Stopping the Flow of Dependent Origination
Photo: Buddhadāsa Indapañño Archives C01250
“How would Buddhism approach the problem of addiction? Whether it be alcohol, drugs, food, or other forms such as gambling?”
~ Response by Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu ~
This question of addiction is something that was warned against and taught against way before Buddhism happened. This is a very low level of morality or ethics. So first of all understand that with the question of addiction here, we’re dealing on a very low or spiritually immature level, and old forms of religion that existed before Buddhism taught against this.
When Buddhism appeared it accepted the reality and truth of that as a preliminary level of understanding. So avoiding addiction – not being addicted to things like alcohol, drugs, gambling, and other low forms of behavior like that – is just a very basic preliminary morality necessary for any further spiritual development. So its place in Buddhism is a prerequisite. If one isn’t able to overcome such low forms of behavior, then one won’t be able to go any further into things such as meditation and higher understandings.
The problem of addiction was not very important in the old days. It only became a serious problem in later times when material development became advanced. It’s only after human beings became very skillful and clever at inventing all kinds of new things to get drunk on, to get intoxicated on, that the problem of addiction has become serious. Previously it wasn’t much of a problem.
From the retreat “Stopping the Flow of Dependent Origination,” as translated from the Thai by Santikaro
Dhamma Questions & Responses sessions were offered by Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu in 1990-1991 to foreign meditators attending Suan Mokkh International Dharma Hermitage courses.
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