Matthew 5:27-28 (KJV): Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
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Each deed performed, however secretly, leaves its impression somewhere.
Our lives unfold, and in-fold, at a number of different levels: We have our public personas, our private lives, and our secret selves. Those with whom we are most intimate dwell with us in our private worlds. They see our faults and shortcomings. They know that we often fail to live up to the images that we project – the people we hope to be seen as in the world. Those who are privy to our private selves may witness some of our struggles, but they also see our complexities, our depths, our efforts; those with whom we are most intimate may also be more aware of the hidden goodness, the kindnesses, the little unselfish gestures that weave through our days. I had a friend that committed armed robbery and didn’t make it to his 40th birthday, but I remember the night when we were young men – I was drunk on the floor and this friend, thinking I was asleep and unbeknownst to anyone else, found a blanket and gently covered me where I lay.
Each deed performed, however secretly, leaves its impression somewhere.
Behind our public and private selves lie our secret selves. We may seldom give them voice. They just whisper quietly in our hearts and minds – and sometimes we even suppress that whisper. Here, from the distance of twenty centuries, Jesus calls us out. He challenges us to bring an integrity of awareness to our secret thoughts, just as we bring mindfulness to our words and actions.
Our reaction may be inflammatory: How dare anyone attempt to control my thoughts, my thinking! I’ll think what I damn well please! Our thoughts, however, inter-are with our words and actions. Our thinking plays an incredible role in shaping our lives, private and public. True, we do not act on every thought (thank goodness!), but the words we speak and the actions we take our constantly informed by the springboard of our thinking. As Jesus says, what’s “in our hearts” matters. Deeply.
On the Noble Eightfold Path of Buddhism, one of the eight strands is Right Thinking. The Buddha says, “When there is Right Thinking and one knows it is Right Thinking, it is also Right View. What is wrong thinking? It is thinking that leads to desire, hatred, and harming” (Discourse on the Great Forty – Mahacattarisaka Sutta in The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching, p. 244-245). Lustful thinking, hateful and violent thoughts, place us on a path that is not beneficial to ourselves or others, but we needn’t “beat ourselves up” over such thoughts. In fact, that would be just more non-beneficial thinking – now, aimed at ourselves!
The Buddha says something else extraordinary on this topic, “When there is wrong thinking and one knows it is wrong thinking, it is already Right View” (Discourse on the Great Forty, p. 244). When we bring our integrity and mindful attention to our harmful thinking, we regain the Right View, we begin to make our way back to the path of wholeness and healing and benefit for ourselves and all beings. Such thinking brings compassion and kindness back into our hearts.
Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. Jesus is essentially teaching the same lesson as the Buddha. He’s teaching us to converse with ourselves, to say something to ourselves like, “Ah, here’s those lustful thoughts again – or, here’s those angry thoughts again (see Matthew 5:22). C’mon, you know this thinking is not beneficial. Be mindful. Know that this is not beneficial thinking. Remember that. Know that…Yeah, that’s the Right View, you’re already heading back to the path of wholeness and healing and benefit for yourself and others. And when your thinking grows harmful again, bring your mindfulness back to look at it. Remember what Jesus is saying – that what’s ‘in your heart’ matters. And remember what the Buddha said, too, ‘When there is wrong thinking and one knows it is wrong thinking, it is already Right View.’ You’re already heading back to the Right Road, the Heart of Kindness, the Beneficial Path. That’s it, be mindful of your heart and your thoughts.”
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“When there is wrong thinking and one knows that it is wrong thinking, it is already Right View,” says the Buddha …and implies the Christ. Our thoughts typically precede our words and actions. If we want our words and actions to be beneficial – watering worthy seeds in ourselves and others – we must attend to our thinking.
It is also said, “When there is Right Thinking and one knows it is Right Thinking, it is also Right View.” Our views are skewed and colored by our thinking.
Be aware of your thoughts throughout the day. When your thoughts feel agitated or questionable, ask yourself, “Are these thoughts of desire, hatred, or harming? If so, where do such thoughts lead me?” Smile to yourself and say, “When there is wrong thinking and one knows that it is wrong thinking, it is already Right View.” (You may even want to memorize that phrase! – “When there is wrong thinking and one knows that it is wrong thinking, it is already Right View.”)
(Music: Courtesy of Adrian Von Ziegler, “Circle of Life.” )