Buddhist ethics is a concept of behavior that includes a commitment to morality and liberation. The concept of ethics and morality is one of the perfection followers of Buddhism must strive to achieve enlightenment. At the core of ethics are the principles of non-destruction, good and bad. A problematic ethical point is a relationship between acts with which karma is not concerned and socially acceptable acts. The two do not always converge, so the relevance of ethics in Buddhist practice is not lost today. Contemporary questions of ethics in Buddhism can only be answered after analyzing the historical roots and assessing the relationship between religion, ethics, and social justice.
Historical Aspects of Ethics in Buddhism
In early Buddhism, four levels of ethical precepts were associated with four degrees of spiritual progress. First, there are the rules of conduct for ordinary people – the Pancha Shila: one should not kill, steal, lie, commit adultery, or drink alcohol (Tonni, 2021). These precepts form the beginnings of ethical behavior that allow the individual to see the importance of social and personal harmony. Second, rules for sangha members are similar to the first level, as this is only the beginning of the path to true enlightenment (Molloy, 2020). Third, the techniques of self-training practiced by the sangha to achieve liberation from samsara. Techniques include entering into the flow and control of the senses, understanding the practice of return, and how to leave for the final journey. Finally, sangha strive to achieve the supreme goal of arhatship, which can only be attained with total concentration and the destruction of damaging effects.
The ethical precepts have lasted long enough to retain world recognition. They were enshrined in the Samannaphala Sutta and represented religious merit for the sangha. The development of Buddhism shifted the focus from not doing evil to actively doing good to maintain a balance of moral motivation and action (Brons, 2022). Initially perceiving their path as rational selfishness and instruction of the self, the sangha shifted to sarva atmata – the treatment of all living things as themselves. Buddhism continues to be a rather selfish religion, but the basis is to change the self to change the world (Di Febo, 2020). This worldview developed through an awareness of the intertwining of the outer and inner. All streams of element-dharmas are connected, and the exclusion of one leads to the destabilization of the whole.
The karma is an act or behavior emanating from a person’s desire. Buddhist ethics proceed from the extent to which one can follow moral virtues, including physical, verbal, and mental acts (Molloy, 2020). They include almsgiving, morality, mental development, and respect. Also crucial in Buddhism are the principles of doing good deeds so that everyone can change the world for the better little by little, as well as rejoicing in the merits of others (Romesh, 2018). Correcting one’s attitudes is based on these notions so that mental acts are not violated. In addition, Buddhist followers have seen exemplary behavior as the Bodhisattva, the great path of compassion and mercy (Harris, 2018). It allows the awakening of powerful emotions for the enlightenment of the self and all beings destined to attain it.
The Relationship between Religion, Ethics, and Social Justice
Moral concepts and precepts in Buddhist practice are the foundations for shaping the movement into religion. Buddhism as a religion has no central god, instead preaching virtue and overcoming bodily and mental suffering. The Buddha’s doctrine allowed the movement to take on religious features and become a guiding practice for many people. Buddhism can be considered a much more ethical and open religion than other world movements because it is based on guiding people toward the good through self-improvement (Romesh, 2018). Ethical behavior and deeds have become the focus of Buddhists to end their suffering caused by attachment to the material and spiritless and to achieve awakening. Awakening will come after one realizes how capable one is of influencing others and the worldly interconnectedness of the lives of all beings (Harris, 2018). The Buddha claimed that his teachings were not divine revelation but were received by him through meditative contemplation of his spirit and all things. Since ethics is a reflection of morality, Buddhism is the most vital ethical religion.
The ethical principles of Buddhism have influenced the values that its followers have developed. First, it is ahimsa – avoiding harm and not disturbing the integrity of the world. Word, action, and even thought can have social consequences, so one must act out of compassion and love rather than self-interest. Second, the doctrine of karma is defined as the need for the next birth in the case of immoral behavior. This teaching has determined the way Buddhists act: they avoid all evil and strive to do only the good (Tonni, 2021). The main criterion for rebirth is intentional action, so the Buddha teaches followers universal causal relations, acting as the basis for morality and ethics (Stepien, 2021). Thirdly, five iniquities are punishable with extreme cruelty and birth in the lower circles of hell. These include killing one’s father or mother, an arhat, shedding blood with malice, and causing dissension in the Sangha (Brons, 2022). The commission of any act is morally and socially wrong; therefore, any past good actions must be forgotten. Only if one dies in hell can one achieve more in the next life; otherwise, his suffering will not cease.
