Above and Beyond Good

[Aloka]

This is a transcript of a talk given by the late Thai teacher Buddhadasa Bhikkhu:

https://buddhismnow.com/2021/10/05/a...adasa-bhikkhu/

Any thoughts?

[Element]

This teaching appears contrary to the Buddha and appears certainly something Buddhadasa interpreted from the Adam & Eve story in the Bible.

The thing to observe in this matter is that it is impossible to attach to good and evil when there’s no knowledge of good and evil.

The Buddha taught as follows:

This was said by the Buddha, the Perfected One: that is what I heard.

“Mendicants, the Realized One, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha has two approaches to teaching Dhamma. What two? ‘See evil as evil’—this is the first approach to teaching Dhamma. ‘Having seen evil as evil, be disillusioned, dispassionate, and freed from it’—this is the second approach to teaching Dhamma. The Realized One, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha has these two approaches to teaching Dhamma.”

That is what the Buddha said. On this it is said:

“See the two approaches for
explaining the Dhamma
used by the Realized One, the Buddha,
compassionate for all beings:

see that that is evil,
and be dispassionate towards it.
Then, with a mind free of desire,
you will make an end of suffering.”

This too was spoken by the Blessed One: that is what I heard

https://suttacentral.net/iti39/en/su...e&script=latin

[philg]

When you are into insight or mindfulness practice everything is to be 'let go of' including the concepts of good and evil. It doesn't mean you go 'beyond' them but see them yourself for what they are. Unless beyond means 'gate', as in Gate, Gate, Paragate...