What Are Hiri and Ottappa Cetasikas?

Shame (惭) and remorse (愧) refer to feeling guilty, apologetic, and unsettled about the evil deeds, wrongdoings, omissions, and imperfect actions one has committed. Both characters have the "heart" radical (竖心旁) on the left, representing the mind. The right sides combined mean "slaying a ghost" (斩鬼), where "ghost" represents evil. Eliminating evil from the heart purifies it, leading to goodness. Therefore, within the fifty-one mental factors, shame and remorse belong to the wholesome mental factors, while shamelessness and lack of remorse are unwholesome mental factors, belonging to the category of evil mental factors. Many people's minds lack the mental factor of shame and remorse; they are shameless and remorseless. If one does not align with the mental factor of shame and remorse, one is flawed and incomplete as a person, still unqualified. Such a person has not yet learned Buddhism well and has not achieved any results in practice.

Being able to generate the mental factors of shame and remorse is characteristic of a wise person. This is because they can introspect and recognize that their actions are imperfect, unskillful, negligent, or even that they have committed wrongdoings, bad deeds, or evil acts, 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 bad deeds one commits, one will not introspect. Being unaware, ignorant, shameless, and remorseless, one remains unchanged. Consequently, when karmic retribution catches up, one must endure thousands or tens of thousands of times the suffering as retribution for the evil committed. Inviting such immense negative retribution is, of course, an extremely unwise act. Practitioners of Buddhism, in the course of their cultivation, should understand causes and recognize effects, constantly introspecting their own minds. They should promptly detect their afflictions, generate 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 and attain enlightenment, thereby transforming from an ordinary being to a sage, obtaining great benefit and happiness. Being endowed with the mental factors of shame and remorse is also the fruition virtue of cultivation.

The Avatamsaka Sutra once stated: "A bodhisattva should wear the supreme garment of shame and remorse." The "supreme garment" is the best and most precious clothing. We should all examine ourselves: have we put on this supreme garment of shame and remorse? We must constantly reflect on our minds: what afflictions do we currently harbor? What unwholesome mental actions are present? Cultivation is about cultivating oneself, changing one's own unwholesome minds and afflictions. It is not about constantly observing others' practice or supervising others' cultivation. If one has not cultivated oneself properly, one has no means to discuss or supervise others.