Back
in the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church taught these as positive qualities for
human beings to cultivate if they sought a heavenly rebirth. They taught these
virtues as antidotes to their corresponding vices (the "Seven Deadly
Sins").
We
don't think much about these seven virtues today, or value them, but I feel
that that is a shame. As I do think these virtues are of great utility, and that by meditating on them we find that
they are in fact objectively good and worth pursuing.
I
think that life teaches that the seven vices do lead to misery or states of pain, while the virtues on the other
hand lead to peace or states of joy. The virtues promote health, well being,
and good relationships with others. They also help the spiritual seeker to
detach himself from the world, matter, and form - as well as grow in
selflessness. So, I thought I would briefly reflect on these qualities here.
The Seven Deadly Sins
1 Gluttony - This vice
means overindulgence in food and drink. We definitely see how it destroys the
body with obesity or with cirrhosis of the liver. In a more general sense it
could refer to "gluttony" about anything. This vice is founded on the
idea that the inner emptiness we feel as human beings can be remedied by
overindulgence in eating, when it can't be.
2 Greed - The
avaricious acquisition of wealth. This vice means having a world view that sees
money or property as the highest end - of seeing physical possessions as the
highest reality. Christ says that "one cannot serve both God and
Mammon" and that one should not "hoard one's possessions in barns on
the earth." The big problem I find with this one is it sees physical
reality as "real" or the "highest reality" possible for
human beings. It is only possible to be greedy if one believes this, and on
reflection that just isn't true.
3 Lust - Excessive sexual indulgence. Here
I think a problem for us today is the legacy of this vice being exploited by
puritans. Appropriate sexual expression is absolutely healthy and natural to
human beings; this "vice" doesn't mean you have to deny your animal nature
but simply to avoid turning it into a vice like gluttony. "Lust" means
thinking sexual gratification can be ultimately satisfying, but similar to
gluttony this is untrue.
4 Sloth - Listlessness
or laziness. The proper medieval definition emphasized acedia or
"spiritual sloth": not working diligently on one's salvation. I think
in regard to this vice there is a balance that has to be made... I think here of
the story of "Martha and Mary" in the Bible. Martha was working all
day in the house while Mary was idling with Christ. Christ actually praised
Mary for her apparent idleness, but I think the lesson here is that life requires
a balance of the two - both work and rest - and that wisdom means practicing
both simultaneously.
5 Anger - This is one
that takes many years of work but it is an interesting one. If one pays
attention to whenever anger arises, it is possible to examine where it comes
from, drop it, and let it go. It is also possible to see if it is justifiable
anger or not. I think we often feel we can express our anger because it is an
emotion that rises in us... but often anger is simply an expression of our own
egoism, pusillanimity, or insecurity.
6 Envy - Envy and malice go hand in
hand, but they generally mean wishing ill to others or resenting the happiness
of others. Here I feel equanimity, good will, benevolence, compassion, or
sympathetic joy are all qualities that should be cultivated instead. I feel
that this vice mires one in sickness, negativity, and ugliness, and on
meditation the illogicality of this vice can be come to.
7 Pride - Excessive
belief in oneself or one's abilities, overconfidence in one's knowledge, mental
delusion, and so forth. Here I always think of the "pale blue dot" of
Carl Sagan. All of humanity is a trifling nothing in the face of the cosmos.
That can seem very frightening on the one hand, to admit we are so small, but I
feel it can also be deeply comforting and peaceful. If one embraces humility,
you can see us as a part of a vast, divine cosmos.
The Seven Heavenly Virtues
1 Temperance - Balance; particularly
in regard to food and drink, but more generally in regard to everything. Here I
think of Gurdjieff who once said that "'sin' is anything that is not
necessary." I quite like this quote. I think about it from time to time. I
ask myself, "what is necessary?" It is helpful when one wants to come
to "right action" in any situation.
2 Charity - Not to be
stingy but generous; to give one's possessions or time to others. I think this
is a supernatural virtue if rightly practiced. It can only be fully followed if
one believes (or knows) the unreality of this physical world. Then it is like
nothing for one to follow this. If one struggles with charity, one is still
fettered to form and matter.
3 Chastity - Here again it
is not the puritanical sense, but sexual expression in moderation, without it
turning into a vice or a practice that is harmful to others.
4 Industry - Or diligence.
The same as the above; embracing the "Martha and Mary" of
simultaneous work and rest.
5 Patience - When one has
overcome anger and replaced it with reason, one has patience.
6 Kindness - The remedy to
the above. Being benevolent or good willed toward others; not being negative or
jealous. Cultivating a positive mental state and kind intentions.
7 Humility -
Self-criticism, reflection, or playing down one's abilities or proficiencies. I
feel humility is the greatest remedy to delusion. Properly cultivated, it leads
to the "divine wisdom" of Socrates.
Brahma Viharas
This
is a last thought I had on this topic. The "brahma viharas" or
"divine abodes" were four mental qualities praised by the Buddha that
he said the cultivation of would inevitably lead to a positive rebirth. They
are benevolence, compassion, empathetic joy, and equanimity. I just find it
interesting how similar these are to the above. If one takes this practice
seriously, it may lead to very extraordinary results.
