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    Buddhist Ethics: Gaerlan, Lunar-Maius A. Med 1B Buddhist Ethics

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    Aljon Anies
    1) The document summarizes key aspects of Buddhist ethics as taught by Siddhartha Gautama, the historical Buddha. It describes the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path that lead to the cessation of suffering. 2) The Four Noble Truths are that suffering exists, its cause is craving, its cessation is possible by eliminating craving, and the path to achieve this is the Noble Eightfold Path. 3) The Noble Eightfold Path consists of right view, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and meditation. Followers aim to follow these and five basic precepts to attain nirvana.

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    Buddhist Ethics: Gaerlan, Lunar-Maius A. Med 1B Buddhist Ethics

    Uploaded by

    Aljon Anies
    40 views3 pages
    1) The document summarizes key aspects of Buddhist ethics as taught by Siddhartha Gautama, the historical Buddha. It describes the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path that lead to the cessation of suffering. 2) The Four Noble Truths are that suffering exists, its cause is craving, its cessation is possible by eliminating craving, and the path to achieve this is the Noble Eightfold Path. 3) The Noble Eightfold Path consists of right view, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and meditation. Followers aim to follow these and five basic precepts to attain nirvana.

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    Buddhist Ethics

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    1) The document summarizes key aspects of Buddhist ethics as taught by Siddhartha Gautama, the historical Buddha. It describes the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path that lead to the cessation of suffering. 2) The Four Noble Truths are that suffering exists, its cause is craving, its cessation is possible by eliminating craving, and the path to achieve this is the Noble Eightfold Path. 3) The Noble Eightfold Path consists of right view, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and meditation. Followers aim to follow these and five basic precepts to attain nirvana.

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    40 views3 pages

    Buddhist Ethics: Gaerlan, Lunar-Maius A. Med 1B Buddhist Ethics

    Uploaded by

    Aljon Anies
    1) The document summarizes key aspects of Buddhist ethics as taught by Siddhartha Gautama, the historical Buddha. It describes the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path that lead to the cessation of suffering. 2) The Four Noble Truths are that suffering exists, its cause is craving, its cessation is possible by eliminating craving, and the path to achieve this is the Noble Eightfold Path. 3) The Noble Eightfold Path consists of right view, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and meditation. Followers aim to follow these and five basic precepts to attain nirvana.

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    Gaerlan, Lunar-maius A.

    Med 1B
    Buddhist Ethics

    Buddhist Ethics
    Lunar-maius a. Gaerlan
    Introduction
    Is Buddhism a religion? In Buddhism, there is no ‘god-notion’; no creator; and no
    ultimate reality to worship. In essence: Buddhism is a way of life – it provides guideline for our
    ethical and psychological decisions with focus on the philosophy of becoming/awakening.

    The first Buddha (awakened/enlightened one) was Siddhartha Gautama. He was a son of
    wealthy king born in India on 6th – 5th century BCE. At birth, he was prophesized to either
    become the emperor of India or to be a very holy man. His father wanted him to develop as an
    emperor so he kept Gautama in isolation on the palace with every luxury available and he was
    protected from even the smallest misfortunes of the outside world. At 29, he left the Palace for
    an excursion and met a sick man, aging man, and a dying man. The three men he saw are the
    representation of normal life and the inevitable parts of human condition. With what he saw, his
    eyes were opened to the reality of the world and fled for another excursion. On the second time,
    he encountered a holy man (monk) who seeks spiritual life amidst the vastness of human
    suffering. Inspired, he left the palace for good and tried to study from other holy men. He
    learned, meditated, starved and abstained from the usual comforts and luxuries of life. After
    meditating and starving for some time, he reached the highest state of enlightenment – Nirvana
    (liberation), blowing out the flames of desire.
    As a Buddha (enlightened one), he came to a realization that all creation from small ants
    to human beings are all unified by suffering. This prompted him to develop the best approach on
    how to confront suffering:
    o One shouldn’t bathe in luxury; nor
    o abstain from food and comfort; and should
    o live in moderation – or the middle way: which allows maximal concentration in
    cultivating
    compassion for others and seeking enlightenment.
    The Four Noble Truth
    Gautama, as an enlightened one thought the four noble truth – the path to transcending
    suffering which are listed as follows:
    1. The Noble Truth of Pain/Suffering.
     Birth, age, sickness, death, sorrow & despair are painful.
     Suffering is a feature of all living creatures.
     Suffering can be physical (sickness & old age) or mental (emotions & fulfillment).
    2. The Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering/Pain.
     It is craving, which leads to rebirth, pleasure & passion, existence & non-existence.
     Other origin of suffering includes greed, ignorance and hatred.

