Dhammananda_Moral_and_Ethical_Conduct_of_a_Buddhist.pdf

MORAL AND ETHICAL CONDUCT OF A BUDDHIST

Ven Dr K Sri Dhammananda

Introduction

The world has never experienced such phenomenal material progress as it is realising in

this age. However, despite this wonderful progress, it is most unfortunate that mankind

tends to neglect its spiritual well-being. Mankind appears to have been blinded by

material achievements thinking that materialism is the end of all things. Mankind has

forgotten that materialism alone does not provide the true happiness or spiritual well-

being sought after by mankind. Men must seek true happiness and spiritual well-being

through their respective religions as an additional adjunct to materialism. Spiritual solace

and materialism go hand in hand to provide true happiness for all.

Moral degradation exists everywhere. With increased efficiency of modern mass

communications, we have become much more aware of man’s inhumanity to man on a

scale unheard of hitherto. Individuals tend to forget or completely ignore their obligations

and duties to the society in which they live. Business organisations, in their ruthless

scramble for profits and material gain, are pursuing their efforts without any sense of

decency. They have forgotten that there is such a thing as human dignity. In the light of

such a catastrophic situation, many people concerned with the upholding of human

dignity and ethical practises, are tempted to throw up their hands in sheer despair of

ever finding a solution to curb man’s inordinate greed and to steer him along the path of

human decency coupled with spiritual solace. Man has conquered space; man is even

trying to elevate himself to a super being, but man has not been capable of conducting

himself as a decent human being with spiritual love and compassion for others.

The sad state of affairs prevails today because man has chosen to take the wrong path

in developing modern civilization. Man has defined materialism in the mistaken belief

that materialism alone can bring happiness. This is a fallacy. Man has gone wrong

because he has willfully chosen to ignore the invaluable advice given by our spiritual

leaders over the centuries. Whilst it is admitted that science can produce quick results

and a measure of material gain, the resultant benefits from such material gain are

illusory and short-lived. As against such illusory and short-lived gains, the benefits that

we derive by following the noble teachings of our noble religious leaders are those of

real lasting happiness and not illusory. Material gain without spiritual solace does not

provide true and lasting happiness. Spiritual backing is absolutely necessary for man’s

spiritual upliftment, leading to tranquility of mind and everlasting happiness.

If we study world history concerning man’s behaviour in the past, we will readily agree

that modern man’s moral conduct is not better than that of his ancestors although we

pretend to glorify our civilization.

Some modern thinkers are of the opinion that evil is a natural part of man’s make-up and

trying to make him good and pure is simply an impractical and futile task. They point to

the terrifying evil actions of murder, violence, rape, pillage carried out by all types of

people. They argue that in spite of efforts to “civilize” man, we have continued to witness

the horrors of persecution in almost every country. Sometimes, we wonder how the

small element of goodness has prevailed for so long in the face of so much evil.

While some thinkers are giving up hope of ever improving the human race, religious

people have a completely different point of view. They talk about kings like

Charlemagne, Asoka and Akbar whose deep understanding of religion has helped them

to do so much good for mankind. Buddhism accepts that there is evil in man, but it

teaches that this evil can be eradicated by understanding and determination. Because

people, especially government leaders and educationists, fail to understand the true

nature of life, they do not attempt to teach their young the right values. In this century,

education is based on the Darwinian concept of the survival of the fittest and of course

this philosophy tends to lead the young to be suspicious, greedy, aggressive and self-

seeking. In a lovely book “Island” by Aldous Huxley we are shown that there is an

alternative to the present education system where we are shown that survival is not

guaranteed by selfishness but by sharing and giving. Our modern education system

which aims at the material progress is responsible for the turning of the young to be

aggressive and self-seeking. What we urgently need today is a code of ethics and

morality which will guide people not to blindly seek material progress alone but to look

for spiritual enlightenment, not just for self aggrandisement but for the common weal.

Buddhism teaches man to live in peace and harmony. The Buddha exhorted His

followers not to take His Teachings on blind faith but to accept them only after close

investigation and inquiry as to whether the Teachings are really acceptable according to

one’s own intelligence and experience. Even though Buddha wanted His followers to

absorb the Dhamma, He did not want them to accept it without clarity of mind and

complete understanding.

The Buddha wanted all human beings to lead ideal lives – to be kind, compassionate

and considerate to one another and to exercise patience, tolerance and understanding in

all activities and relationships. The Buddha, with His supreme wisdom, realised that

there were weaknesses and pit-falls in human society. He introduced the Buddha

Dhamma in order to enlighten, emancipate and reform mankind to lead a meaningful life.

