ABHIDHAMMA IN DAILY LIFE - Abhidhamma.com

d. Fearful of going to hell - Duggati-bhaya - the danger of suffering from great remorse over
one's evil deeds on one's deathbed and the prospect of being reborn in the four woeful abodes
(hell) in the next existence.
Though one might be able to avoid the first three dangers brought about by one's evil deeds, but
would not be able to avoid the danger of falling into the four planes of misery (hell) in the next
existence. Hence, evil deeds are very dreadful indeed. However, when moral fearlessness steps
in, even the wise who normally dread evil acts are inclined to commit fearful deeds without
shame or dread.
Example - Note on the Story of Haritaca
In the above example given above, the hermit suffered from the danger of blaming himself and
losing self-respect. The bad news, "The king's teacher, the hermit, had done wrong with the
queen", spread over the whole town during the absence of the king, he suffered from the danger
of being blamed by others ..
If the king, who would-be Ananda, the Buddha disciple, were not a virtuous man, he would not
have cared for the hermit's life as much as a blade of grass for his transgression. It was because
of the king's virtue that he narrowly escaped from being sentenced to death. As moral
fearlessness came in, the hermit dared to commit such an immoral act without fear of capital
punishment.
2.1.4. Distraction, Restlessness, Wavering - Uddhacca (
Distraction is an unsettled state of mind. Just as minute particles of ash fly about when a stone is
thrown into a heap of ash, the mind which cannot rest quickly on an object but flits about from
object to object is said to be distracted. The mind arising together with distraction is a distracted
mind. When one is overpowered by distraction, one will become a drifter, a floater, a loafer, an
aimless person.
Example - Nanda Thera's Inability to Concentrate
When Nanda, the young prince, was about to marry Janapada Kalyani, Buddha took him to the
monastery and ordained him a bhikkhu. He was so distracted that he could not concentrate on the
Dhamma, his mind wandering back often to Princess Janapada Kalyani. In this story, Prince
Nanda's state of mind, which is unable to concentrate on Dhamma, is a good example of
distraction.
The Feeble Power of Distraction - Uddhacca
Distraction, )Uddhacca) is the inability to concentrate on any object steadfastly. Although
distraction is akusala, of unwholesome nature, because it does no evil deeds effectively, it has no
power to throw one into hell, (the four woeful worlds), as greed, hatred and delusion do.
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