DE SILVA

THE MORAL PHILOSOPHY OF BUDDHISM

• It is suggests that all humans have free will and have the ability to act as they chose. Each person is a free moral agent and we make our own decisions and choices in life. Due to this, every person is in charge of their own destiny. All actions in Buddhism have a consequence dependent of if the action was positive or negative, the outcome will either be wholesome or unwholesome. e.g positive actions will bring about good intentions and negative actions will bring about a bad consequence. There is a large emphasis placed down in Buddhism on the notion of moral causation and Buddhists believe that morality and karma is built in to the fabric of the universe. Moral causation realisation whether positive or negative actions will bring about a reaction. Karma is built in to the fabric of the universe and is labelled under the physical aspect of cause and effect - each person will receive positive/negative repercussions for their actions through the natural karmic law of cause and effect. This can suggest that there is no divine moral law giver. e.g. if you live you life angry and bitter, you will be reborn angry and bitter.
• The main aim is to attain wholesome karma and right intention is seen as a very important quality as it validates how you act. Positive actions are driven by the three virtues, negative actions are driven by the three vices - the three fires. Your karma transmigrates in to your next live which will determine if you will be reborn back in to the cycle of samsara. Buddhists prefer to use terms like wholesome and unwholesome as it puts a clear distinction between whats right and wrong. The ethical life is linked with karma, therefore you should lead an ethical life because how you act decides your fate.
• The Buddha gave advice in his teaching to the monks and the laity and provided information on the 10 duties of a king. He also developed the 227 vinaya rules - the only rules in Buddhism. He developed the 5 precepts (and the extra 5 for the monks). All of this advice was - and still is - relevant for a Buddhist to lead an ethical life.

KNOWLEDGE AND TRUTH

• The Buddhist perspective on knowledge and truth suggests that there are no absolutes and no set rules on behavior. There are only moral guidelines advising you on how to behave in order to lead an ethical life. Buddhists accept that there are many different paths to the truth therefore it avoids prescriptivism as it suggests only one thing can be true. The Dharma is the true nature of reality. The ethical guidelines in Buddhism should be followed for the well-being of the practitioner. You must understand the interconnectedness of all things and realise that the journey from Dukkha - Nirvana is a vital part in ones life if they want to reach enlightenment.
• Buddhist ethics start on a humanistic level due to positive and negative actions and all facts come from a posteriori observations focusing on what works and what doesn't. The outcome of actions differ depending on what they are driven by. Unwholesome actions are driven by the 3 fires and wholesome actions are driven by the 3 virtues. Differing actions will have a different consequence. Observing how other people act will provide one with moral facts on how to act themselves. e.g. 'do not murder' doesn't strictly apply to a religion, it is a moral fact that is rooted in society. The 227 vinaya rules were created with the thought of others in mind and all Buddhist ethics are thought with others in mind. All things in Buddhism have rational reasoning. There is no divine, no absolutes and no objective law for reason.
• Buddhist ethics are concerned with the spiritual development of the individual, coming to the realisation that you have to experience and eliminate suffering in order to reach Nirvana. Everything in Buddhism that is advised against has a positive counterpart to it. e.g. 3 virtues are the positive counterpart to the 3 fires.

VICES AND VIRTUES

• Buddhist ethics are concerned with the spiritual development of the individual, coming to the realisation that you have to experience and eliminate suffering in order to reach Nirvana. Everything in Buddhism that is advised against has a positive counterpart to it. e.g. 3 virtues are the positive counterpart to the 3 fires. Therefore, by practicing the virtue, you eliminate the vice. e.g. Practice generosity and you will eliminate greed.
• Buddhism places emphasis on self control, discipline, compassion and wisdom and this is why one should follow the middle path as it enables balance in ones life. Because it can be a difficult path to follow, you need these qualities in order to follow it. However, some denominations have different views on this such as the Sharmana movement. There should be NO extremes on either end of the Buddhist lifestyle, you should not indulge in either extreme success or denial.

