In this present age of moral confusion and spiritual decline, many people assume that merely observing the Five Precepts and avoiding wrongdoing are sufficient to safeguard themselves from entering the Hade world. However, such understanding is incomplete and superficial. While moral values serve as a foundation, they alone may not be strong enough to prevent one from falling into unfortunate realms of existence.
There are deeper principles that must be carefully observed and sincerely practiced in daily life. Without the cultivation of these essential traits, even those who outwardly appear righteous may unknowingly drift toward negative consequences from their wrong actions. It is therefore crucial for us to reflect upon the true measurements of our conduct and examine whether we have genuinely upheld the qualities necessary to protect our present and future lives, including our life after death.
The Misconception of Moral Values
We have observed that many Buddhist devotees are unaware of the three important observations that must be undertaken before these three steps can help us refrain from going into the Hade world. There is a common misconception that avoiding vices and upholding moral values is the sure way to prevent ourselves from entering the Hade world.
Unfortunately, these simple precepts may not hold us in good stead to refrain from going into the Hade world. In much the same way, many people believe that consuming healthy food alone constitutes healthy living, but in fact, the underlying factors of healthy living lie in three main aspects: daily physical exercise, good sleep, and adequate rest.
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How to Prevent from Going into the Hade World? The Importance of Principle, Responsibility, and Integrity
The three underlying factors to prevent ourselves from going into the Hade world are the upholding of principle in life, responsibility in tasks, and lastly, integrity in character.
Many of us emphasize moral values while overlooking the importance of conducting ourselves with good ethics. Good moral values may never equate to good ethical conduct.
Likewise, moral values do not carry the same meaning as virtues. Many Buddhists may possess basic morality in character but are never able to attain virtues due to the erroneous view that virtues are the same as moral values. No, they are not the same.
In fact, moral values such as respect, honesty and kindness in the sense of not simply killing living beings, are only the basic tenets of spiritual training, whereas virtues are the ultimate refinement of cultivation that brings forth compassion, loving-kindness, and a magnanimous heart. Virtues also extend to patience, endurance, tolerance, perseverance, and determination. Hence, many Buddhists possess moral values but not the golden virtues, which is one of the biggest reasons why many of them passes away going into the Hade world without realizing what went wrong with their spiritual practices.
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The Consequences of Broken Promises
Many do not take seriously the consequences of breaking a promise. When we commit to a task or duty, we should never neglect the fulfilment of our promise, as it may cause severe repercussions for the victim of that broken promise. At times, a promise is so vital that breaking it could even result in the loss of life due to unforeseen circumstances.
For instance, when a family promised a general to safeguard a loyal fugitive from being harmed by pursuers by hiding him in a well, they initially denied his presence when the pursuers came searching. However, the pursuers were not satisfied. They noticed a young boy in the house, lured him with sweets, and asked if he knew of anyone hiding there. Fascinated by the sweets, the young boy revealed the fugitive’s hiding place. The fugitive was then captured and dealt a death blow by the pursuers.
This simple story illustrates a lack of principle in life, even though the broken promise was committed by the child, as the family was responsible for the child’s action. That said, we should always take precautions to uphold our promises no matter what it takes, and carry out our duties with complete integrity.
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Sincerity and Right Effort, the Keys to Achieving Principle, Responsibility and Integrity
Upon careful analysis, fulfilling principle, responsibility, and integrity is never as simple as we think. We need sincerity and utmost right effort to accomplish these three golden traits. Most of the time, these traits are treated with superficial observation.
One common example of breaking these three golden traits is the neglect of parental care. Parents are the fortress of our youth, yet when they grow old and retire, some children isolate them and place them in old folks’ homes. This reflects a lack of principle in life, responsibility, and integrity. Hence, the true measurement of our principle, responsibility, and integrity lies in how well we treat our parents with love, affection, and care until their departure from this world.
It is often a barometer that those who lack principle, responsibility, and integrity are perceived as cold-hearted, selfish, and inconsiderate in character, which may lead one into the Hade world upon departure from this life. No matter how much we observe moral values and precepts, we may still overlook these finest golden traits of life.
Mere possession of moral values does not equate to possessing principle in life, responsibility in tasks, and integrity in character. To embody these three golden traits requires enduring hardships, exposure to life experiences, and perseverance in realizing their importance in preventing us from going into the Hade world.
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Final Thoughts
In retrospect, preventing ourselves from going into the Hade world is not merely about observing basic moral precepts or avoiding obvious wrongdoing. While moral values form the foundation of our conduct, they alone are insufficient to safeguard our future path in the afterlife. The true protection lies in firmly upholding Principle in life, Responsibility in our duties, and Integrity in our character.
These three golden traits require sincerity, endurance, and unwavering commitment. They are tested through our ability to honor promises, fulfill responsibilities faithfully, and care for our parents with love and devotion. Without these qualities, moral values remain incomplete and superficial.
Therefore, let us not be complacent with outward observance alone. Let us cultivate Principle, Responsibility, and Integrity with determination and right effort, so that we may establish a strong safeguard for our present life and prevent ourselves from entering the Hade world upon our demise from this world of illusion.