If Someone Feels No Shame to Lie, There is No Evil They Can't Do

Ajahn Dhammasiha offers reflection on the Buddha's acvice to his own son, seven year old novice Ven Rāhula.(Majjima Nikāya/Middle Length Discourses #61 "Advice to Rāhula at Ambalaṭṭhikā")The Buddha uses powerful similies to impress on Rāhula the importance of developing a strong sense of shame and conscience about deliberate lying.He explains that someone who has no shame and conscience about lying is like a tusker war elephant in a berserk rage, there is no restraint at all, and they may commit the most heineous evil.The same teaching is expressed in Dhammapada Verse #176:"Who has transgressed just one principle,A person deliberately lying,Without concern about the future karmic consequences,There is no evil they are incapable of doing."We can draw two important lessens from this teaching:We have to develop a keen sense of shame and conscience against lying, to protect us from turning evil ourselvesIf we recognize that someone is lying without shame or regard for future karmic effects, we know that this person is not trustworthy at all, but extremely dangerous.www.dhammagiri.netwww.facebook.com/dhammagiri-forest-hermitagewww.youtube.com/channel/UCJINt0JJBfFm_x0FZcU9QJwwww.tinyletter.com/dhammagiri/archive.