I met up with an ex-student, now friend, who's a remisier, to pass him some books.
During our short meeting, he brought up the subject on gambling, dabbling with shares, etc.
In our conversation, he made a comment that The Buddha did not say we cannot gamble.
I told him he's right.
As I was going for class, our conversation ended and I left the topic as that.
When I reached home that night, I followed on from where we left off and reflected on it.
It's true The Buddha did not say we cannot gamble.
The Buddha was the most liberal teacher of His time.
And in my opinion, of time.
He never tells people what to do, or not to do.
He did not say you must do this, you can't do that.
He knows that the human mind is untamed, undisciplined and filled with the 3 poisons of anger, greed/lust and delusion.
What The Buddha taught was 'What's right (wholesome) and What's wrong (unwholesome) from a practical point of view.
(Read 'Kalama Sutta / What's Right, What's Wrong' - http://maitre-light.blogspot.com/2006/12/kalama-sutta-karma.html ).
He merely tells it as it is, and that is :
Unwholesome deeds (thoughts, speech, actions) will bring about fear, anger, hate etc, and therefore, suffering to one and all.
While wholesome deeds done to serve and benefit others will bring about greater peace and happiness to one and all.
As The Buddha himself said it so aptly,
"The Tathagatas only show the way. You yourself must make the effort."
Even the precepts which he laid down are just guidelines for us to lead a morally upright life.
The word is Refrain/Avoid.
They're not 'do-or-die' commandments.
Think about it : When you harm another being; talk bad/tell lies about others; steal from another; engage in sexual misconduct ( eg. adultery ); or take intoxicants - you only bring fear, anger, guilt, shame, pain and suffering to yourself and others.
How does it feel when you accidentally cut yourself?
Or when someone you love dies? (1st Precept : Refrain from harming, hurting and killing another being).
What about when you lost something? (2nd Precept : Refrain from taking what is not given - stealing).
When you hear or read stories about a spouse/partner being cheated by their other half, are they happy? Or do they and their children feel hurt, pain, betrayed, angry, resentful and jealous? (3rd Precept : Avoid sexual misconduct).
How do you feel when someone lie, cheat, or deceive you? Or spread malicious gossip about you? (4th Precept : Avoid false speech - lying and idle chatter).
And last but not least, have you ever come across someone who's so intoxicated that their behaviour brought fear, embarrassment, and maybe even disgust to others?
Not forgetting how the intoxicants cloud up our minds and mars our judgement that we may end up committing any one of the above.
Did I also mention that it is one of the reasons for being born stupid in the next life? (5th Precept : Avoid intoxicants).
In 'If' - http://maitre-light.blogspot.com/2007/08/if.html , I said that we can possess riches; Just remember never to allow riches to possess us.
To me, the question is not so much as 'should we' or 'shouldn't we'.
Rather, it's 'Can we let go ( When it's time to let go)?'
Can we stop ( When it's time to stop)?
Can we NOT allow it ( anger, greed/lust, delusion) to possess us?
In 'How Foolish Can We Get (Part 2) : The Trap' - http://maitre-light.blogspot.com/2008/02/how-foolish-can-we-get-part-2-trap.html , I said it's only a rare monkey who can let go.
At the end of the day, to me, it all boils down to one thing :
To each his own. You Do, You Be Responsible.
"One day, a man went to see God, lamenting about his losses from gambling and the stock market, and how he and his family are now suffering."
In a thunderous voice, God boomed, "Who asked you to gamble?!"
Afraid, the man cried, "It's the devil!"
"So go find the devil!" said God. "Why do you look for me for?! I didn't ask you to gamble, so I'm not responsible!"
So, the man went to see the devil.
"Oh you evil one! You bad one! It's all your fault. You tempt and asked me to gamble and now I'm broke and my family and I are suffering!"
At that, the devil laughing gleefully from cheek to cheek, replied,
"You're right! I did ask you to gamble ......... But you don't have to if you don't want to!"
"From craving springs grief,
From craving springs fear.
For one who's wholly free from craving,
There's no grief,
Much less fear."
- The Buddha.
"By oneself is evil done,
By oneself is one defiled.
By oneself is evil left undone,
By oneself is one purified.
Purity and impurity depend on oneself.
No one can purify ( or impurify ) another."
- The Buddha
"In the final analysis, what can lead a person astray, or what can guide him on the right path is nothing but his own mind."
- Venerable Ajahn Mun
"Stop a little; a little nice.
Stop a lot; a lot nice.
Stop completely; completely nice."
"Cut down the forest ( of the passions - of lust, hatred and delusion ),
But not real trees.
From the forest ( of the passions ) springs fear.
Cutting down both forest and brushwood ( of the passions ),
Be forestless ( ie. passionless ), O Bhikkhus."
- The Buddha, Dhammapada Verse 283
"Know thus, O good man :
"Not easy of restraint are evil things.
Let not greed and wickedness drag you to protracted misery."
- The Buddha, Dhammapada Verse 248.
.
.
"So, when a fool does wrong deeds,
He does not realise ( their evil nature );
By his own deeds the fool is tormented,
Like one burnt by fire."
- The Buddha.
.
.
"Your misdeeds were not committed by your parents,
Nor by your brothers and sisters,
Nor by your friends nor kinsfolk,
Nor by recluses and priests,
It is YOU who are responsible."
- The Buddha
** Note to readers : Having said the above, though, Please know that in The Parabhava Sutta, The Buddha did say that gambling is one of the causes of a man's downfall.
