What are Ethics

Our actions can have consequences that are either harmful or beneficial both to others and to ourselves.  Buddhist ethics are based on this principle.  It is about acting in a way that is beneficial rather than harmful.  It means to act out of what is best in us, to act out of truthfulness, awareness and love.

So that we do not lose ourselves in a maze of self-analysis, the Buddha proposed various sets of ethical guidelines and principles.  These include a set of five basic ethical principles that are taught by the FWBO.  This set of principles can be stated negatively, in terms of what to avoid, and they can be stated positively in terms of what to cultivate or embrace.

Here is a brief outline of these five basic principles

Not harming others / acting with kindness

This is the most basic ethical principle and the other principles follow from it.  It implies acting non-violently. Acting non-violently also means not exploiting or manipulating others.  The principle of non-violence extends not just to people but to all beings including animals.  Many Buddhists are vegetarian for this reason.

Acting with kindness is acting with an appreciation of others rather than just seeing them as objects or in purely utilitarian terms

Not stealing / being generous

Stealing causes harm to others and contributes to the breakdown of society.  This principle of not stealing extends beyond the theft of material and intellectual property.  It includes things like the unnecessary taking of peoples time and energy when they have no wish to give it.

By cultivating generosity we feel more part of the flow of life

Not causing harm through sexual activity / cultivating inner contentment

The sexual instinct is very strong in most people and it can drive us to all kinds of strange behaviour.  One of the features of Buddhist cultures is that they have never sought to control sexual activity by means of guilt.  Buddhism does not discriminate between people on the basis of their sexual preferences.  You can be heterosexual, homosexual, transvestite or celibate and be a sincerely practicing Buddhist.  The important thing is to not cause harm through your sexual activity.

As people continue their spiritual practice and develop greater inner contentment, they cease to put a disproportionate emphasis on sexual activity.

Avoiding false speech / being truthful

Language is a slippery medium.  It can be tempting to deceive others in order to appear in a better light or for the sake of personal gain.  This can be a subtle process that may just involve a touch of exaggeration or the leaving out of a seemingly unimportant fact.  But dishonest speech (or writing) is not really in anyone's best interest.  If you tell lies, you diminish yourself and you will continue to circle within the narrow confines of self-preoccupation. 

By contrast, truthful communication is liberating.

Avoiding intoxicants / cultivating mental clarity

 Mental clarity is one of the most prized qualities in Buddhism.  It is the means by which we penetrate the fog of delusion - which is a principle cause of suffering.  Anything that runs counter to mental clarity will have an undermining effect and in the long term will lead to unhappiness rather than joy.