[Buddha-l] Do's and don't's

[Richard Hayes]

On Apr 11, 2012, at 09:16 , Joanna Kirkpatrick wrote (about a discussion involving Joy Vriens and Christopher Fynn):

>> * Avasa-macchariya: stinginess as to dwelling
>> * Labha-macchariya: stinginess as to gain
>> * Kula-macchariya: stinginess as to family
>> * Vanna-macchariya: stinginess as to recognition; caste or class 
>> discrimination
>> * Dhamma-macchariya: stinginess as to knowledge or mental achievements
> 
> "Stinginess" seems an odd word to use here - does he mean selfishness?

Yes, macchariya (Sanskrit mātsarya) usually means selfishness, stinginess, jealousy or envy. In this standard list of five types of macchariya, I suspect the word leans more toward the envy end of the semantic spectrum.

As a fellow academic, Joanna, you have no doubt witnessed enough knowledge-envy and achievement-envy and recognition-envy to last you for a dozen or more lifetimes. It seems to be the main fuel of the academic juggernaut. I have a few colleagues who seem to be completely obsessed with what I call cartography; they are constantly talking about getting our department "on the map"—making sure we're recognized as among the top 500 philosophy departments in the Southwestern United States and that sort of thing. As their chair, I love to quote Swami Vivekananda's words (from chapter 7 of "Karma Yoga"): 

"The greatest men in the world have passed away unknown. The Buddhas and the Christs that we know are but second-rate heroes in comparison with the greatest men of whom the world knows nothing. Hundreds of these unknown heroes have lived in every country working silently. Silently they live and silently they pass away; and in time their thoughts find expression in Buddhas and Christs, and it is these latter that become known to us. The highest men do not seek to get any name or fame from their knowledge. They leave their ideas to the world; they put forth no claims for themselves and establish no schools or systems in their name. Their whole nature shrinks from such a thing."

Quoting such excellent observations is, I suspect, a pretty good way to avoid being asked to serve a second term as chair. 


Richard Hayes
Department of Philosophy
University of New Mexico 
(the best damn university between Central Avenue and Lomas Boulevard in Albuquerque, NM)