HEAL YOUR OWN WOUND WITHOUT BLAMING OTHERS ANY LONGER

Most people tend to complain that they are not in a position to lead righteous lives as they currently live

in a society filled with hatred, injustice, stinginess etc. They are compelled to lead unsatisfactory lives

while putting the blame on the society. So, they keep waiting for a day where the society becomes

refined so that they could also become a refined, righteous lot. They dont see that they are also a part

and parcel of this same society with same negative qualities. The tendency to blame on the society for

someone elses faults existed in the past and it would continue to last in the future to the same extent. If

this is the reality, what is the point in blaming the society for individual problems?

The Buddha, analysing similar situations in the society, taught that it would be ridiculous for one to

blame others for ones self-inflicted wound in the hand. The only advisable strategy would be to heal

ones wound in the hand and relieve the pain of it. We find the following verse in the Dhammapada

(collection of sayings of the Buddha in verse form ) which corroborates this point.

panimhi ce vanonassa

hareyya panina visam

nabbanam visamanveti

natthi papam akubbato

If there is no wound in one's hand,

One may carry poison in it.

Poison does not affect one who has no wound.

[Similarly] There is no ill for him who does no wrong.

This verse shows a hidden aspect of our existence. Therefore, it is advisable to study the background

story connected with this verse.

In the Buddhas time, there was a rich man's daughter who lived in the city of Rajagaha. One day, she

saw a young hunter who goes to the city to sell his game meat and fell in love at first sight. She waited

until the hunter returned from the city and followed him, disguised herself as a servant girl, to his hit in

the jungle. She ended up becoming the hunters wife finally. As the wife, she used to help the hunter to

get his bows, arrows, nets and other utensils ready before he goes on hunting. As a result of the

marriage, she gave birth to seven sons in succession. In the course of time, these sons got married to

seven wives respectively.

One day, when the Buddha surveyed the world early in the morning with his divine eye, the Buddha saw

this hunter and his family members who had the potential to attain stream entry (sotapanna) on that

day. So the Buddha went to spot where the hunter had set up the snare for hunting animals. The

Buddha placed his footprint close to the snare and sat under the shade of a tree nearby.

Later, the hunter came searching for the snare and found no animals caught in it. He saw some foot

prints close to the snare and assumed that someone would have freed the animal from the snare. He

saw the Buddha who was seated under a nearby tree and thought the Buddha to be the person who

would have freed the captured animal. This infuriated the hunter who was about to draw the bow and

arrow to shoot the Buddha. The hunter was immobilised and petrified like a statue as a result of

Buddha s resolve. The sons, who noticed the delay of their fathers return home, went in search of

their father one after the other and suffered the same fate in the presence of the Buddha. As no one

returned yet, the hunters wife, along with the seven daughters-in-law, went to the jungle searching for

her husband and sons. On seeing the husband and all the sons with their arrows drawn at the Buddha,

the woman began to shout,

Do not shoot at my father. On hearing this, the hunter thought the Buddha to be his father-in-law

and the sons thought the Buddha to be their grandfather. At this stage the Buddha willed that the

hunter and his sons be able to move from immobilised positions and leave their bows and arrows aside.

Once they put their bows and arrows away, the Buddha expounded Dhamma to them. In the end, the

hunter, his seven sons and their seven wives attained the fruition of stream entry (sotapanna).

When this story was related to other monks by Ananada Thero, they were skeptical about the hunters

wifes failure to attain the fruition of stream entry at the time the Buddha was expounding the

Dhamma. The Buddha explained to these monks that the hunters wife was already a stream enterer

(a noble one who has attained the fruit of sotapanna). She had attained stream entry when she was a

small girl.

The Buddhas answer created a sensation among these monks. They began to inquire, How a

Sotapanna, having married to a hunter, could get the bow, arrows, nets ready for her husband for the

purpose of hunting? Doesnt she accrue demerit (akusala) by assisting the hunter for killing?. The

Buddha analysing this incident clarified, O Monks, the sotapannas do not kill, nor they get others to

get kill. The wife of the hunter was only obeying her husband in getting things ready for him. She had no

intention of harming or getting someone else to harm. This is analogues to an individuals hand that has

no wound, is not affected by poison, even though he carries poison in his hand.

The Buddhas invaluable advice sheds some light on our troublesome day to day lives as well. If

someone suffers from a wound, it would be his responsibility to cure it as quickly as possible. It would

be absurd to complain that outsiders always inflict pain on his wound. We are born with potential to

attract germs from the outside world. Therefore, it is our utmost duty to protect the wound from

external germs while treating the wound for speedy recovery. It would be practically impossible to

eliminate germs existent in the outside world. It would be a great folly to think of eradicating external

germs present in the environment.

We are leading lives filled with agonies, discomforts, distresses etc. We always try point a finger at

someone else when confronted with issues connected with our lives. We always blame others for most

of our distressful situations. However, the primary fault lies with us. When there is a wound, invariably it

would be subjected to pain by external causes. It is the wound that attracts external germs and causes

further infections and damage. In this circumstance, our priority should be to expedite the treating

process all day long and let the wound heal fast.

What is the most notable wound that inflicts so much pain upon us all day long? It is our mind filled with

greed (lobha), aversion (dosa), conceit (mana), and jealousy (issa). Our mind is a fertile land abundant

with these defilements and they generate mental pain all the time. The more germs we find in our

minds, the more pain they generate as a result. The extent of pain that we have to experience would

depend on the size of the wound. Intense pain results from an infested, big wound. Less pain is

experienced from fairly small-sized wound. If there is no pain, that is a sign of complete healing of the

wound. Then, no one is able to inflict any pain by manipulating your wound any more.

This brings us to an important threshold in terms of the discomforts, stresses that we have to

experience on a daily basis. No one is responsible for pains associated with our existence. We have to

take responsibility for all our pains and stresses because we are primarily at fault. We cannot blame the

world for our own faults and stresses. Outsiders cannot be held accountable for our pains. Therefore,

we need to take our attention away from the outside world and concentrate within to investigate our

own wounds and find a way to cure them. This new approach to investigate within would prevent you

from experiencing further pains inflicted by the outside world. This would keep you on task of taking

appropriate measures to heal your wound. The action plan for systematic healing is very well laid down

by the Buddha. This is the only time-tested, authentic approach for healing.

Once your wound is completely healed in accordance with the Buddhist teachings, you are able to

touch, carry any sorts of poison without having any adverse impact. This is the lesson that the Buddha

taught us based on story of the hunters wife.

So, lets give up the habit of blaming the world for our own pains and do our best to heal our wounds

ourselves without any further delay. This would also free us from the pains as well as the cycle of rebirth

and death.

BY: Athula Sibera