The Guardians Of The World: Hiri And Ottappa

This reflection is on what are known as the Guardians of the World. In the Pali, they are called Hiri and Ottappa. They are like our moral compass or like guardrails in the mind where they alert us in a way when we are about to cause harm. So they don’t feel good in the body. They are like a warning.

Transcript

Last week, As we were exploring the Dharma of money, Our friend and practitioner, Charles Lee, Brought up an important understanding that I was inspired to explore, Because I haven't heard much about it in my practice, Other than the way that it's been framed, Which is sila, Ethics. But these are what are known as the guardians of the world. So pretty important, Right? In the Pali, The language of the Buddha, They're called hiri and otapa, Hiri and otapa. So in my practice over these years, I've learned a lot about Buddhist ethics. Like I said, They're known as sila in the Pali. And these guardians of the world, These are like, They're internal, They're a felt sense that support our ethical life. Really, They're like a moral compass, Or one way I've heard it described as sort of like guardrails in the mind, Where they alert us in a sense of when we're about to cause harm. So just to know, Hiri and otapa don't feel like pleasant in the body. They're like warning signs. Maybe the stomach tightens, Or there's a tightness or a bracing against experience. For me, It's been like heat, Heat and tightness, Often a bit of a pressure in the mind. It's like something is off. It doesn't feel good. When I'm about to do something that could cause harm, Or if I have done something that has caused harm, I can feel it. It's not a wholesome and supportive experience in the body. It's not wholesome for my growth in practice. So just as a reminder, All of the path factors which we've been discussing in our Wednesday group are based all of the path factors are based on speech and conduct that frees us from harm. So speech and conduct free from harm. Keep this in mind. Keep this in mind. So how hiri and otapa are translated in English are not understood in the same way that they are represented in the Pali language in their original form. So hiri is commonly translated as moral shame. And in English, Shame is understood as a kind of self aversion. Right? If you think about when you've experienced shame. So this is where the translation gets a little bit murky, Because it's not adequate as an understanding through the Dharma. In the Dharma, Hiri is not at all about self aversion. It's actually considered a wholesome state, A wholesome attitude of the mind. So here's what the translator and teacher Bhikkhu Bodhi wrote about about hiri. This is a personal sense of conscience and internal reference that our words and behavior don't feel right. This hiri is rooted in self respect. It induces us to shrink away from wrongdoing out of a feeling of integrity. So what he's saying is that hiri is a healthy form of sensitivity, Being sensitive. So as I was looking at this topic, I had many examples of this coming up for me in my own life. Examples of causing harm, Mainly before I started on this path of practice, But also after. You know, If you think about things in your own life, It's those actions that we've taken that are hard to live with. I'm sure that we all have some example of that. So we might have the intention to speak out on some injustice or some view that we think is wrong. But when it's accompanied with ill will, Or anger or blame, There's that moment when we can say to ourselves, Don't go there. We want to hold back those words that will cause harm to ourselves or to other people. So hiri is the is that, Oh, Don't go there. It's, And in it, It respects our own dignity, Knowing that if we speak, Or act, It will lead to a mess. So in that way, Hiri is this form of renunciation. It's this sense of being conscious or conscientious. So when we think back into our past, Where we may have done something harmful, Or wrong, Like morally wrong, That experience, That feeling, It's very close to shame. There's a lot of ignorance within it. So this warning of hiri comes as a feeling tone. And it serves as a physical reminder. You can feel the energy when you're about to do something that may hurt yourself or others. So be aware, Conscious, Knowing what it feels like. It's like a mindfulness spell. For me in that I often think of it in the sense of like, In the Zen tradition, It's the backward step. It's the taking the backward step. And we've talked about that before. And otepa. Otepa is understood as fear of wrongdoing. And it's been translated also in this way that's not quite accurate as moral dread. So it's more about the external fear or the result of wrongdoing. It's also like the voice of our conscious that warns us of the consequences of our moral transgression, Like the blame that will come, The punishment by others, The painful karmic results of our moral transgression. So if we break the harmony of our community, Otepa is dreading the difficulties that will come because of that. An example of this, From my own experience, Is some years ago, We had these shoots from cottonwood trees that were bordering our street. And they were really unhealthy. And their bark looked just sick and worn where the deer used the shoots as kind of a scratching post. And they were growing in a way that was not upright. They were crooked and just didn't look healthy. So I was having a tree on my property looked at by the town arborist because the tree was sick and it probably needed to be removed. So while the arborist was inspecting the tree, I asked them to remove these shoots from across our property. And the arborist looked at them also and agreed that they were not healthy and removed them. Well, My neighbor came out of her home and railed against me. She didn't want the shoots removed. The shoots were on town property, But they were adjacent to her property. And I didn't ask her. And she was so so upset. And she even said to me, Shame on you. And I felt that deep moral shame. You know, Although I've spent a lot of time reestablishing this relationship, There is still a heartache for having done this. It was disrespectful. And it was selfish and self serving. So it's so important to be careful. So important. So hiri and otepa, I think it's important to note that these are listed in the Buddhist psychology, Which is also called the Abhidharma. It's a it's a major text in the Buddhist psychology. Buddhist teaching. And these two are listed as part of the 25 beautiful, Wholesome mental factors. Because if we use them as guardians, We will likely act from a wholesome place. So I learned about hiri and otepa through the doorway of sila, Of ethical conduct. And this, The cause of hiri to arise in the body is, Is a respect for ourselves. Like, Oh, I don't want to compromise my ethical conduct. And the cause for otepa to arise is a respect for others. I don't want to cause harm. So, From my example, You know, We can see that we may not do this perfectly. But these guardians, They're like inner mentors for us. We just learn to listen. So I'll end with a quote from Mahasi Sayadaw. He's the grandfather teacher to many of my teachers. He says, You should protect your morality with great care, Just as you would protect your very life. You should not be negligent with your behavior, Thinking that you can correct it later. You might die at any time. If you purposefully and properly protect your morality, Then you will have a clear conscience and you will experience joy, Delight, Tranquility, Happiness and peace.