Buddhist Ethics

All mental phenomena have mind as their forerunner; mind is their chief, and they are mind-made. If one speaks or acts with a defiled mind, then suffering follows one even as the wheel follows the hoof of the draught ox.

All mental phenomena have mind as their forerunner; mind is their chief, and they are mind-made. If one speaks or acts with a pure mind, then happiness follows even as one’s shadow never leaves.

Dhammapada verses 1 and 2

These short verses encapsulate how it is our own behaviour that determines whether or not we are happy. Accordingly, I’m using it to base my endeavours in research and development.

Introduction

Two verses is probably too minimalist by way of introduction, so, allow me to provide a little more orientation, for which I shall quote from Buddhism and Computing: How to Flourish in the Age of Algorithms.

The Buddha originally gave his teachings in person, tailored to his audience, which was comprised of people from all castes of Indian society. Even though he was well-versed in Sanskrit, he preferred to use local dialects. A formal language, let alone one with precise linguistic rules, was not considered important to the practice or to the nature of the Buddha’s realisation. After the Buddha’s passing, the transmission of his teachings continued orally, but as disagreements over interpretation grew, it was then that a written canon was introduced some hundreds of years later.

Referred to as the Tipiṭaka, a Pali term meaning ‘three baskets’, it comprises vinaya (rules of monastic discipline), suttas (sermons), and abhidhamma (higher teachings). As a kind of condensation, like any record, it loses something of the actual immediacy of the event, but it is a generally reliable reference that still inspires and guides practice. The Pali canon remains the primary source in Sri Lanka and South-East Asia today.

My work is mainly drawing on the suttas, with occasional reference to the vinaya and abhidhamma for further elucidation.

Buddhist practice is typically expressed as threefold, comprising in order: sīla (moral virtue), samādhi (concentration of mind), pañña (wisdom). So, to reach wisdom we first need to learn about and develop sīla; the subject to be learnt is Buddhist ethics, somewhat akin to, though not the same as, Greek virtue ethics as taught by Aristotle.

Moral Virtue for Daily Life

For day-to-day living, the practice is encapsulated in the Five Precepts. They’re not commandments, just rules of training that we voluntary undertake. These are usually formulated as vāritta (avoidances):

1. Refraining from taking life.
2. Refraining from taking that which is not given.
3. Refraining from sexual immorality.
4. Refraining from false speech.
5. Refraining from intoxicants that lead to heedlessness.

It might at first seem counterintuitive to restrict how one behaves as a means to fulfilment, but diligently observing these rules is enabling. It becomes more obvious when considering the cāritta (positive performance) counterpart, which is to cultivate compassion, generosity, contentment, honesty and heedfulness – qualities widely regarded as the characteristics of a model member of society.

The Fifth Precept

All the precepts are vitally important, but the Fifth Precept deserves special attention, because breaking this precept makes one vulnerable to breaking any of the others. Intoxicants are generally assumed to be mind-altering drugs and alcohol, but there is a deeper sense of any substance or activity that induces heedlessness with respect to the path of virtue and has an addictive quality. On that basis, technology can certainly qualify as an intoxicant, which is why we need to know how it arises and how to uproot it. As the application of Buddhist ethics provides effective solutions, it underpins my approach to tackling problems with online social networking.

For my Master’s in the Study of Religions, I undertook some research into the canonical meaning and also contemporary practice, implementing an online survey. This resulted in a technical report and a dissertation:

• Report, University of Oxford, 2009 Observations from an Online Survey concerning the Practice of the 5th Buddhist Precept: Report of Preliminary Findings
• Master’s thesis, University of Oxford, 2009 Avoiding pamāda: An analysis of the Fifth Precept as Social Protection in Contemporary Contexts with reference to the early Buddhist teachings.

This page was published on 5 June 2022 and last updated on August 29, 2022 .