Four Types of People
The Buddha said: “I see four types of people in this world. The
first type is running from darkness towards darkness. The second is running
from brightness towards darkness. The third is running from darkness towards
brightness. And the fourth is running from brightness towards brightness.”
The Buddha did not speak in riddles. His teaching is clear and well-explained. Svākkhāto bhagavatā dhammo.
Whenever he said something that people might not understand properly, he
explained it immediately. What is darkness? What is brightness? How does one
keep on running from one to the other?
1. From darkness to
darkness:
All around there is darkness, a life of darkness, a life of misery. One is
suffering in different ways—physically, mentally, materially and because of
problems in the family or society. There is no happiness at all. And yet, there
is no trace of wisdom within. So every moment, this person is generating
nothing but anger, hatred and ill will.:
“I am suffering because of this person, because of this incident, because of
this cause.” One generates aversion towards that person or cause. This misery
is the result of past kammas of
aversion, and now, one is planting more seeds of aversion. There is already so
much darkness in one’s life and one is planting more seeds of darkness. These
seeds of anger, hatred, ill will bring nothing but misery in the future. So the
future will also be full of misery. The present is misery, the future is
misery. The present is darkness, the future is darkness. So such a person is
running from darkness to darkness.
2. From brightness towards
darkness:
There is brightness all around in one’s life. There is happiness today because
of material wealth, good health and prestige in society. But there is no wisdom
within. So one becomes arrogant because of all this wealth, power and status
and feels contempt for others.
“These poor people are all useless. I am so smart; I have got so much money,
position, power, status.”
Because of some good kammas of
the past, there is brightness all around. Sooner or later, this will come to an
end. But every moment, one is planting seeds of egotism, seeds of aversion,
seeds of misery, seeds of darkness. These seeds of negativity will result in
darkness in the future, misery in the future. Thus this person is running from
brightness towards darkness.
3. From darkness towards
brightness:
The third type of person is in exactly the same position as the one in the
first group. There is hardship all around, darkness all around in the present
but there is wisdom inside. One keeps on smiling.
“Oh, this hardship has come because of some past bad kammas of mine. Somebody
seems to be the apparent cause of my misery. Certainly, this person is not the
real cause of my misery. This person has just become a vehicle. May he or she
not have to suffer because of these misdeeds! This hardship was bound to come
through this person or through some other person because of my own past kammas. Now I will not plant new seeds
of misery.”
So one generates only love and compassion towards such people. One is planting
seeds of love, of compassion. Now there is darkness, but the future is full of
brightness. Sooner or later this darkness will go and then there will be only
brightness. One is planting seeds of brightness, which will bring brightness in
the future, happiness in the future.
4. From brightness towards
brightness:
At present, one’s life is filled with brightness, filled with happiness. One
enjoys the happiness of material wealth, all worldly comforts, and prestige in
society. But there is wisdom and one keeps on understanding:
“All this success is because of some good kammas of the past. And
whatever good kamma I
might have done, they are not eternal, their fruit is not eternal, sooner or
later it will come to an end. So, I must make best use of all this money,
position, power, status that I have now for the good of others. As a
householder, it is my duty to use my wealth for the maintenance of my family
and those who depend on me. Whatever remains, I must use for the good of
others, for the benefit of others. May more and more people get pure Dhamma!
May more and more people develop wisdom! May more and more people be liberated
from their suffering!”
So one generates love, compassion, and goodwill all the time. All actions—vocal,
physical, and mental—are for the good of others. One plants seeds of
brightness. From happiness one is running towards happiness; from brightness,
one is running towards brightness.
We should not be like the people in the first or the second group. We must be
like the people in the third or the fourth group. Whether third or fourth, this
is not in our control. Sometimes, life may be full of darkness, full of
suffering because of the past kammas. At other times, life may be full of brightness
because of the past kammas.
There is happiness or unhappiness in life because of the results of past good
and bad kammas.
Irrespective of whether there is happiness or sorrow, brightness or darkness,
we will develop brightness within. We will not make any new saṅkhāras that will
produce suffering in the future, darkness in the future. This is what we learn
from Vipassana.
The Buddha said:
Attā hi attano nātho, attā hi
attano gati.
One is one’s own master;
One is the master of one’s own future.
The present is nothing but the child of the past. Whatever you have done in the
past is done. But you are the master of the present. Try not to generate a
single saṅkhāra that
will bring misery for you. The future is the child of the present. Be master of
the present. Let your present be full of Dhamma. Then, the future will
automatically be full of happiness. There will be no darkness in the future.
Develop this mastery of the present moment. This is Vipassana. Understand the
technique properly and get established in the technique. You have to be aware
of the sensations and be equanimous to the sensation. Leave the rest to Dhamma.
The results are bound to be good. Keep growing in Dhamma, keep growing in
Dhamma. Dhamma is so great, so wonderful.
May you all get the best fruits of Dhamma! May you all enjoy real happiness,
real peace, real harmony!
Bhavatu sabba maṅgalaṃ—May
all beings be happy!
SSayings of Sayagyi U Ba Khin
* The world is facing serious problems. It is just the right time
for everyone to take to Vipassana meditation and learn how to find a deep pool
of quiet in the midst of all that is happening today.
* Just as the light of a candle has the power to dispel darkness in a room, so
also the light developed in one man can help dispel darkness in several others.
* What is happiness? For all that science has achieved in the field of
materialism, are the peoples of the world happy? They may find sensual
pleasures off and on, but in their hearts of hearts, they are not happy when
they realise what has happened, and what may happen next. Why? This is because,
while man has mastery over matter, he is still lacking in mastery over his
mind.
* A balanced mind is necessary to balance the unbalanced minds of others.
* To imagine that good can be done by the means of evil is an illusion, a
nightmare.
* For progress in Vipassana meditation, a student must keep knowing anicca as
continuously as possible. ...Continuous awareness of anicca, and so of dukkha and anattā, is the secret of success. The
last words of the Buddha just before he breathed his last and passed away into
mahaparinibbāna were: “Decay (or anicca)
is inherent in all component things. Work out your own salvation with
diligence.” This is, in fact, the essence of all his teachings during the forty-five
years of his ministry. If you will keep up the awareness of the anicca that is inherent in
all component things, you are sure to reach the goal in the course of time.
