Dhamma Talks - Class B :: Buddhapadipa Thai Temple

Class B is the classification of the class. People like to classify things, as either A or B and stamp those people as ‘grade A, others as grade B’. When there is comparison, there is a gap between classes. Is it wrong to classify things? I won’t say it is right or wrong because it depends on the situation.

When I was in school, I was placed in class B. But it didn’t make me embarrassed and discouraged, I still intended to do my best. And I did it, when the maths-teacher wanted to test our maths in the two rooms, he gave us the question and said, “If anyone can finish it first, and correctly, I will give you a reward”. The first one was not me, but he was my friend. Unfortunately, he got it wrong. The second one wasn’t me, he was my friend, but he also got it wrong. The third one was me, and I got it right. It was one thing that I was proud of in my life. It proved to me that Classification was not really effective. Since then I have believed in myself, I can do anything. People may classify me or put me into any class, but I shall not be like they think. I believe in myself and my ability.

Some people do believe what others say they are. Whether A, or B class there is no difference, as there are the same teachers and the same teaching aids. The important thing is that we should not forget our own ability; remember that a class is just a class. It cannot decrease our own ability to learn, if we don’t allow it to happen. It is the same with other things, such depression, suffering, worry, fear etc. if we don’t allow them to occur, they won’t happen in our life. We should bear in mind that we have ability, like others, and not underestimate ourselves.

Action (kamma) is the only thing which can distinguish living beings from each other. It is not necessary to judge; the consequence of action will tell us how good or bad we are. Why is that? It is because a good action leads to a good result and a bad action leads to a bad result. When we know that all things, or our fortune, depend on our action; not on our class, we should be careful of our own actions; we should try to cultivate wholesome actions in ourselves. Then the good actions will lead us to a wholesome result.

To cultivate wholesome actions is one of the basic trainings of Buddhism; we must cultivate it in ourselves and others. For example, parents must cultivate, or induce, wholesome action in their children. There is a story* which illustrates this - two mothers took their children to the supermarket; where one child spilled a box of milk. His mother blamed him, saying ‘you idiot’. And in another companionway, another child spilled a box of honey. His mother told him, “Be careful, son, don’t do it again”. The first child was scolded and called an idiot but the mother pointed out what was wrong to the second child, the first child might turn out to be an idiot, as his mother had said, but the second one, who was taught to be careful, might learn, from this, not to repeat his mistake. The moral of this story is that we should cultivate wholesomeness and not repeat unwholesomeness. We should learn from our mistakes and develop right understanding. This is the way to a happy life. To learn to know right or wrong is the best way, if we don’t learn, we will repeat it again and again, like the first boy who wasn’t taught. When he wasn’t corrected, and accumulated only wrong actions, he grew up with wrong views and he would be overpowered by ignorance. A life, which is led by ignorance, will end up in suffering.

Conclusion, we must cultivate wholesomeness, not repeat the unwholesomeness, learn from our mistakes to grow up with right understanding. And then we can live a happy life.

*Ajahn Brahmavamso