Buddhism 102: Ethics
Introduction
Whether they know it or not, people in this world have a great capacity to live ethically. We all have the ability to do what's right; we all can find compassion for others and live well. Shakyamuni, the historical Buddha, knew this; he accepted many disciples who'd committed great wrongs in the past, because he knew that they could learn how to live well, after some practice.
Most of us who come to a spiritual path arrive with questions about morality. How do I do what's right? How do I know what's right? Often, the answers we've had since childhood have become unsatisfying. We're led with a big question.
I'm not surprised that many people approaching Buddhism for the first time have questions about ethics. All religions have some kind of system for right and wrong, yet the Buddhist ethical system can seem puzzling. People want to know how they can best make ethical decisions, and why they should.
People in the West also have trouble reconciling the different messages we get about Buddhism from different sources. In the Twentieth Century, Americans and other Westerners became aware of Buddhism from two overall sources: traditional members of Asian monastic orders, and the poets, writers, and academics of the Beat Generation.
The monks and the Beats approached Buddhism from different directions. Monks work toward enlightenment by following traditions carefully, by devoting themselves to a life of renunciation. The Beats, on the other hand, became interested in the Buddhist teachings of liberation, non-attachment, and non-duality. Monks had shaved heads; Beats wore their hair long and shaggy. Monks set themselves on fire to protest their treatment in Viet Nam; Beats burned their draft cards so they wouldn't have to go to Viet Nam. Monks made vows of celibacy; Beats cast aside the tradition of heterosexual monogamy and defined their own sexual norms.
It's important to remember that both of these views have merit. Neither is exactly the correct way to view things. There's a great diversity of answers to questions like, "Should Buddhists be vegetarian?" Or, "Can a Buddhist serve in the military?" If you say that all Buddhists must follow certain strict rules, you're missing the point; enlightenment is not about doing exactly what someone else tells you to do. If you say that Buddhists can do whatever they want, you're also missing the point; we must strive to become better people if we want a better world.
In this course, we'll look at the Buddhist teachings about ethics. There are a number of teachings about the right time to follow the rules, and the right time to break them. How do we know?
One warning: Buddhism is not about finding clever answers to complicated hypothetical dilemmas. Sometimes, I hear questions about ethics that start with "suppose" and get complex very fast: "Suppose you're at the switch of a train track, and you have to decide whether to flip the switch..." That's not what it's about, for a number of reasons. We're not looking at something in theory; we're looking at a practice. Therefore, you'll be sharing experiences from your own life and relating them to the teachings. Regardless of whether you choose to practice Buddhism, I do hope you'll use this class as an opportunity to examine your own actions and act with clarity.
A lotus for you, a Buddha to be.
Lessons
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