Introducing Buddhist Ethics

 

Buddhist Ethics: An Introduction

Author: Ruth Wood 

The Origin of Buddhist Ethics

Buddhist ethics are inspired by Siddhartha Gautama, the first being to gain nirvana and teach the dharma (truth of Buddhism) in this current time cycle. From the moment he saw the Four Sights and vowed to renounce and become a wandering ascetic, Gautama dedicated his life to eradicating human suffering, and offered teachings and moral guidance for his followers to ensure that their dukkha (suffering) and craving (tanha) are reduced. 

Buddhist ethics function within the supernatural framework of Samsara and karma, and so Buddhists believe that there is a system of law and punishment that corresponds to their moral behaviour – however this system is not controlled by a deity, it is a universal law like gravity. This means that being trapped within the wheel of Samsara, the cycle of death and rebirth, will continually experience the karmic consequences of their actions until they are able to escape through attaining nirvana. Therefore, the Buddha taught his followers to behave in a way that would cultivate good karma and lead to positive rebirths, to help them reach the eventual goal of nirvana and the ending of dukkha by entering pari-nirvana at death.

It is these rules for behaviour, taught by Gautama and developed in Buddhist thought over the centuries, that form the basis of Buddhist ethics - right and wrong are dictated by the guidance of the Buddha and one's own wisdom as to how one should behave. Buddhism is a personal journey and experience over many lifetimes, and so there is a personal responsibility for Buddhists to grow morally over their lifetimes of experience. This will be easier for a practicing Buddhist who is able to meditate upon the patterns of their behaviour and try to overcome the three fires of hatred, greed and delusion which turn the wheel of Samsara and therefore impact upon every being trapped within the cycle. 

The Principles of Sila

Buddhists are provided with specific rules on sila (morality) – the severity of which depends on one’s state in the sangha, meaning that there is a higher expectation of behaviour for monastics over laypeople who have not yet renounced. There are also much more dire consequences for monastics who break moral precepts, as renouncing and dedicating one's life to the dharma and moral rules of Buddhism brings with it a great deal of shame and karmic consequence if one is unable to follow the monastic life they have dedicated themselves to. 

Laypeople are given 5 general precepts to follow, which focus on abstaining from harmful behaviours like killing and doing harm, stealing (that which is not given), false speech, misuse of sensual pleasures, and consuming substances that cloud the mind. All Buddhists are also required to show ahimsa (non-violence) to others in their actions and livelihoods. 

Monks and nuns, whilst observing these same precepts, are given more specific guidelines – for example, they the rules of the Vinaya Pitaka of the Pali Canon (Theravada believe that there are 227 rules for monks and 311 for nuns, with even more being a part of the Mahayana tradition). Furthermore, Mahayana Buddhists are expected to cultivate 6 paramitas (perfections) that lead to the realisation of the bodhisattva goal – practices include generosity, zeal, wisdom, patience, meditation and morality. It can therefore be seen that there are a variety of specific moral rules to guide Buddhists in their understanding of ethics, these can be further aided by perfecting prajna/panna (the wisdom section of the eightfold path) and samadhi (meditation/concentration) as part of magga (Eightfold Path).

The Rule of Intention

Buddhists are not just judged on the actions that they perform, as the Buddha makes it clear that karma is governed by a rule of intention. This means that actions are only considered to be immoral if they were undertaken with an unhealthy, or selfish intention (akusala) and are seen to be moral if they were undertaken selflessly (kusala). People who gain bad karma are therefore those who intend to cause harm to others, rather than those who perform a specific action. All beings in Samsara are driven by the three “fires” of hatred, greed and delusion. The Buddha taught people to uphold morality to ensure that they can reach the point of nirvana (enlightenment – true understanding of the nature of things). Nirvana’ed beings will not be reborn in Samsara, so leading these beings to the end of suffering.

Student Focus: Now you try this

Think about: How can you introduce Buddhist ethics in an exam answer? You may find it useful to prepare a paragraph on Buddhist ethics that can be used to introduce ethical principles in general. In this paragraph, you may want to include the following points:

- Ethics stemming from the rules and example of Siddhartha Gautama

- The rules of sila, and the difference in expectation between a moral life for lay people and monastics

- How the rule of intention governs karmic consequences