No matter how cruel the ethical laws of Buddhism may seem, they return to the morally correct social acts that are now accepted in society. Buddhist behavior is socially endorsed because good intentions and deeds are the head of many company missions and goals. In addition, social and charitable organizations point to virtue as the basis for societal relationships. Buddhism has its origins in India and has gradually spread to Western countries. Buddhism fundamentally differs from any worldview interpreted in European or American society (Romesh, 2018). The transient nature of each phenomenon is a new phenomenon in practice to which society wants to move to avoid conflict and war. The pursuit of change and movement, the recognition of impermanence, and the destruction of negative bonds are goals of Buddhism that society is happy to adopt.
Contemporary Ethical Issues in Buddhism
Ethical issues in today’s world are closely related to the central definitions of Buddhism. Buddhism is prevalent in many democracies because goodness and peaceful attitudes allow society to develop (Molloy, 2020). Current issues include the dilemma of abortion, murder and euthanasia, and attitudes toward animals, including vegetarianism. These issues are relevant in any religion, and while Christianity is notoriously hostile, Buddhism should be analyzed for similar attitudes.
Abortion is a difficult dilemma in Buddhism but is generally viewed as a negative phenomenon. Regarding ethics, Buddhism makes no distinction on the timing of the fetus, a view that persists in many Asian countries. Nevertheless, in the modern interpretation, abortion can be justified only when there is a physical threat to the mother’s health, although the negative effect on karma persists. Murder is a deliberately harmful phenomenon in Buddhism, condemned by the previously discussed commandments (Brons, 2022). Concerning murder, the consensus is to exclude even the thought or word of such an act because it can lead directly to hell.
Euthanasia is traditionally considered an abortion problem because it is a mere physical deliverance from suffering. Both acts are violations of the commandment “Thou shalt not kill,” which brings negative karma, and are condemned because they do not rid the mind and intellect of worry (Tonni, 2021). True liberation cannot be achieved this way because one will continue to be reborn again and again. Euthanasia results from a wandering mind that cannot make a sound, karma-correct decision on its own.
Buddhism treats attitudes toward animals and vegetarianism differently than Christianity because no limitations are made between moral categories. With consciousness, man has to protect all incapacitated beings and treat them respectfully. Humans are part of nature, so their task is to alleviate the suffering of animals who must also exist in samsara. Vegetarianism is a more complex and controversial issue: some Buddhists are inclined to eat meat, but others consider it a violation of the scriptures. Differences in diet depend mainly on regional characteristics, but in general, regarding ethics and the Buddha’s teachings, meat can be eaten, and a monk should eat any food as long as it is pure in all moral respects.
Conclusion
Thus, the central ethical roots of Buddhism are the levels of moral behavior and the commandments or virtues. These allowed Buddhism to emerge as a religious movement and then began to shape ethical behavior in society. Buddhist ethics is an endorsed practice because it preaches goodness, love, and the pursuit of perfection. Despite the moral and ethical standards, issues such as abortion, euthanasia, and animal welfare remain unresolved because killing and depriving someone of potential life remains an act that leads to hell in Buddhism.
References
Brons, L. (2022). A Buddha land in this world: Philosophy, utopia, and radical Buddhism. Punctum Books.
Di Febo, A. (2020). “To benefit others is to benefit yourself”: Patterns of social exchange and care provision in a Japanese lay Buddhist organization.Asian Ethnology, 79(2), 217–238. Web.
Harris, S. E. (2018). Promising across lives to save non-existent beings: Identity, rebirth, and the Bodhisattva’s vow. Philosophy East and West, 68(2), 386–407.
Molloy, M. (2020). Experiencing the world’s religions: Tradition, challenge, and change (8th ed.). McGraw-Hill.
Romesh, K. (2018). Moral elements in the ethical code of Buddhism. Filozofia Publiczna i Edukacja Demokratyczna, 3, 18-35.
Stepien, R. K. (2021). Indian Buddhist and continental Christianate critiques of ontology: An exercise in interreligious philosophical dialogue(A. Saeed & P. Hedges, Eds.). S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. Web.
Tonni, S. T. N. (2021). Buddhist ethics and its impacts on modern time (Publication No. 1512201233) [Master’s Thesis, University of Rajshahi]. Phil Archive.