    Page 1 of 3
    Ethics
    Gaerlan, Lunar-maius A. Med 1B
    Buddhist Ethics

    3. The Noble Truth of the Cessation of Pain.


     It is the cessation of craving without remainder, forsaking detachment and release
    from it.
     We must extinguish greed, ignorance, and hatred.
     We must change our outlook (not our circumstances) and reorient our mind to be
    content.
    4. The Noble Truth of the Path
     A way to go about ending suffering – the noble eightfold path.

    The Noble Eightfold Path


    The symbol of Buddhism represents the Noble Eightfold Path.
    The eight spokes represent the actions (path) to end desire/craving in
    order to achieve Nirvana (a state of mind with spiritual
    enlightenment). Listed below are the eight (8) actions of the noble
    eightfold path in no particular order:

    1. Right understanding – Accepting Buddhist teaching; and


    practicing and teaching them for oneself.
    2. Right intention – Having a commitment in developing the
    right attitude, better understanding of the four noble truths.
    3. Right Speech – Speaking truthfully and avoiding lies and deceit. Having discipline in
    words.
    4. Right action – Behaving peacefully and avoiding hurtful actions to self and other living
    creatures.
    5. Right livelihood – Make a living without exploiting anyone or anything and contribute in
    a positive way to social and economic growth. Buddhist teaching advice against
    profession which can hurt others.
    6. Right effort – Cultivating a positive attitude and working towards freeing oneself from
    suffering.
    7. Right mindfulness – Developing an awareness of the self in all its aspect including:
    - Body
    - Sensation
    - Feelings
    - States of mind
    8. Right meditation – Developing mental focus through discipline and meditation.
    Buddhist followers live by the noble eightfold path and obey five (5) precepts:
    1. To undertake the training to avoid taking the life of beings. This precept applies to all
    living beings not just humans. All beings have a right to their lives and that right should
    be respected.

    Page 2 of 3
    Ethics
    Gaerlan, Lunar-maius A. Med 1B
    Buddhist Ethics

    2. To undertake the training to avoid taking things not given. This precept goes further than
    mere stealing. One should avoid taking anything unless one can be sure that is intended
    that it is for you.
    3. To undertake the training to avoid sensual misconduct. This precept is often mistranslated
    or misinterpreted as relating only to sexual misconduct but it covers any overindulgence
    in any sensual pleasure such as gluttony as well as misconduct of a sexual nature.
    4. To undertake the training to refrain from false speech. As well as avoiding lying and
    deceiving, this precept covers slander as well as speech which is not beneficial to the
    welfare of others.
    5. To undertake the training to abstain from substances which cause intoxication and
    heedlessness.
    Buddhist Ethical Principles
    The Buddha does not teach a dogma to follow, it focuses on the individual value of each life
    although there is no emphasis on the individual as a self: self is not important; all creatures are
    linked to each other. A principle of non-harm – an attitude of care towards all living beings as we
    are all part of the cycle of life
    Like Hinduism which also originated on India, Buddhism also relies heavily on the ideology of
    “Karma” – actions have consequence if not on this life, then in reincarnation. It also places a
    great emphasis on 'mind' and it is mental anguish such as remorse, anxiety, guilt etc. which are to
    be avoided in order to cultivate a calm and peaceful mind. Finally, good actions may mean being
    reborn in a higher realm.
    In Conclusion
    Buddhist ethics is a form of virtue ethics, not deontological or theological ethics.
    Buddhists’ aim is to be a noble person, someone on a path towards enlightenment. Buddhism as
    a way of life is significant regardless of our spiritual orientation. It shows the importance of
    facing suffering directly: We must do our best to liberate ourselves from the grip of our desires,
    recognize that suffering can be viewed as our common connection with others which spurs us to
    compassion and gentleness.

    Page 3 of 3
    Ethics

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