Ethics of Buddhism

The Buddhist tradition acknowledges that life is complex and throws up many difficulties, and it does not suggest that there is a single course of action that will be right in all circumstances. Indeed, rather than speaking of actions being right or wrong, Buddhism speaks of the being skillful (kusala) or unskillful (akusala). In Triratna, our faith in the Three Jewels of Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha finds everyday practical expression in our aspiration to live by ethical precepts, to the best of our ability. In this scheme, moral behavior plays a role in both determining more desirable rebirths and, ultimately, in attaining enlightenment, or freedom from future rebirths. Morality achieves coherence through embeddedness within a cultural matrix of supporting practices, narratives, and traditions. Buddhism happily provides all three. Buddhist ethics are traditionally based on what Buddhists view as the enlightened perspective of the Buddha, or other enlightened beings such as Bodhisattvas. E. F. Schumacher in his “Buddhist economics” (Schumacher in Small is Beautiful. Harpers Collins, New York, 1973) wrote: “Buddhist economics must be very different from the economics of modern materialism, since the Buddhist sees the essence of civilization not in a multiplication of human wants but in the purification of human character.” This chapter analyzes how Buddhism can provide ethical solutions to many circumstances.