Gonzales, Dexter O.

[email protected]
Ethics of Buddhism

ETHICS OF BUDDHISM
LIFE’S DISLOCATION
• Trauma of birth
MAGISTERIAL LECTURE – ETHICS
• Pathology of sickness
OF BUDDHISM
• Phobia of death
• To be tied to what one abhors
LIFE OF BUDDHA
• To be separated from what one loves.
• Born arund 563 B.C in Kapilavastu
• Family name: Gautama
• Given name: Siddhatrha 2. CAUSE OF LIFE’S DISLOCATION IS
• Father: Suddhodana, prince of Sakya Clan TANHA (SAMUDAYA)
• Mother dreamed of the future Buddha
• TANHA literally means DESIRE.
entering her womb shaped as a white
elephant with flowers blooming. • Tanha is desire for one’s private
fulfillment at the expense of other forms
PERSONALITY OF THE BUDDHA of life.
- Combination of: • Cycle of becoming caused by craving and
• Rich grasping or clinging.
• Compassionate gentleness • Craving leads not only to suffering here
• Sharp intelligence and now but also further suffering in the
• Independent inquiry future, in form of rebirth.
• Practical
3. CURE LIES IN OVERCOMING CRAVING
AND ATTACHMENT (NIRODHA)

4. THE WAY TO ELIMINATE CRAVING AND

PALI-CANON : 3 PITAKAS (BASKET)
CLINGING IS THE EIGHTFOLD PATH.
1. VIRAYA PITAKA: “Discipline basket”
(MAGGA)
2. DHAMMA PITAKA: “Discoure basket”
1. Right view (knowledge, faith)
3. ABHIDHAMMA: “Exposition Basket”
2. Right thought (aspiration)
where schism between Thervada
3. Right speech
(Hinayana) and Mahayana Buddhism
4. Right action (behavior)
began.
5. Right living
* Theravadas view Buddha’s thought only as
6. Right effort
propositional knowledge, while Mahayanists
7. Right mindfulness (attentiveness)
considered writings as sacred.
8. Right concentration
BASIC TEACHINGS OF THE BUDDHA
• The first three belong to the rational aspect
of the human being.
THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS
• The fourth to sixth noble truth belongs to
1. LIFE IS DUKKHA the volitional aspect of the human being.
- Life is suffering. • And the last three belongs to the
“an axle that is off center in a wheel misery, pain emotional aspect of the human being.
that seeps at the depths of human existence.”
- there is joy in life, but this joy is not permanent.
 Gonzales, Dexter O.
[email protected]
Ethics of Buddhism

DOCTRINE OF DEPENDENT • In Buddihsm, you have good karma and

ORIGINATION bad karma.

• Everything falls under causation which is • It is condition by causes and the causes
the CENTRAL TEACHING of the also would have an effect and the effect
Buddha. would also be the cause.

• Patticasamutpada or Pratityasamutpada • There is a correlation of the actions and

consequences.
• Nothing in this world that does not come
within realm of causal laws. DOCTRINE OF THE REBIRTH OR
TRANSMIGRATION
• Causality explains the arising and passing
away of things. • Corollary to doctrine of Karma.

DOCTRINE OF MOMENTARINESS • One undergoes cycle of birth and death.

• Anicca doctrine, corollary to dependent • One who is ignorant of the fact that things
origination. are impermanent will cling to the things of
this world, leading to suffering.
• A thing arises depending upon cause, so
when cause is removed, things ceases to • Suffering is death.
be, thus momentary.
• Death is therefore not a separation of body
• All things subject to destruction. and soul, end of a certain of life and a
begin of one another.
• Everything in this world is relative,
impermanent, thus momentary. NIRVANA

DOCTRINE OF KARMA • Nirvana is the goal of the 8-fold path, the

godhead of Buddhism.
WHAT IS KARMA?
• Karma is the behavior of the deed of the • Means cessation of suffering, “to bow
person that is determined by the three out”, “to extinguish”
factors.
• Incomprehensible, ununtterable
• Implied in causation is Karma.
• Boundless life itself
• Behavior of man (Karma)is determined by
three factors: • Misinterpreted as annihilation of one’s
1. external stimuli soul or the soul’s external existence
2. conscious motives
3. unconscious motives • Two aspects of moral behavior of this path
to perfection.
 Gonzales, Dexter O.
[email protected]
Ethics of Buddhism

