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Buddhist Ethics

• Buddhism: Key facts
• The Buddha: An introduction
• The Noble Eightfold Path
• The Moral Precepts of Buddhism
• Life after death

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Buddhist ethics: An introduction

Information: A review of how Buddhists live according to the The Moral Precepts of Buddhism and The Noble Eightfold Path. Before reading this article you may wish to review the sections Buddhism: Key facts and The Buddha: An Introduction. A version of this article was originally published on the website www.faithnet.org.uk.

Introduction

Ethics is basically a study of what it means to live the right way, or the study of how people should and do make decisions about moral issues. For Buddhism, ethics begins with the Buddha's dharma (or teaching), and in particular The Moral Precepts of Buddhism, which are part of the Noble Eightfold Path. These set out guidelines for how Buddhists should live, and describe what the ideal Buddhist life is like.

As Buddhists do not believe that any God/god will save them and sort the world out, this means they have to take the view that things will only change for the better if they do something about it. This is why Buddhism could also be called a D. I. Y. faith. Buddhists also spend a lot of time meditating, because they believe that by doing this they can understand themselves better, and the world they live in. It is also through meditating that they begin to understand the reasons why suffering (dukkha) arises (Right Understanding), how to something about it (Right Intention), and how to avoid doing things which cause or contribute to 'suffering' (leading to Right Action).

Everything Buddha taught was primarily intended to address the problem of dukkha, which describes a sense of dissatisfaction that occurs as people constantly crave for (or desire) things, and that when such things are acquired they are unable to truly satisfy them (for people always want more). We might say that the moral test for a Buddhist, is whether their actions reduce dukkha.

The Four Noble Truths and Right Action

The problem of why dukkha arises and how it can be overcome, was set out by the Buddha in The Four Noble Truths. These are:

• 1. People have an illness: Suffering (dukkha).
• 2. The cause of the illness: Suffering is caused by desire (tanha).
• 3. Accepting that there is a cure for the illness: Removing selfish desires, craving and attachment to things in this world will reduce dukkha.
• 4. The medicine: Following The Noble Eightfold Path is the way to cure the problem of dukkha.

Following on from this, the Noble Eightfold Path can be summarised in the following way:

• Meditation (contemplation)
• Wisdom (understanding)
• Morality (action)

This also shows how Buddhist belief and practice work together.

• Meditation (thinking about things)... leads to
• Wisdom (understanding why things are that way)... leading to
• Morality (doing something about it)!

The aspect of the Noble Eightfold Path that deals with morality, is also explored in the following ways:

• Right Speech
• Right Action
• Right Livelihood

Right Speech: What a person says reveals much about themselves. Words have the power to do great good yet at the same to do much damage. Speech must always be pure. Lying, ridiculing people (slander), swearing, abuse and gossip are all to be avoided by Buddhists, as these things cause division and hatred amongst people.

Right Action: What the ideal Buddhist life looks like, is set out in the The Moral Precepts of Buddhism. The first five of these are 1. I undertake not to kill ('With deeds of loving kindness, I purify my body'); 2. I undertake not to take what has not been given ('With open-handed generosity, I purify my body'); 3. I undertake not to engage in sexual misconduct ('With stillness, simplicity and contentment, I will purify my body'); 4. I undertake not to lie ('With truthful communication, I purify my speech'); 5. I undertake to avoid things which will cloud the mind or lessen self-control (E.g. alcohol) ('With mindfulness, clear and radiant, I will purify my body').

Right Livelihood: A Buddhist should not be associated with any violent occupation, or anything that harms a living thing (E.g. a soldier, a butcher, a fisherman). Buddhists are also not allowed to profit from their religion, so monks and nuns need to rely on the gifts of others.

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Anatta: No self, just everyone

As there is no God in Buddhism commanding people to live a certain way, so a positive attitude towards other people needs to be promoted in other ways. One of the main ways this is done, is through the idea of anatta.

Something to think about: Some people suggest that without God, there can be no basis for saying that anything is right or wrong. They argue that if there was no God, then there is no fixed moral code, and if there is no fixed moral code then anything goes and we have moral anarchy. Do you agree with this, and why?

Many of us can give examples of when we or other people we know, have been selfish. This can happen when we focus on ourselves as individuals. For it is when we focus primarily on our needs and desires, at the expense of other people's, that we become selfish (or self-centred/self-focused). However, the Buddha's notion of anatta challenges us to think though the idea that each person in the world is an individual, and that instead we begin to see the world as one global community. If there is really no individual self, there there is no individual; only everyone!

The meditation practice metta bhavana helps Buddhists break down barriers they may have between themselves, and others. Metta bhavana is a meditation which focuses not only on people we like and love, but also our enemies,  and encourages us to spread loving thoughts to all of them is equal measure.

For more on the metta bhavana meditation visit http://www.buddhanet.net/metta.htm.

Practical ethics

Buddhist ethics are intended to have positive effects in the world. As a result of following the Noble Eightfold Path, Buddhists will begin to adopt different attitudes, and live better (less selfish) lives. The main thing Buddhists would seek to show (following the Buddha) is compassion (awareness and understanding) to others in the world. Buddhism teaches people to put their own needs to one side, to focus on the needs of others. In fact, it is a faith which promotes positive attitudes and behaviour, in order for people to live together better than they do at the moment.

Buddhists are also keen to make sure they do not cause bad karma to occur in themselves, others and the world around them. In opposition to Hindu teachings, the Buddha taught that only those things which a person had deliberately done would affect their karma (and any subsequent rebirth). This is why Buddhists are very keen to do only those things which will create good karma for them. In fact, Buddhists do not really talk of 'good' and 'bad' things in the way other faiths do, but of 'skilful' and 'unskilful' actions. An unskilful action is that which leads to bad karma, whereas a skilful action will lead to good karma and a better rebirth.

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