His Teachings were clear and comprehensive – they covered the existence of a human

being, from birth to the grave. Those who were unable to comprehend His Teachings or

were not prepared to accept His Teachings, would rate His Teachings as too idealistic

and incapable of achievement. Despite such assertions, His Teachings, if reduced to the

simplest of terms, could be contained in just a few words: “DO GOOD, SHUN EVIL AND

PURIFY THE MIND”. These words were true during the Buddha’s time. These words are

just as true and applicable for the present and the future. If everyone does what is good

for oneself and for others as well and completely shuns evil, that would affect others as

well as oneself and the world would definitely be a better place to live in. Buddhist

Teachings are designed to enable men and women to achieve fulfillment and

satisfaction in this life through their own sustained efforts and to encourage them to

create a social order conducive to the benefit and welfare of all mankind. It develops

unselfish moral codes, generosity, concern and a spirit of real discipline for the good and

well being of relations, friends and acquaintances.

Human Failings

Human failings, such as ego, greed, envy, enmity and hate that prevailed from time

immemorial, have remained unchanged even to the present time. The Buddha’s

enlightenment is such that His spiritual injunctions, particularly the Five Precepts and the

Noble Eight-fold path, are prescriptions to eradicate these human weaknesses which

cause pain and harm to others. The immortal observation of the Buddha that “Hatred

can never be eradicated by Hatred but only through love and compassion”, is a valid

statement that has gone unchallenged throughout the ages. The perennial problems that

beset human beings are due to our inability to subdue our emotions like hatred and to

replace them with love and compassion. In practically every aspect of our lives, in family

circles, in society, in communal, national and even international affairs, we find the ugly

word “hatred” looming large in our vocabulary and in our dealings with one another. The

father hates the child disobedience, the child hates the parents for not providing what he

considers are his essential needs. In society, a person would show hate to another

person because of the feeling, rightly or wrongly, that the particular person was a

stumbling block to one’s aspiration and so on. In national and international relationships,

one country would express hate for another country because of certain action against it.

The hatred goes on. It leads to reprisals and in many instances, may even lead to war

causing untold misery and destruction in lives and property. Such a state of affairs would

not arise in Buddha’s Noble Eight-fold Path or the middle path is projected into all our

day-to-day human relationships, together with the exercise of Patience, Tolerance and

Understanding. It will be observed that the word “Right” is contained in all the eight

injunctions. Hence, if we follow the Eight-fold Path, it will be the right path that we are

taking to achieve peace and tranquility.

The Eight-fold Path is :-

Right Understanding

Right Thought

Right Livelihood

Right Effort

Right Speech

Right Action

Right Mindfulness

Right Concentration

Closely associated with the Noble Eight-fold Path, are the Five Precepts which are

normally observed by all the Buddhist devotees in any religious meeting. They are:-

a) To abstain from killing

b) To abstain from stealing

c) To abstain from adultery

d) To abstain from lying and loose speech

e) To abstain from intoxicants and drugs

These precepts are simple in their presentation and are likely, at times, to be taken for

granted by devotees, without giving deep thought to the serious impact on our daily lives

and to the peace and harmony of our society and country.

When these precepts were enunciated by the Buddha, He had in mind the unsettled

conditions of society prevailing twenty-five centuries ago in India. These conditions were

caused by human failings such as anger which leads to killing, greed which leads to

stealing, undue sexual impulses that lead to adultery, egoistic feelings that lead to telling

falsehoods and the absence of self-control that leads to undue consumption of

intoxicants or drugs. These issues are so vital to the peaceful co-existence of our human

race, that every follower of Buddhism is requested to repeat these precepts, again and

again as a daily habit to stay clear from the five evils that would cause pain and harm to

anyone who fails to follow the precepts. These are norms for a good society.

As human beings, we all value our lives, hence we should refrain from taking the lives of

other beings. At times we may be subjected to very grave provocation, but despite

whatever tribulations may be poured on us, we should maintain our cool and never allow

our emotions, particularly anger, to get the better of us. Angry emotions can lead to

deadly action. By instilling the noble spirit of love and compassion in our hearts, we

should be able to maintain the precept to abstain from killing – to abstain from taking

lives of other beings.

One of the codes of a harmonious human society as taught by the Buddha and as

contained in the second precept, is to refrain from stealing. In our human society, each

of us has to work to earn our living. With the money that we earn, we buy the necessities

of life for our sustenance. We treasure these necessities because we obtained them

through our own sweat and labour. We can part with them, if necessary, to help others in

need, but we certainly would strongly object if our requirements were forcibly taken away

from us through thieving or other means. Just as we do not like others to steal our

possessions, we should all adopt the precept to “refrain from stealing” under any

circumstances.

From the past to the present day, many happy families have been broken up or

disrupted due to man’s inordinate sexual desires. Man should control his animal

passions and behave in a decent and ethical manner. Hence the Buddha enjoined all

human beings to refrain from committing adultery. All of us expect our family ties to be

respected, hence we should all uphold this particular precept.

One of the most difficult precepts to follow in this modern era, is the precept to abstain

from lying or telling falsehoods. For fear of punishment, a child would at once deny that

is has committed a misdeed. In a court of law, a witness would be prepared to tell a

deliberate lie in order to save a friend or a relative. However, lying is an obnoxious deed,

particularly if a person were to create deliberate lies in order to put someone in trouble.

