Buddhist Parable of the Poisoned Arrow
Buddha answers the question in the parable about why he maintains a noble silence. He says, “Because all this is useless, it has nothing to do with real Dhamma, it does not lead to cessation of passion [grasping and agitation], to peace, to supreme wisdom, and the holy life, to Nirvana. That is why I have not taught all this” (Lugenbehl). The questions that Malunkyaputta asks such as what the man looked like: his height, weight, skin color, his tribe and his status in life are all unnecessary to know about another person according to Buddha. What is important to know is what the Buddha said, “He will die” (Lugenbehl). We will all die. We all suffer, and we can all help to relieve each other’s suffering. By doing so, we relieve our own.
Buddhism does not answer these “important” questions because in the scheme of things they do not matter. Other religions answer those questions. Some talk about the importance of doing good deeds while on earth so that a person can be accepted into heaven. Others talk about having their sins forgiven by Jesus. The answer they have is, “You must accept Jesus to find eternal peace and happiness.” Some religions say that by following a particular book or a particular representative of God is the answer. However, no experience, no book, no representative can provide the same results as Buddhism can because Buddhism places the impetus on the individual to do the thing that will provide the answers. Buddhism’s answer is to accept that we all suffer and try to go about alleviating others’ suffering and thereby alleviating one’s own. The other answers that Buddhism could provide are not important for doing the things that will bring people happiness and peace.
Suffering, according to Buddha, is caused by people’s greediness and their desires. They want to grab everything they can for themselves. They are never satisfied with what is provided. They always want more, and this constant wanting causes them unhappiness and leaves them stirred up inside so that they cannot experience peace. People can break this mold and stop acting in this way, but society has taught that it is the person with the most things and money that is the happiest. Buddha said that once a person comes to the realization that they do not need things, then they find true peace and contentment.
Buddha also promoted the Noble Eightfold Path, which is basically a way to help one’s self break free from their greedy and unsatisfied human nature. The eight parts are right understanding, right intentions, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration. Right understanding refers to knowing that even thinking about doing something unethical will have a negative impact on one’s life. That means a person should have only positive thoughts and actions. Right intentions refers to the realization that acts are sometime preceded by the same greedy, self-centered behavior that makes us suffer, so having the right intention when one is acting is important.
The right speech refers to being truthful and to recognizing that the way one speaks is important. Words have power and can cause consequences one does not want to have. The same goes for actions. Basically, a person should not kill, steal, lie, be drunk or high, or engage in sexual misconduct. These acts are destructive not only to one’s self, but also to others, and they add to the suffering in the world. Having the right job is also important. That does not mean that a minimum wage worker is not alleviating suffering. It means that one should have an ethical job. One should also make an effort to try to live within the precepts of Buddhism. Having the right mindfulness refers to developing the presence of mind to recognize what to do in situations so one does not increase the suffering in the world. This mindfulness can be developed through meditation, and paying attention to one’s breathing, walking and the sensations that one feels. Having the right concentration refers to having focus on the important things in life that help one to alleviate others’ suffering and their own.
The Noble Eightfold Path is the way that humans can find the answers to the “unanswered questions” that plague many in this world. Since our lives are so short, they should be held precious to each and everyone of us. That means that one’s life should matter. By attempting to alleviate the suffering of others, and alleviating your own by doing so, one can lead a meaningful life. When it comes time to die, a person who has not concerned themselves with the questions about others and about life that do not really matter, will have peace of mind. They will not worry about what comes next because they will have already had a good life through their actions, efforts, speech, concentration and so on.
Buddha did not mean that by following the Noble Eightfold Path a person would become rich or famous or get all the things his or her heart desires. Buddha meant that the person would learn to not worry about the questions that Malunkyaputta asked because the answers do not lead to peace and satisfaction. They lead to more clamoring and trying to fulfill the demands that the questions imply in other religions.
Work Cited
Lugenbehl, Dale, ed. The Dhammapada. Trans. P. Lal. New York: Noonday Press, 1967. Print. 29 October 2019.
