Expert: Justin Choo - 9/6/2004

Question
Thanks for the advice justin!
Yes I do have high standards for myself. I want to break the cyclic existance in this lifetime. I feel thats the best way to truely help others. I just feel so much pain for so many. As for whether I was stealing or not, the fact that my company would fire me if they found out says they consider it stealing. Thanks again Kenny-------------------------
Followup To
Question -
Hello Justin,
 I am a bread/cake route driver. For years now I have given some of my returns to the employees at my accounts, most are making minimum wage and are poor with familys. My company sends the returns to the bakery, tries to sell some at thrift stores but they throw a bunch away to the landfill. They consider giving away the returns stealing. Since I have begun taking on-line mahayana classes I realize that this is stealing and have told my customers I must take back all returns. Still I feel guilty for not helping these people. How can I clean up my bad karma for stealing and stop thinking I'm taking food from peoples mouths?     Thanks, Kenny
Answer -
Hi Robin Hood,
If I may call you such.  You know Kenny, there is a moral to this legend.  Robbing the rich to feed the poor.  And we all loved Robin Hood.  He was also the hero.  He was not the villain.

As for your adventure, first let us define what constitute "stealing".  A lot of people said that taking things that are not yours is stealing. I beg to differ.  To me taking things that we know belong to someone is stealing.  You see the difference? If I see a coat hanging on the wall, say in the office where I work for the past one month, and knowing that no one in the office is the owner, what should I do?  Of course I can rigidly keep my precept of not "stealing" and let the coat collect dust.  Or I can use my common sense and human intelligence to decide whether I should take it and if I so desire, donate it to charity. The Buddha always encouraged us to use our common sense and human intelligence to conduct our lives skilfully guided by our precepts.

In Buddhism, we must always remember that there are 2 paths to conduct our lives.  One is that of renunciation, which means we have made up our mind to keep stringent precepts irrespective of consequences.  Our precepts take precedence over anything else. If we want to follow this path then we have to become a monk.  Otherwise, the conditions of this world are such that we will face contradictions between our supreme spiritual principles and the dictates of our worldly affairs.  
The 2nd path is to live as a lay person to face the challenges of this unwholesome world and to try our best to live in peace with ourselves while being bombarded with the evils of life.  Here, we have to be very careful in interpreting and living a Budhhist way of life.  The Buddha encouraged us to keep the 5 precepts.  The precepts are supreme principles, they are like what we called in worldly terms "standards".  Standards are yardsticks to measure our performance.  Each of us has a certain level of "performance".  It is our "standard". How much we score depends on our level of the "standard".  Just like performing gymnastic in the Olympics.  Are we required to score 10s every time?  Or can we?

As a lay Buddhist, we must be aware of this "standard".  We can only perform up to our "standard" at this point in time.  Hopefully, with progressive improvements through diligent practice.   

In your scenario, Kevin, you can assess your actions in terms of wanting to perform a 10 in your principle; or you can still be Robin Hood and continue to be a hero in the eyes of the suffering poor.  Or you Kevin as a 100% holy monk, blissfully, maintaining your perfection in upholding your lofty principles.

It is a question of perfection of the path; or being an ordinary Joe Blok trying his best to help other less fortunate people in this world.  The first path is what we called the Aryan path, the path of perfection which is above the world. The 2nd path is the path of ordinary mortals like me. I keep my precepts to the best of my ability at my level (which is below the prescribed "standard").  I can have peace with myself that I have tried my best, given my mortal limitations.

So, Robin Hood, or Kevin the perfectionist.  The choice is yours.  The Buddha would want us to analyse condition in this manner and not to succumb to rigid interpretations of life.  But one word of caution.  Whatever or whichever we choose, we must be guided by the Buddha's teachings.  What is it?  Avoid doing evil, do good, and think wisely. Once we have decided, we must have the courage to face the consequences, whatever they may be.

Kevin, I hope I have shared with you my opinion that would enable you to decide wisely.  Only you have the final say.

Please feel free to "visit" anytime.  I love having you here.

Smile from justinchoo  :-))  

Answer
Hi Kenny,
I must apologise for changing your name.  I just noticed it.  Sorry, Kenny.

I admire your great conviction to want to strike "full house" at one go.  The Buddha advised us first to understand the true nature of this world.  This world is not perfect.  We cannot change this imperfection, but we can conduct our lives wisely in this whirlpool of problems.  We must take the moderate path, which is the middle path expounded by the Buddha.  We must be practical in our conduct as lay people.  We face everyday problems as lay people.  We must solve our worldly problems in a worldly manner which must be practical and noble. In your scenario, if there is any help for you if I may suggest that you can "inform" those poor people where and when you are going to dump those "commodities" and they could be there with their boxes ready.  What you can do then is to "throw away" those "commodities" into those boxes, and then drive away.  You have done your job as required by your company.  I wonder whether this is agreeable to you.  In this way you can keep your precept according to your interpretation, and at the same time practise compassion for others.

As for your mission to break the cyclical existence right now, you have to be patient and be practical.  We must take our journey one step at a time.  The Buddha revealed to us that we have come a long way.  This is not going to be our final existence, unless we are so sure that we are so perfect that we can attain final release in this very life time.  The very fact that you have come into contact with the Buddha's message tells a lot of your spiritual achievements.  

Kenny, we have to balance our lives between the worldly and the spiritual depending on circumstances.  You know the emblem of the weighing gadget called the "Balance" which we see in the court of law?  It has 2 pans. One on the right side and the other on the left side.  In order to balance this weighing gadget or scale, we have to ensure that both pans have equal weights.  In order to live in peace with ouselves we must constantly adjust the weights, sometimes to the right and sometimes to the left.  If we don't do this the scale will not be balanced.  These 2 pans are the worldly activities on one side and the spiritual activities on the other pan.  It is just like the high-wire walker, walking the line, balancing himself with the balancing rod.  He has to constantly adjust the rod level in order to maintain his balance.  If he is stubborn or unwise and refuses to adjust the level of the rod as and when required, then he is doomed!

Kenny, as practising Buddhists, we must be like the skilful high-wire walker constantly being alert and be able to balance our lives. The common problem of over enthusiastic Buddhists is the over zealous desire to maintain perfect spiritual lives so much so, at the expense of being practical.  This is what the Buddha referred to as unskilful living.  We must maintain a balance between compassion for others and personal salvation on the other hand.  Quite often we cannot have both.  And if we insist to have both,then we are creating problems for ourselves.  We have to choose, and to choose wisely.

Please let me know whether there is any help with this sharing of my views.  You are most welcome to contact me again, anytime.  Please take care.

Smile from justinchoo :-))