The 31st Step: The Practice of Austerities
After having passed the 30 steps of life, we find that there are still many bad habits, such as improper manners, that we display and are much in need of improvement. Some of them were already adjusted, better improved, and have been eliminated. These include hatred, selfishness, envy, arrogance, etc.
However, there are some habits we have attempted to correct but still remain; these may include lust, desiring fame, drowsiness, wandering mind, etc. We must remove them in a careful way. Either way, there are a couple things we should know and remember:
1) The source of all bad conduct comes from defilements hidden in our minds.
2) The extinction of defilements are hindered for these reasons:
i) Most people cannot see the defilements that reside in the mind.
ii) We take our defilements for granted; our mind is so used to being bathed in them as a fish is so used to water.
iii) The way to remove defilements is elusive.
In the 31st step, the Lord Buddha taught an appropriate way of how to get rid of defilements that bear immediate and absolute results to the doer. The doer must hold fast to the following expression - "take a hair of the dog that bit you" or "like cures like."
The mentioned expression can be applied in this way; as our mind is burning and suffering due to defilements, we should in turn burn them back by practicing austerities.' The Pali term is "tapa," which means to make something hot or to burn. In order to remove our bad habits and desires as aforementioned, the austere practice of self-control is a solution which is consisted of keeping the precepts, meditation, and so forth.
