The Buddhist king Ashoka built pillars throughout the Indian subcontinent inscribed with edicts promoting Buddhist moral virtues and precepts.
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Buddhist ethics are traditionally based on the enlightened perspective of the Buddha.[1] In Buddhism, ethics or morality are understood by the term Śīla or sīla (Pāli). Śīla is one of three sections of the Noble Eightfold Path. It is a code of conduct that embraces a commitment to harmony and self-restraint, primarily motivated by nonviolence or freedom from causing harm. It has been variously described as virtue,[2] moral discipline[3] and precept.
In contrast to the English word "morality" (i.e., obedience, a sense of obligation, and external constraint), Sīla is an ethical compass within oneself and one's relationships. It is an intentional ethical behavior, according to one's commitment to the path of liberation.
Sīla is one of the three practices foundational to Buddhism and the non-sectarian Vipassana movement; sīla,samādhi, and paññā as well as the Theravadin foundations of sīla, dāna, and bhavana. It is also the second pāramitā.[4]Sīla is also wholehearted commitment to what is wholesome. Two aspects of sīla are essential to the training: right "performance" (caritta), and right "avoidance" (varitta). Honoring the precepts of sīla is considered a "great gift" (mahadana) to others because it creates an atmosphere of trust, respect, and security. It means the practitioner poses no threat to another person's life, property, family, rights, or well-being.[5]
Moral instructions are included in Buddhist scriptures or handed down through tradition. Most scholars of Buddhist ethics thus rely on the examination of Buddhist scriptures and the use of anthropological evidence from traditional Buddhist societies to justify claims about the nature of Buddhist ethics.[6]
^Goodman, Charles, "Ethics in Indian and Tibetan Buddhism", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2021 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = <https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2021/entries/ethics-indian-buddhism/>.
^Gethin (1998), p. 170; Harvey (2007), p. 199; Ñāṇamoli (1999), pp. 3 passim; Nyanatiloka (1988), entry for "sīla"; Archived June 13, 2016, at the Wayback Machine Thanissaro (1999); June 1389; Nyanatiloka (1988), entry for "sīla"; and Saddhatissa (1987), pp. 54, 56.
^Bodhi (2005), p. 153.
^Horner, I.B. (trans.) (1975; reprinted 2000). The Minor Anthologies of the Pali Canon (Part III): 'Chronicle of Buddhas' (Buddhavamsa) and 'Basket of Conduct' (Cariyapitaka). Oxford: Pali Text Society. ISBN 0-86013-072-X
^Living This Life Fully: Teachings of Anagarika Munindra, by Mirka Knaster Ph.D., Shambhala Publications, USA, 2010. Pg. 67
^Damien Keown The Nature of Buddhist Ethics Macmillan 1992; Peter Harvey An Introduction to Buddhist Ethics Cambridge University Press 2000
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traditional Buddhist societies, to justify claims about the nature of Buddhistethics. According to traditional Buddhism, the foundation of Buddhistethics for...
2016 Kasulis, T.P. (2006), "Zen as a Social Ethics of Responsiveness" (PDF), Journal of BuddhistEthics, 13: 1–12, archived from the original (PDF) on...
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is the most important system of morality for Buddhist lay people. They constitute the basic code of ethics to be respected by lay followers of Buddhism...
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humanity and Buddhist economics works with it to reach a common goal of societal, individual, and environmental sufficiency. Buddhistethics was first applied...
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historian and Buddhist scholar whose research focuses on Tibetan Buddhist ideas about animal ethics and vegetarianism. Barstow was educated in Buddhist studies...
Repetti, Ricardo (2012). "Buddhist Hard Determinism: No Self, No Free Will, No Responsibility" (PDF). Journal of BuddhistEthics. 19: 136–137, 143–145. Hoefer...
Repetti, Ricardo (2012). "Buddhist Hard Determinism: No Self, No Free Will, No Responsibility" (PDF). Journal of BuddhistEthics. 19: 136–137, 143–145. Archived...
2012-06-06. "A Basic Buddhism Guide: BuddhistEthics". Buddhanet.net. Retrieved 2012-06-06. "A Happy Married Life: A Buddhist Perspective". Accesstoinsight.org...
Keown, Damien (2016), The Nature of BuddhistEthics, Springer Nature, ISBN 978-1-349-22092-2 Keyes, C.F. (1989), "Buddhist Politics and Their Revolutionary...
The Triratna Buddhist Community, formerly the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order (FWBO), is an international fellowship of Buddhists. It was founded...
challenge to this practice. Abbot (Buddhism) Bhikkhu Bhikkhunī Buddhistethics Greco-Buddhist monasticism Monasticism Sangha Theragatha, Verses of the Elder...
injury. Ahimsa Ethics of uncertain sentience Insect cognition Insect euthanasia Pain in invertebrates Keown, Damien (2005). BuddhistEthics: A Very Short...
scriptures in the Theravada Buddhist tradition, as preserved in the Pāli language. It is the most complete extant early Buddhist canon. It derives mainly...
Virtue ethics (also aretaic ethics, from Greek ἀρετή [aretḗ]) is an approach that treats virtue and character as the primary subjects of ethics, in contrast...
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