Buddhistic Teachings, Laws and Ethics

Email

Whatsapp

Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter

Copy link

It is well-known that Buddhism is the most ethical of "religions" An important part of the Noble Eightfold Path relates to the development of ethical conduct, for many a layperson Buddhist practice consists mainly in the "keeping of the precepts" many Bhikkhus see in the Vinaya rules the essence of the religious life and even many of the paramitas expected of those aspiring to Buddhahood are ethical in nature Yet to present the teaching of the Buddha as being solely and exclusively concerned with ethics could serve as a detraction from the real objective of the Buddha-Dhamma, which is to serve as a path or vehicle leading to Enlightenment. Essentially, according to Buddhist teachings, the ethical and moral principles are governed by examining whether a certain action, whether connected to body or speech is likely to be harmful to one's self or to others and thereby avoiding any actions which are likely to be harmful In Buddhism, there is much talk of a skilled mind. A mind that is skilful avoids actions that are likely to cause suffering or remorse Moral conduct for Buddhists differs according to whether it applies to the larty or to the Sangha or clergy Alay Buddhist should cultivate good conduct by training in what are known as the "Five Precepts" These are not like, say, the ten commandments, which, if broken, entail punishment by God The five precepts are training rules, which, if one were to break any of them, one should be aware of the breech and examine how such a breech may be avoided in the future. The resultant of an action (often referred to as Karma) depends on the intention more than the action itself it entails less feelings of guilt than its Judeo-Christian counterpart. Buddhism places a great emphasis on 'mind' and it is mental anguish such as remorse, anxiety, guilt etc. which is to be avoided in order to cultivate a calm and peaceful mind This book contains the fundamental and basic information of subject and the selection of contents makes it an appropriate textbook for the students

Dr N. K. Satpati, Associate Professor and H.O.D,Deptt of Buddhism at S.N.Arya PG College Majra Kanakpur He is M.A., Ph.D in Budhism from Delhi University, qualified JRF/NET and joined the College in 2008. He is very sincere and dedicated teacher, received several awards from the College for his qualitative performances. He is also the Head of College's Admission Committee. He has attended several seminars and conferences and presented research papers. He has several articles to his credit published in various esteemed journals.

Essentially, according to Buddhist teachings, the ethical and moral principles are governed by examining whether a certain action, whether connected to body or speech is likely to be harmful to one's self or to others and thereby avoiding any actions which are likely to be harmful. In Buddhism, there is much talk of a skilled mind. A mind that is skilful avoids actions that are likely to cause suffering or remorse. Moral conduct for Buddhists differs according to whether it applies to the laity or to the Sangha or clergy.

The teaching founded by the Buddha is known, in English, as Buddhism. It may be asked, who is the Buddha? A Buddha is one who has attained Bodhi; and by Bodhi is meant wisdom, an ideal state of intellectual and ethical perfection which can be achieved by man through purely human means. The term Buddha literally means enlightened one, a knower. Buddhists believe that a Buddha is born in each aeon of time, and our Buddha-the sage Gotama who attained enlightenment under the bo tree at Buddh Gaya in India-was the seventh in the succession.

Karma is the law of moral causation. The theory of Karma is a fundamental doctrine in Buddhism. This belief was prevalent in India before the advent of the Buddha. Nevertheless, it was the Buddha who explained and formulated this doctrine in the complete form in which we have it today.

Buddhism teaches that wisdom should be developed with compassion. At one extreme, you could be a goodhearted fool and at the other extreme, you could attain knowledge without any emotion. Buddhism uses the middle path to develop both. The highest wisdom is seeing that in reality, all phenomena are incomplete, impermanent and do no constitute a fixed entity. True wisdom is not simply believing what we are told but instead experiencing and understanding truth and reality.