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Eightfold Path: Right Action (2 of 3)

Today I speak about the second precept, the second form of Right Action^[1] that the Buddha taught: not taking what is not given. Perhaps we can consider it to be a corollary to being generous, to giving what's not asked for. Generosity is always non-obligatory. Giving might be obligatory, but generosity is this open-handed, free-will offering of something to people that is not expected or required. I feel there is an intimate connection between not taking what is not given and practicing generosity, giving what is not asked for.

We are talking about the fourth step of the Eightfold Path^[2], which is Right Action. Right Action is described in three ways: not killing, not taking what is not given, and not engaging in sexual misconduct. These are the bigger forms of action that can cause a lot of harm in the world. Part of the foundation of this whole Eightfold Path is to live a life that doesn't cause harm. It is being concerned with that, and really feeling inside the tremendous value of dedication to avoiding intentionally causing harm—and unintentionally, if we can help it.

A Training in Wholesome Qualities

The angle I like to take today on not taking what is not given is that it's a training. We are training ourselves, developing good, wholesome qualities. Part of the Eightfold Path, as I've been saying, is a recognition that there are such things as wholesome actions, qualities, and activities of heart and mind which are useful to cultivate and develop. These support the ongoing development of a harmless life, the ongoing development of the Eightfold Path to freedom, and the ongoing expansion of our freedom once we've experienced it.

Not taking what is not given is not the same thing as not stealing. It's a bit of a higher bar. It requires a higher kind of care and attention so that unless something is clearly offered, we don't take it. There might be things where we don't think taking them is stealing, but still, they haven't clearly been offered. So, we wait until they have been offered.

For example, you come to someone's house and there's some kind of snack out. It seems pretty clear that the snack is out for the guests, but in Buddhist training, we would wait until the host clearly offers, "Here, have some snacks." We wouldn't assume it, even though it seems like that's meant for us. Now, that might seem like a small, petty kind of example. Maybe it is not very inspiring, but it begins training us. It begins cultivating good qualities.

Cultivating Restraint and Contentment

There are a number of good qualities that come with the practice of waiting until something is offered, rather than rushing ahead, being acquisitive, or wanting a lot. One of them is restraint. Restraint is probably not a very popular Dharma^[3] topic here in the West. For people in the United States, there is something about restraint that feels like a loss of liberty, a kind of closing down. It's almost like repression.

But restraint in Buddhism is a highly valued action. It's the opposite of losing our liberty; it's actually exercising our liberty so that we don't give in to forces of attachment and clinging. We don't get caught in drives and compulsions. Acting on compulsion is a loss of freedom. Even though the compulsion itself has the freedom to do its activity, we are not really free if we are acting on compulsion.

This kind of restraint helps us discover our freedom, our strength, and our ability to choose. Simply not picking up snacks from someone's home if they haven't offered them seems pretty small. But training there—not compulsively going to eat the snack, but learning how to hold one's ground, be still, not give in to compulsion and desire, and restrain oneself—is developing a strength. You don't know when you're going to need that strength. Maybe you don't need it with a snack at someone's home, but there are times in life where you might avoid causing a lot of harm because you've learned how to restrain things you want to say or do. Healthy restraint is staying close to the place of goodness, goodwill, and freedom that we have.

Develop this capacity of restraint. Again, maybe restraint is a bad word in some people's minds, if they've been told not to restrain themselves in ways in the past that were clearly detrimental. Instead of the word restraint, maybe we can use the idea of not picking up, not giving in to the compulsions. Don't pick up your anger; don't pick up your greed. Just leave it alone. The idea of just leaving our compulsions alone might feel better, or be more to the point, than the idea of restraint.

Another part of seeing this second precept as a training—which is how it is worded when people commit themselves to the precepts: "I commit myself to the training of not taking what's not given"—is that it feels different than a strict ethical or moral rule. Rather, there's a feeling of, "Oh, here is a place of training. I am developing myself. I am on the path of freedom. How do I develop myself and grow the qualities that flower into freedom?"

Practicing not taking what is not given gives us a chance to explore the area of contentment. We might find a greater capacity to be content, to be at peace, to be at ease, and to breathe easily without the grip or push of desires. Contentment is a fantastic quality. Being able to walk through the world content, fully engaged in doing things but not being ahead of ourselves, not rushing, and not caught up in the next thing to do, allows us to just be there and act wholeheartedly. When something we want hasn't been given to us, it's an opportunity to explore and discover contentment.

The Interpersonal Dimension of Non-Taking

Not taking what is not given is also an act of generosity. It's generous to the host in a certain way, as the host learns to trust us: "Oh, this person is good. I can leave this person in my house, and they are not going to take anything." Some people, especially monastics, practice not taking what is not given to such an extent that if there is a book on the table in the living room, they wouldn't actually pick it up unless the host had offered, "Oh, you can look at it."

Maybe that seems kind of extreme for lay life. But to be a person who is trustworthy, someone others can really trust not to take advantage of them, is a beautiful gift. Many people don't have trust in their lives; terrible things have happened to them, and they suffer a lot. To be around someone whose integrity is so great and trustworthy is a wonderful thing. It is inspiring and healing for others to be around such a person.

Not taking what's not given also involves cultivating a certain interpersonal wisdom. We become attuned to what taking means in interpersonal dimensions, what it's like to be offered something, and what kind of healthy relationship that allows. How do we use it to deepen our connections to people? We do this through generosity, through understanding, respecting, and caring for others. There's this whole interpersonal dimension that is an important part of the training of the Eightfold Path.

We see this inherent in the middle sections of the path with Right Speech, Right Action, and Right Livelihood. We are doing it for ourselves, and we're doing it for the world around us. These are actions that are interpersonal in nature. We take on these precepts partly to develop, grow, and mature. It's not punitive. It's not only limitation or abstaining from doing something, because that isn't very inspiring. To only hold these training rules as rules of restraint about what we are not going to do might actually shortchange us from the full potential of what they can allow and make room for.

Daily Practice

Today, for these next twenty-four hours, you might explore this topic of not taking what is not given. Are there opportunities in your life where it makes sense to say, "Yes, this is not given, therefore I am not going to take it"? Do it not simply as an abstention, but use it as a cue, a catalyst to cultivate other qualities inside of you. Cultivate the capacity to let go of compulsive desire. Cultivate contentment and find the peace that may already be available here.

Cultivate generosity. One of the wonderful alchemies of spiritual life is to sometimes turn things around and do the opposite. If you feel like you want something and you can't have it, turn around and give something instead. Practice generosity and cultivate wisdom. What can you learn, develop, and deepen in the interpersonal field by not taking what's not given? It's not just about keeping a moral precept. How does it connect you more fully to people, at least in your heart? What can you learn from generosity that deepens your relationships with others in ways characterized by freedom? Freedom is really the primary hallmark of what the Eightfold Path is about.

Thank you. I hope that you have a generous day and delight in wherever you can be content today.