• One is negative that is avoiding evil, and REFRAIN FROM WRONG SPEECH
the other one is positive which is doing - Buddhist literature is replete with varieties of
cultivating the good. WRONG SPEECH. Lying, malicious talk,
generally, violation of secrets – the list goes on.
5 PERCEPTS OF BUDDHISM (MORAL - The key is SELF-AWARENESS. By avoiding
VIRTUES) wrong speech, we establish a link between “right
PANCA SILA thought” and “right action”.

1. REFRAIN FROM HARMING LIVING REFRAIN FROM TAKING DRUGS OR

THINGS. DRINKS WHICH TEND TO CLOUD THE
2. REFRAIN FROM TAKING WHAT IS MIND
NOT GIVEN. - The central teaching is a system of meditation
3. REFRAIN FROM THE MISUSE OF THE designed to clarify the mind so that knowledge
SENSES. and insight may arise in it and reflected freely. It
4. REFRAIN FROM WRONG SPEECH. follows anyone seriously interested in attaining
5. REFRAIN FROM TAKING DRUGS OR the state of enlightened wisdom will refrain from
DRINKS WHICH TEND TO CLOUD indulgences that impair the clarity of mental
THE MIND. vision, shroud doubts and uncertainties in a kind
of euphoria and encourage seeing things other
REFRAIN FROM HARMING LIVING THINGS than as they are.
- It suggests an abstinence from injuring or in any
way harming living things and implies an “CEASE TO DO EVIL”
awareness of sanctity of life. “LEARN TO DO GOOD”
- Buddhism teaches, ultimately results in life Five percepts are summed up in the first axiom of
having new significance and perspective. We Buddhist moral teaching, “CEASE TO DO
develop new sense of respect for self and others EVIL”. However, these percepts are only the
that permeates all our thinking and acting. ground breaking and the weeding. The
constructive work begins with the second axiom,
REFRAIN FROM TAKING WHAT IS NOT “LEARN TO DO GOOD”. This leads us to the
GIVEN. percepts that invite followers to develop certain
- This percept invites us to develop toward the virtues.
owners of inanimate objects the same respect that
the first percept enjoins toward living thing. DASA SILA (10 MORAL VIRTUES)

REFRAIN FROM THE MISUSE OF THE FIRST 4+ RESTRAINT FROM:

SENSES 5. slander
- By this percept, personal habits that lead to 6. harsh or rough speech
obesity, muscular deterioration, or any pollution 7. frivolous chatter
of the body and its organ are to be avoided. It 8. covetousness
simply invites them to be ceaselessly aware of the 9. malevolence
quality of their sensual activity. The senses should 10. false or heretical views
be enjoyed, not jaded; used, not abused.
 Gonzales, Dexter O.
[email protected]
Ethics of Buddhism

For the buddhist, right action would lead to

detachment whereas bad action lead to attachment
so the good leads to happiness and freedom and
attachment is bad because it leads to suffering.

ETHICAL JUDGEMENT

• Good (kusala) : wholesome, healthy

• Bad (akusala): unwholesome, unhealthy

• Definition of good and bad is described as

“Mirror of the Dhamma”

• Dhamma: truth, identified with truth

about the world, namely casualit

• So, good = truth, bad = untruth

• Buddha conscious of relativity of ethical

judgements but refuses to differentiate
reality or truth and value

BUDDHIST GOLDEN RULE

The Buddhist Golden Rule reads, “One who loves

himself should not harm another”.

The equality of the self and the other that is the

foundation of the Golden Rule is none other than
commonality of suffering and happness.

“All equally experience suffering and happiness,

I should look after them as I do myself.”

CONCLUSION

The love that the Buddha preached is an all-

embracing love, an unconditional self-giving
compassion flowing freely towards all living
creatures.