A Buddhist Approach to Problem Solving - Sakyamuni Sambuddha Vihara (temple in Berwick) and Buddhist Vihara Victoria (Melbourne) Australia

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Lokavagga - The World : Just as one would view a bubble, just as one would view a mirage; if a person thus looks upon the world, the King of Death sees him not. Dhammapada Verse 170.

Namo tassa Bhagavato Arahato Sammâ Sambuddhassa!

Copyright: Dhamma Group • Version: 1.1

Life presents a multitude of problems to deal with almost every day. Having the resources and skills to skilfully resolve these problems goes a long way towards ensuring peace and happiness for all involved. Developing these skills and resources is not an easy task and one that can be difficult to do without good guidance. This article aims to highlight some useful techniques for developing these resources and skills and hopes to short-cut this process, especially for the benefit of young adults.

For a young person who is facing an obstacle, the first port of call is their family or friends. While this can be a good approach, this is not guaranteed to always give the best results, especially when measured against Buddhist standards of how to respond skilfully in situations. So at challenging times it is important to seek skilful advice from a wise person(s). Family members and friends (especially when they are younger and not as experienced) are not guaranteed to fall into this category by default. Just because the advisor is trustworthy and means well, it doesn't necessarily follow that their advice would also be the best or most skilful.

The advice given by a wise person will always be in line with the Dhamma teachings and other valuable universal principles such as truthfulness, integrity, generosity, kindness, compassion, etc. A wise person would not give advice that would lead anyone to suffering or loss. Advice from others would not always fall into this category. It would be very fortunate to have a wise person for a family member or a friend, as one is able to turn to them for guidance and good advice at any moment. In the absence of such good and wise friends, such friends² should be sought out at the earliest opportunity for greater good and happiness.

While being in a position to get good guidance and advice in invaluable, to be truly successful and happy in life, the precious quality of wisdom/understanding (paññâ) must be developed. Wisdom³ is the most precious treasure that any being could possess,⁴ as it allows the possessor to obtain the best outcome in any given situation.

How can the great treasure of wisdom be developed?⁵The first requirement is to become established in giving (dâna) and especially morality (sîla). Without being established in these qualities it would be difficult to progress to the next step of concentration (samâdhi).⁶ Concentration is what allows the calming and settling of the usually clouded and unsettled mind and thus the (mental) seeing of things clearly (insight or vipassanâ) and seeing how things really are, not as they are imagined. When the true nature of the problem is clearly seen and well-understood, along with its cause (it could be self-caused); it can be easily resolved.

With meditation techniques such as awareness of breath (ânâ-pâna-sati) and loving-kindness (mettâ) the mind can be calmed down⁷ to a level where it is devoid of negative forces such as strong and negative desire (lôbha), aversion/anger (dôsa) and confused thinking (môha), which have a tendency of clouding the mind, distorting perceptions and thinking as well as retarding and clouding wisdom (paññâ). When the mind is not gripped by such negative forces, it allows for wisdom to shine through. Coupling this with clear sightedness (vipassanâ) of the reality of the situation, it would be possible to solve any kind of problem.⁸

While family and friends can be good advisors, their advice may not always be in-line with the Dhamma. So it is important to cultivate good and wise friends who would give skilful and wise advice that aligns with the Dhamma, which would ensure happiness for everyone involved. It is also essential to become established in giving (dâna), morality (sîla) and concentration (samâdhi) in order to develop the treasure of wisdom (paññâ) to be truly successful and happy in life. Meditation techniques such as awareness of breath (ânâ-pâna-sati) and loving-kindness (mettâ) can be used to clear the mind of defilements such as negative desire (lôbha), aversion/anger (dôsa) and confused thinking (môha), allowing clear insight (vipassanâ) into the true nature and cause of problem(s), allowing them to be easily solved.

May you gain the wisdom to be trouble-free and attain the ultimate ease of Nibbâna!

Notes

1. The latest version of this document can be found in HTML format here http://www.vihara.org.au/go?to=probsolv and in PDF format here http://www.vihara.org.au/go?to=probsolvp

2. This is not limited to lay people (e.g. parents, teachers, etc) but can also include Venerable monks of the Order (Sangha) as well. In fact Venerable monks can give the best advice in most cases as they usually have the highest levels of wisdom (paññâ) (the higher the level of purity of a being, the higher their level of wisdom becomes).

