2) Sutta Selections

1. Hiri
   1. AN 2.9
      -Click for Full Sutta-
      “Bhikkhus, these two bright principles protect the world. What are the two? Shame and fear of wrongdoing. If, bhikkhus, these two bright principles did not protect the world, there would not be discerned respect for mother or maternal aunt or maternal uncle’s wife or a teacher’s wife or the wives of other honored persons, and the world would have fallen into promiscuity, as with goats, sheep, chickens, pigs, dogs, and jackals. But as these two bright principles protect the world, there is discerned respect for mother… and the wives of other honored persons.”
   2. SN 1.18
      -Click for Full Sutta-
      “Who in the world is a man constrained by conscience, who awakens to censure like a fine stallion to the whip? Those restrained by conscience are rare — those who go through life always mindful. Having reached the end of suffering & stress, they go through what is uneven evenly; go through what is out-of-tune
      in tune.”
2. Ottappa
   1. Iti 42
      -Click for excerpt-
      “Those in whom shame and fear of wrong
      Are not consistently found
      Have deviated from the bright root
      And are led back to birth and death.But those in whom shame and fear of wrong
      Are consistently ever present,
      Peaceful, mature in the holy life,
      They put an end to renewal of being.”

Review (Click text for answer)

• According to AN 2.9, what does the Buddha suggest would be the consequence if people had no conscience or fear of wrong doing
  “If, bhikkhus, these two bright principles did not protect the world, there would not be discerned respect for mother or maternal aunt or maternal uncle’s wife or a teacher’s wife or the wives of other honored persons, and the world would have fallen into promiscuity, as with goats, sheep, chickens, pigs, dogs, and jackals.”
• At SN 1.18, what simile does the Buddha give for the way someone should respond to censure?
  One should resond to censure “like a fine stallion to the whip”
• Does the above simile indicate that the Buddha condoned violence to animals?
  Suggestion – No. The Buddha never condones violence. An example of his praise of non-harming  (an aspect of Right Intention) can be found at MN 135: “This is the way leading to being healthy, namely being one who, abandoning the taking of life, abstains from taking life does not have a tendency to injure living beings with the hand, with a clod, with a stick, or with a knife.”
• What are the results of being one in whom 'shame and fear of wrong are constantly ever present'?
  “But those in whom shame and fear of wrong are constantly ever present, Peaceful, mature in the holy life, They put an end to renewal of being.”

3) Ancient Commentary

1. Hiri
   1. [Visuddhimagga XIV.142]
      -Click for Excerpt-
      “It has conscientious scruples (hiriyati) about bodily misconduct, etc., thus it is conscience (hiri). This is a term for modesty … Herein, conscience has the characteristic of disgust at evil … Conscience has the function of not doing evil and that in the mode of modesty … [it is] manifested as shrinking from evil in the way already stated. [Its] proximate cause [is] self-respect … A man rejects evil through conscience out of respect for himself,as the daughter of a good family does … But these two states should be regarded as the guardians of the world.”
2. Ottappa
   1. [Visuddhimagga XIV.142]
      -Click for Excerpt-
      “It is ashamed (ottappati) of those same things, thus it is shame (ottappa). This is a term for anxiety about evil … shame has the characteristic of dread of it … shame has the function of not doing [evil] and that in the mode of dread. [It is] manifested as shrinking from evil in the way already stated. [Its] proximate cause [is] … respect of others … A man rejects evil through shame out ofrespect for another, as a courtesan does. But these two states should be regardedas the guardians of the world.”

Review (Click text for answer)

• How does the Visuddhimagga define hiri (conscience)?
  “It has conscientious scruples (hiriyati) about bodily misconduct, etc., thus it is conscience (hiri). This is a term for modesty.”
• How does the Visuddhimagga define ottappa (shame)?
  “It is ashamed (ottappati) of those same things, thus it is shame (ottappa). This is a term for anxiety about evil.”