Another very distasteful act of lying is to slander by spreading unfounded lies in order to

smear the good name of another person. The Buddha has enjoined us as good

Buddhists to refrain from telling lies. We should uphold the truth. We should honour this

precept and refrain from indulging in falsehoods.

Many good families have been broken and upset through the inordinate use of

intoxicants and drugs. Intoxicants or drugs have the effect of lulling the consumer into a

state of false happiness. A drunkard loses his self-control and does not realise what he

is doing. He becomes boisterous and is prepared to challenge everybody to a scuffle. A

drunkard often loses his self respect. Under the influence of liquor, a drunkard would do

things which he would normally do if he is sober. The drug addict is also a curse to the

society. Many crimes in the country are caused by drug addicts. Today, rehabilitation of

drug addicts is costing the government millions of hard-earned dollars which could have

been utilised for better and more worthwhile projects. We should all observe the precept

to refrain from taking liquor and drugs.

In the Five Precepts and the Noble Eight-fold Path the Buddha gave us spiritual

guidelines on how to conduct a decent Buddhist way of life. However these guide-lines

by themselves are incomplete. To these guide-lines must be added the other important

injunctions of the Buddha to do good, to radiate compassion and to practise loving

kindness. This is most essential. The practise of radiating compassion and loving

kindness is the very essence of the Buddhist Teachings or way of life. It is a positive

quality of the enlightened mind which promotes a healthy ethical attitude. A person who

extends to his fellow beings the love and affection similar to that extended by a mother

to her only child and says with sincerity and feeling "May all beings be well and happy”,

finds no place in his mind for malice, hate, jealousy and envy. By the practise of loving

kindness, he becomes incapable of indulging in killing, stealing, lying, slandering or

using harsh and unseemly language. Not only does he avoid doing harm to others

whether by deed, word or thought, but he also develops the tendency to do good, to be

kind and compassionate and to engage himself in the task of relieving others of suffering

and agony. A good Buddhist is not merely a harmless and innocent person who minds

his own business and leads a happy life. Where necessary, he should go all out to make

his neighbors happy, to help them in time of difficulty, to care for the sick and the old

and to look after the welfare of the poor and the destitute. Charity should be his foremost

obligation. He, that radiates compassion and loving kindness, leads a sublime life free

from malice and jealousy. He is generous in his gifts, he speaks pleasant words, he

works for the welfare of others and he treats everyone as his equal. Such a person is

indeed an ideal Buddhist.

What has been described so far is but a very brief summary of the fundamental

obligations of a lay Buddhist. In His many discourses spread over a period of forty-five

years, the Buddha has dealt with various aspects of man’s social life including the

concept of marriage and family life, and the ethical standards to be maintained by a

Buddhist in society.

Marriage

A society grows through a network of relationships which are mutually inter-twined and

inter-dependent. Every relationship is a whole-heated commitment to support and to

protect others in a group or community. Marriage plays a very important part in this

strong web of relationships of giving support and protection. A good marriage should

grow and develop gradually from understanding and not impulse, from true loyalty and

not just sheer indulgence. The institution of marriage provides a fine basis for the

development of culture, a delightful association of two individuals to be nurtured and to

be free from loneliness, deprivation and fear. In marriage, each partner develops a

complimentary role, giving strength and moral courage to one another, each manifesting

a supportive and appreciative recognition of the other's skills. There must be no thought

of either man or woman being superior – each is complimentary to the other, a

partnership of equality, exuding gentleness, generosity, calm and dedication.

The Buddha, in reply to a householder as to how a husband should minister to his wife,

declared that the husband should always honour and respect his wife by being faithful to

her, by giving her the requisite authority to manage domestic affairs and by giving her

befitting ornaments. This advice, given over twenty five centuries ago, stands good for

today. Knowing the psychology of the man who tends to consider himself superior, the

Buddha made a remarkable change and uplifted the status of a woman by a simple

suggestion that a husband should honour and respect the wife. The suggestion that a

husband should be faithful to his wife, would mean that a husband should fulfill and

maintain his marital obligations to his wife, thus sustaining the confidence in the marital

relationship in every sense of the word. The husband, being a bread-winner, would

invariably stay away from home, hence he should entrust the domestic or household

duties to the wife who should be considered as the home economic-administrator. The

provision of befitting ornaments to the wife should be symbolic of the husband’s love,

care and attention showered on the wife. This symbolic gesture has gone on from time

immemorial.

With regard to the manner as to how a wife should minister to the needs of a husband,

the Buddha advised that the wife should be proficient in her household duties, she

should accord cordial hospitality to her husband’s relatives and friends, she should be

faithful to her husband, she should protect and conserve what her husband earns, and

she should show skill and diligence in all her duties.

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