SOCIAL ETHICS

• Buddhism considers all members of society as equal and the Buddha had a great influence on this principle. The Buddha allowed females in to the monastic order - this was very forward thinking for this time. He also encouraged the notion of Ahimsa - no harm to any living being. He believed believed any harm to any living being including animals and living organisms was unnecessary, due to this he encouraged vegetarianism. It was noted that you should NOT kill animals for food, but if someone gives you an animal as a gift for food, it is okay to accept.
• The Buddha emphasised the importance of social relationships and family life and he gave 6 sections of advice for the householder; pupil ad teacher, employer and employee, choosing your friends and family etc. The family is deemed very important as your parents are seen as your first teachers, they are guiding you from a young age to live on the right path - the middle way. He also have the 10 duties to the king but it is worth noting that the monastic life has changed a lot since the time of the Buddha and modern day monks are involved in 'engaged Buddhism' - the monastic taking active political and social matters to help improve the conditions for the communities.
• The Buddha rejected the Caste system completely as he felt it was a division of people. He did not agree with the fact that people were being determined and defined by their status and wealth. He believed that you should be defined by your actions and your character.

PRACTICAL ETHICS

• The Buddha believed the best kind of life is balances one and this is why the Buddhist path is called the 'middle way' - in between extreme success and denial. You must act in the right way in order to find the middle path. The basis of Buddhist practical ethics is rooted in compassion and generosity. Without these things you will not be living ethically as you will not be acting with the right intention. The 5 precepts and 8FP should always be followed as they provide solid foundations and guidelines on how to behave in the most ethical way. e.g. 'do not take what is not yours' is one of the 5 precepts, it is a moral precept because if you were to act in this way, you willstill beliving out of greed and ignorance - fueling the 3 fires.
• If you are wealthy, you should not be selfish, give to those in need. Don't waste money but have security in your life. Don't be tight and frivolous.

LATER CONTRIBUTIONS FROM MAHAYANA

• The bodhisattva doctrine - ultimate act of selflessness. A bodhisattva will continue to be reborn in to the cycle of samsara in order to help all other suffering beings find enlightenment. The 6 perfections - generosity, morality, patience, vigor, meditation and wisdom. These all play vital roles in a bodhisattvas life however the bodhisattva may break one one these foundations of the 5 precepts in order for someone to see the true nature of reality. e.g. 'false speech' may be broken and used as a skill in means for a tool of awakening.
• Zen Buddhism - very extreme in its approach and has a large focus on self discipline. This is shown by practicing koans and mondos. It is a very self dependent denomination and practitioners will go to extremes to find Nirvana. Pure Land is much laid back and there is a lack of morality in this denomination as it is very dependent on other people and is not as extreme.
• Mahayana is known as the greater vehicle due to the complexities within the tradition, Theravada is known as the lesser vehicle due to its simpler form. The parable of the burning house is a good indicator of the distinction between the two main denominations in Buddhism and shows how the Mahayana tradition is seen as superior.

PART B

• Karma as a doctrine can be seen as problematic as it is just a theory, and it is not a single definitive theory. There are different was people interpret the word karma within one religion. e.g. Jains - believe every action has a consequence whether it is positive or negative. Adjavikas - believe in pre-destination, they believe everything is already set out for us. This contradicts the Buddhist notion of karma. There is no physical or scientific proof your actions define how you will be reborn in your next life. We also don't know if it is actually built in to the moral fabric of the universe.
• It can be argued humans arnt free moral agents. In Abrahamic there is a moral law giver, a person a God. e.g. Christianity - belief in God. People follow Gods word through scripture and certain known teachings. Islamic - taking Allah's word. It is clear in the Abrahamic traditions there is a path already set out for you to follow though certain rules. (pre-destinations, same belief as Adjavikas in the Shramana). There are also moral absolutes in these religions.
• The 4NT'S are a good way to observe the human condition being ill but i advise against it. They are very easy to comprehend, there is a problem - Dukkha (suffering), which ultimately gets resolved by attaining enlightenment - Nirvana. You can simply achieve all of this by following the middle way. I think this is a very simplistic observation of the Buddhist path and how to understand it, and a simple way of understanding the human condition is ill. I agree with the fact Buddhists over simplify the idea of changing perspective, it is not as simple in society today and was much easier in the Buddhas lifetime. We are constantly surrounded by materialism and consumerism, making it hard to understand the underlying complexities. Due to this, i think it is easy to say you can change your entire perspective however once you try to persue it, it would deem very difficult in most cultures around the world.