is unlawful; consciousness of what is unlawful in something that is lawful(126) ; consciousness of what is immoral in something that is moral; consciousness of what is moral in something that is immoral—all this sort of worry, fidgeting, overscrupulousness, remorse of conscience, mental scarifying- this is what is called worry.
It is hard to eradicate regret. Even the sotāpanna may still have regret, although he has no conditions for regret on account of akusala kamma which is of the intensity to produce an unhappy rebirth; he has eradicated the tendencies to such evil deeds. The sotāpanna still has lobha-mūla-citta, dosa-mūla-citta and moha-mūla-citta. He does not have dosa-mūla-citta with envy or stinginess, but dosa-mūla-citta still arises, and sometimes it may be accompanied by regret. He may speak harshly, or he may have laziness as to the performing of kusala, and on account of this regret can arise. The sotāpanna is bound to have regret less often than those who are non-ariyans. When one has not attained enlightenment one may be often inclined to brood over the past. The sotāpanna has developed the four “Applications of Mindfulness”, and thus he has less conditions than the non-ariyan to worry about the past. When regret arises he realizes that it is only a conditioned dhamma, saṅkhāra dhamma, and he does not take it for self.
We still consider regret as “my regret”. We regret our akusala and our lack of mindfulness. If we realize that thinking with worry is not helpful it may be a condition to cultivate kusala. When there is forgetfulness of realities we should remember that it is a conditioned reality, not self. We should know the characteristics of akusala dhammas which arise as not self. Then there will be less regret.
According to the Visuddhimagga (XXII, 71) the anāgāmī has eradicated regret completely(127). For him dosa-mūla-citta does not arise anymore and thus regret cannot arise either.
We should not only know the characteristic of dosa, but also the characteristics of other akusala cetasikas which can arise with dosa-mūla-citta: envy, stinginess and regret. As we have seen, dosa-mūla-citta can be accompanied by only one of these three akusala cetasikas at a time; they cannot arise simultaneously. They may or may not arise when dosa-mūla-citta arises. Sometimes there is dosa-mūla-citta without any of these three akusala cetasikas, sometimes there is dosa-mūla-citta accompanied by one of these three. We will come to know the characteristics of the different defilements more clearly by being mindful of them.
Questions
Why can envy arise only with dosa-mūla-citta?
Why is it helpful to cultivate the wholesome quality of sympathetic
joy (muditā)?
Who has eradicated envy?
Can suffering from hunger and thirst be a result of stinginess?
Can those who are very stingy by nature learn to become less stingy?
In what way?
Who has eradicated stinginess?
What is the proximate cause of regret?
In what way can akusala kamma cause sorrow both in this world and
the next?
Who has eradicated regret completely?
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