What Are Hiri and Ottappa Cetasikas?

Shame and remorse are feelings of guilt, regret, and unease regarding the evil deeds, wrongdoings, omissions, and imperfect actions one has committed. Both characters have the vertical heart radical on the left, representing the mind. The right side combined means "cutting off the demon," where the demon represents evil. Cutting off evil from the heart brings purity, which is good. Therefore, within the fifty-one mental factors, shame and remorse belong to the wholesome mental factors, while shamelessness and lack of remorse belong to the unwholesome mental factors, constituting evil mental factors. Many people's minds lack the mental factor of shame and remorse; they are entirely shameless and without remorse. If one does not align with the mental factor of shame and remorse, one remains flawed and unqualified as a person. Even in studying Buddhism, one has not yet learned properly and has not achieved results in practice.

Being able to give rise to the mental factors of shame and remorse is characteristic of a wise person. This is because such a person can introspect and recognize that their actions are imperfect, unskillful, or negligent, or even that they have committed wrong, bad, and evil deeds, harming others and damaging their interests. The ability to introspect and recognize these things demonstrates wisdom and freedom from afflictions. Without wisdom, one lacks such awareness. No matter how many wrong or evil deeds one commits, they do not introspect upon themselves. They remain unaware, unashamed, and unremorseful, persisting in their old ways. Consequently, when karmic retribution catches up, they must endure a thousandfold or ten-thousandfold suffering from the evil consequences. Inviting such immense retribution is, of course, extremely unwise behavior. Practitioners studying Buddhism should, throughout their cultivation, understand causes and recognize effects, constantly introspecting upon their own minds. They should promptly detect their afflictions, give rise to shame and remorse, correct their faults in a timely manner, rectify their unwholesome habits, perfect their character, and become endowed with wisdom. Only then are they qualified to perceive the truth, attain realization, transform from an ordinary being into a sage, and attain great benefit and happiness. Being endowed with the mental factors of shame and remorse is also a fruit of cultivation.

The Avatamsaka Sutra contains a line: Bodhisattvas should don the upper garment of shame and remorse. The upper garment signifies the best clothing, the most precious garment. We should all examine ourselves: Have we put on this upper garment of shame and remorse? We must constantly reflect upon our minds: What afflictions are present now? What unwholesome mental states and actions exist? Cultivation is about cultivating oneself, changing one's own unwholesome mind and afflictions. It is not about constantly watching others' practice or supervising others' cultivation. If one has not cultivated well oneself, one is in no position to comment on or supervise others.