3. Wisdom and cunning while they seem similar as both involve clever thinking are actually worlds apart. Wisdom is clever thinking which is also honest, kind and considerate; whereas cunning is clever thinking that is self-serving, inconsiderate and is devoid of good qualities. Most beings are unfortunately seen to be acting cunningly and not wisely. While cunning may seem to work in the short-term, the negative consequences (vipâka) of any unskilful acts (kamma) done through cunning can be expected to return at some point through the forces of kamma-vipâka (cause and effect). Therefore Buddhists are always encouraged to develop wisdom as opposed to cunning.

Thinking of a clever way to gain at the expense of another (benefiting oneself/others while harming another) is a good example of cunning. Thinking of a clever way to gain without causing a loss to another (benefiting oneself/others without harming another) is a good example of wise thinking.

4. See also Anguttara Nikâya 7.6, Dhana Sutta, Treasure here http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an07/an07.006.than.html

5. See also Anguttara Nikâya 8.2, Paññâ Sutta, Discernment (Wisdom) here http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an08/an08.002.than.html

6. See Anguttara Nikâya 3.73, Sakka Sutta, To the Sakyan here http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an03/an03.073.than.html

7. These meditation techniques are classed as samatha, or mind calming techniques. Samatha techniques are used to help and develop insight (vipassanâ) into the reality of all things.

8. It is also important to be able to think and act wisely ‘on the go’ as and when problems arise. This is where a situation is assessed, weighed up, thought through and acted on wisely to resolve effectively and skilfully; ensuring that no one is harmed (including oneself) in the process. While this would not be as powerful (this is the general case and this can vary with an individual’s level of mental development) as thinking with a very clear mind soon after meditation, it is also an important skill to develop as there are many times when it is required in daily life. Developing and using this ability is better than acting without thinking things through at all.

APPENDIX A: A Practical Approach to Problem Solving by Developing Wisdom – Part 1

1. When a problem is encountered it is best not to react/respond to it straight away, if this is safe to do. It is better to let it be, consider and think things through and determine how to best solve the problem. If the problem requires an urgent response, then clear the mind of the five hindrances as far as possible, concentrate and think things through carefully and formulate a response ‘on the spot’ while seeking advice from a wise person where possible.

2. Become established in the five precepts by uttering the appropriate stanza attentively if this has not already been done earlier. Refer to http://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/dhamma/sila/pancasila.html and http://groups.yahoo.com/group/thurunusaviya/message/292

3. Reflecting of the problem is best done is peace, quite and solitude. When time and the opportunity permits, find a quiet place where to be at ease, e.g. home, bed room, study, etc.

4. Calm the mind of all ideas, opinions, views, likes, dislikes, etc. thought of throughout the day regarding the problem at hand. Put aside concerns, fears, worries, doubts and other thinking in relation to the past and the future as much as possible and bring the mind to the present moment.

5. Practice the awareness of breath (ânâ-pâna-sati) and/or the loving-kindness (mettâ) meditations for a short while until the mind calms down and is clear. At this point the mind should be clear of the five hindrances of i. strong (and especially negative) desire, ii. hatred/anger, iii. fear/worry/restlessness, iv. laziness/lethargy and v. doubts about the path, practice and teachings. For more on the five hindrances, refer to http://www.accesstoinsight.org/index-subject.html#nivarana

6. Now that the mind is calm and clear, think about how the problem can be solved. Usually by the end of the previous step (5), there could automatically be an idea/understanding about what to do, however this not always guaranteed and some additional thinking/analysis maybe required.

7. If by the end of the previous step (6) there is no solution, this is usually and indicator that one isn’t experienced enough to deal with and solve the problem. This is the point at which a wiser person should be consulted for further guidance and advice. But even if there is a solution by the end of step 6, it would skilful to consult a wise person to ensure that it is within the boundaries of the Dhamma teachings, will only lead to everyone’s well-being and will not cause harm to anyone.

APPENDIX B: A Practical Approach to Problem Solving by Developing Wisdom – Part 2

1. Become establish in giving (dâna), morality (sîla) and concentration (samâdhi).

2. Clear mind of all major defilements such as strong (and especially unskilful) desire (lôbha), hatred/aversion/anger (dôsa), and confused thinking (môha) and the five hindrances.

3. Asses and analyse the situation.

4. Think, plan and formulate a solution for the problem.

5. Assess whether the solution(s) from the previous step (4) can be harmful to oneself and/or others. If it can be harmful, return to the previous step (4), otherwise proceed to the next step (6).

6. Implement the plan/solution from step 4 in a skilful manner by utilizing skilful thoughts, words and deeds, thus resolving the problem without causing harm to oneself and/or others.

7. Review and learn from the outcomes at the end to see if there are any additional corrective actions that need to be taken.

APPENDIX A: A Practical Approach to Problem Solving by Developing Wisdom – Part 1

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