Instinct and Restraint

Discover the power of instinct, the difference between humans and animals, and the path of practice to restrain and eradicate instinct according to the Buddha's teachings.

In the morning at the temple, the atmosphere is pure and serene, with the faint scent of incense drifting through the air. In the main hall, lay Buddhists listen attentively to the teacher’s words. He speaks slowly about gilding the Buddha statue and the merit gained from such acts, but gradually, the conversation turns to a deeper subject: human instinct.

The teacher recounts, "Instincts are natural tendencies within our mind/heart, innate and requiring no learning to be known. They are like pre-programmed instructions in consciousness." He pauses, looks around, and offers his first example. "When we are hungry, we want to eat. This is the natural instinct of all species. But if someone pushes us into severe hunger, we see that for the sake of food, people can commit terrible, corrupt, and sinful acts."

He tells stories of prisoners held in conditions of starvation, who fought, oppressed one another, and even killed each other just for a morsel of food. "The instinct for eating seems simple, yet it is extremely fierce and powerful." A lay Buddhist sitting below nods gently, as if having witnessed or heard such stories before.

The teacher continues, his voice lowering. "Consider also the instinct of sexual desire between men and women. The chromosome structure of males is Y-shaped, while females are X-shaped. Though they differ only slightly, this creates an invisible bio-electric field causing men to be attracted to women and women to men. This is a natural instinct. However, if it develops unchecked or is suppressed improperly, people may commit extremely evil deeds."

He emphasizes, "There have been cases where elderly men of seventy or eighty years old harmed children of seven or eight. People cannot understand it, but there is nothing mysterious about it. That person still retains their full instinct of sexual desire; it has never disappeared. Without spiritual practice and without blessings from merit, one cannot self-restrain. What distinguishes humans from one another is whether they possess restraint, for everyone still harbors secret desires inside. Please remember this lesson."

A lay Buddhist asks, "Teacher, does an old man with white hair, leaning on a cane, unable to walk well, still have these desires?" The teacher looks at him and smiles. "The answer is yes, because it is instinct. But he does not act wrongly because he has blessings from merit, visits the temple to bow to the Buddha, and possesses humility. He desires but can suppress it. The value called being a dignified person does not mean they have eliminated badness, but rather that they can hold it down."

The teacher further explains natural knowing instincts, such as when a sick dog seeks out grass to eat and then vomits up toxins. "Who taught it? No one. It knows naturally. That is instinct. Women often have stronger intuition than men, which is also a form of instinct. Some husbands are highly educated with many degrees, yet at home they must listen to their wives, because the wife’s intuition is very strong, hitting the mark every time."

At this point, the teacher presents an important definition. "One who attains the fruit of Stream-Entry has eradicated three instincts known as the three fetters: selfishness, doubt, and attachment to rules. If such a person were a king, we would see their greatness, acting beyond national concerns to reach international levels. All because they eradicated those three instincts."

He teaches about the instinct of selfishness. "Humans have an instinct to care for themselves first. Fundamentally, this is unwholesome. All ethical systems praise altruism to counter this selfish tendency. But the instinct for selfishness is so strong that people give in, then create rationalizations to defend their surrender. For example, saying, 'Love others, but you must love yourself first.' This is losing to instinct but doing so in glory."

The teacher highlights the difference between humans and animals. "Animals completely follow instinct. Humans struggle and fight against instinct. A world that encourages 'do whatever you feel like' is a world gradually descending into the animal realm. A world that teaches restraint of instinct is a world where humanity can still exist. If there is a path of practice to eradicate instinct, one becomes a holy realm."

He also discusses the instinct for freedom. "Humans love living freely, wanting to do as they please. Because of yielding to this instinct, political ideologies praise freedom. But in truth, loving freedom is still an instinct, having both benefits and harms. Liberation in Buddhism is not the freedom to do whatever one wants. Liberation is the state of a noble one, no longer dominated by instinct."

The teacher quotes Confucius: "At fifteen, I set my heart on learning. At thirty, I stood firm. At forty, I had no doubts. At fifty, I knew the mandate of heaven. At sixty, my ear was attuned. At seventy, I followed my heart’s desire without overstepping the line." This, he says, is true liberation.

He concludes, "A practitioner is one who restrains their desires and limits their freedom to eradicate instinct. This is precisely keeping the precepts. And the precepts for monastics are far stricter than national laws."

The Meaning of the Story

Instincts are natural, powerful tendencies that can lead humans to unwholesome actions if not restrained. Humans surpass animals in their ability to use reason and willpower to fight and control instinct. Spiritual practice, keeping the precepts, and eradicating the fetters (selfishness, doubt, and attachment) are the path to becoming a noble one and achieving true liberation, which is not the freedom to indulge in instinct.

Compiled from the dharma talk by Venerable Thich Chan Quang