Don't steal
What is life offering you, right now? What possibilities are contained in this moment? If stealing means not taking what is not freely given, then it follows that not stealing means taking what is given. The good and the bad. The way my belly aches after I eat too many chips and the way I feel when I first wake up. It’s just this moment, as it is. Stealing arises in a wanting mind, thirsting for something other than what’s present. Not stealing arises in a contented and therefore receptive mind.
So when I set out to work on the precept of not stealing I tune in to the ways in which I look for more. All things are deeply interconnected. Nothing is separate. In a certain sense, there is never anything to steal. And yet how often do I go looking for more. How often do I try to add something to the moment. Stealing is the crystallization of craving, when dissatisfaction hardens into wrong action.
One area where this precept has offered up teachings for me is in my creative writing practice. When I write, am I approaching the practice with receptivity, or am I arriving with a mind that is wanting more? Sometimes when I try to write the words that are offered up in the moment feel too little. They feel too light, or too clumsy, or messy, or just not what I had hoped for. And yet, these fragile little words are just what are being expressed in this moment. My grasping mind is rejecting them and in doing so stifling my creativity. There is nothing more corrosive to any creative practice than leading with criticism. Sometimes you have to just accept what is arising. And later, you edit.
Working with our discriminating minds like this should not be mistaken for not discriminating. We deliberately chose to act with integrity, to act in line with the precepts. We choose to apply our attention to the object of meditation or to remain mindful. At work, sometimes, I get distracted. I browse the internet or study chess when I should be working. That’s stealing in a way. I’m not sure I’m onboard with the notion that I’m stealing from my boss, not in a remote work environment at least, but I do feel I’m stealing from myself. I’m not using my time wisely and letting distraction take me away from the tasks at hand. It would be another thing altogether to gather myself, take a break, and come back to work when I’m ready to focus. For me translating the precept of not stealing into my life means staying alert for the feeling tone of craving. Am I stuck at my desk, craving for something other than the tedium of work? If so, then the precept is a sign post. It’s a sign saying, ‘watch out’ you’re heading into dangerous territory. This feels important because I don’t want this precept for well meaning buddhist to judge folks who steal to survive. The point is never about moral judgement, but ethical guidance.
It’s a bit tricky then, to think about how to apply this precept to our lives. It’s about being receptive but not so receptive that we lose our center. Sometimes, when writing or dancing, that might look like just trusting in ourselves to really let loose and boogie down, but at other times it looks like sitting with discomfort and not being carried away. Maybe the starting point is understanding when the mind is grasping. True receptivity isn’t reaching out for words or things that aren’t there. It’s opening up space for them to come in. When distractions arise, not stealing might look like not trying to add something to the situation or manipulate it.
We live in a consumeristic society where we are taught to follow our impulses and use money as a way of managing our spiritual and emotional needs. Not stealing I think can be justifiably used to cast shade on the ways in which our society is structured around convenience and mindless consumption. It’s so easy to not cook, and order take out instead. Easy to buy something new instead of fixing what you have. But when you see the way that craving is at work, thanks to your practice of precepts, maybe you take what is offered in the moment. Slow down, and make something with whatever bits are in the fridge. Slow down, and instead of buying something you don’t need on the internet, go sit on your cushion for a bit or go for a walk.