4) Modern Commentary

1. Hiri
   1. Ajahn Thanissaro “The Road to Nirvana is Paved with Skillful Intentions”
      -Click for excerpt-
      “As the Buddha states, feelings of guilt can’t undo a past error, and they can deprive the mind of the strength it needs to keep from repeating old mistakes. This is why he recommends an emotion different from guilt — shame — although his use of the word implies something totally unlike the sense of unworthiness we often associate with the term. Remember that both the Buddha and Rahula were members of the noble warrior class, a class with a strong sense of its own honor and dignity. And notice that the Buddha tells Rahula to see his past mistakes, not himself, as shameful. This implies that it’s beneath Rahula’s dignity to act in ways that are less than honorable. The fact that he can see his actions as shameful is a sign of his honor — and is also a sign that he’ll be able not to repeat them. This sense of honor is what underlies a mature, healthy, and productive sense of shame.”
   2. Sayagi U Chit Tin “Two Guardians ot the World”
      -Click for excerpt-
      “Having a sense of hiri means that a person abhors evil and shrinks from doing wrong actions. It is subjective in origin and its characteristic is respectful obedience. Ashin Buddhaghosa gives the illustration of two sets of four causes for the arising of a sense of hiri. The first four are considering our (1) birth, (2) age, (3) heroism, and (4) wide experience. We should say to ourselves whenever we are tempted to do an evil action: (1) ‘This is not worthy of a person of (good) birth; it is the type of action done by inferior people.’ (2) “This is the way children act; it is not worthy of a mature person like me.’ (3) ‘An evil action of this sort is only for those who are weak; a person who is strong and courageous like me should not do this.’ (4) ‘An evil action like this is only done by blind fools, not by wise people like me. I have gained wisdom, I have wide experience, I should not do this.” The second group of four includes: refraining from doing evil out of consideration of (1) our high birth (as above), (2) the dignity of our Teacher, (3) the greatness of our inheritance, and (4) the honour of our companions.”
2. Ottappa
   1. Bhikkhu Bodhi “The Guardians of the World”
      -Click for excerpt-
      “The Buddha points to two mental qualities as the underlying safeguards of morality, thus as the protectors of both the individual and society as a whole. These two qualities are called in Pali hiri and ottappa. Hiri is an innate sense of shame over moral transgression; ottappa is moral dread, fear of the results of wrongdoing. The Buddha calls these two states the bright guardians of the world (sukka lokapala). He gives them this designation because as long as these two states prevail in people’s hearts the moral standards of the world remain intact, while when their influence wanes the human world falls into unabashed promiscuity and violence, becoming almost indistinguishable from the animal realm (Itiv. 42).”
   2. Sayagi U Chit Tin “Two Guardians ot the World”
      -Click for excerpt-
      “The fear of blame has an external cause. Its characteristic is viewing a fault with timidity and fear. It is by nature a sense of dread, meaning that we dread the possibility of being reborn in the lowest planes of suffering. We are afraid of being blamed by any of the four assemblies: the Bhikkhu-Sangha, the Bhikkhuni-Sangha, an assembly of laymen, or an assembly of laywomen. We also realize how big the world is and that there are bhikkhus and laypeople who have developed the supernormal powers. These people can read other people’s minds. There are also devas who can read people’s thoughts, and because we do not want these highly developed people or these Devas to see us indulging in evil, unprofitable thoughts, we strive to develop pure thoughts and actions. The fear of blame has four causes: (1) accusing oneself, (2) being accused by others, (3) (fear of) punishment, (4) (fear of) an evil destiny. In other words, we will be afraid of doing something that we know we will reproach ourselves for later, or something that others will criticize. We will avoid actions that we might be punished for in this life, or actions that will lead to future lives of suffering.”

Review (Click text for answer)

• According to Ajahn Thanissaro, what is it that underlies the sense of hiri?
  Suggestion – The sense of dignity, and disinclination to act in ways that are less than honorable and the ability to see one’s unwholesome actions as shameful, that is, a “sense of honor – is what underlies a mature, healthy, and productive sense of shame.”
• List four qualities which Sayagi U Chit Tin, referenceing Ashin Buddhaghosa, lists as being the cause for the arising of hiri.
  “Considering our (1) birth, (2) age, (3) heroism, and (4) wide experience, (5) our high birth (as above), (6) the dignity of our Teacher, (7) the greatness of our inheritance, and (8) the honour of our companions.”
• How does Bhikkhu Bodhi translate ottappa?
  “Ottappa is moral dread, fear of the results of wrongdoing.”
• What does Sayagi U Chit Tin, quoting Ashin Buddhaghosa, say are the four causes for the arising of ottappa?
  “The fear of blame has four causes: (1) accusing oneself, (2) being accused by others, (3) (fear of) punishment, (4) (fear of) an evil destiny.”

5) Relevant Dhamma Talks

1. Hiri
   1. Ajahn Jayasaro “Intelligent Shame”
   2. Maggavihāri Bhikkhu “Hiri and Ottappa”
2. Ottappa
   1. Bhante Pemarathana “Hiri and Ottappa”

6) External Links

1. Hiri
   1. Wikipedia – hiri
   2. Encyclopedia of Buddhism – hiri
2. Ottappa
   1. Wikipedia – ottappa
   2. Encyclopedia of Buddhism – ottappa