Buddhist Ethics: Ethics And Ethics Of Buddhism

The impacts of Buddhist teachings and the worshipping of individuals in the buddhist community, enabled those in society to reflect upon their ethics. This notion is evident through the buddhist ethical teachings that governs our morals, decisions and actions established as a result of the Dalai Lama’s philosophical teachings of peace, which is further supported by the notion of “Puja”, the act of devotional attention and offerings.

Critically discuss the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism, explaining the reasons or arguments given by Buddhism to support these Truths and discussing at least one objection that could be raised against the first Noble Truth and one objection that could be raised against thesecond Noble Truth.

Another principle belief of Buddhism is the Four Noble Truths which was established by the

Ethics can be defined as ‘Human moral conduct according to principles of what is good or right to do’. In Christianity there are certain ethical teachings, mainly The Ten Commandments, Beatitudes, and Jesus’ commandments of love. The Ten Commandments are derived from the Old Testament which defines what people must do in order to serve God faithfully and gives direction on how to live a life according to the covenant and in essence to be a good Christian person. In the New Testament the Beatitudes and Jesus’ commandments of love are found. With love being the main concept of these teachings, they and the Ten Commandments can be seen as alike as they

The concept of Dharma also exists in Buddhism. However, Buddhist Dharma is “the teachings of the Buddha” it is known to be the second of three jewels. Gautama Buddha seeks to enlighten one’s self. The Buddha teaches of four truths known as the four noble truths. The four truths are the truth of suffering, the truth of the causes of suffering, the truth of the end of suffering and the truth of the path that leads to suffering (PBS). The four truths are plans to deal with human suffering altogether. Identifying the causes and reasons behind suffering is step one. Determining what to do about it is step two. Karma is also a teaching of the Buddha. In this teaching the Buddha places emphasis that good or bad

Buddhism’s four noble truths are Buddha’s declaration of key discoveries of his quest to find enlightenment. The first noble truth is that all humans suffer, this is called dukkha. This philosophy came through to Buddha by realizing that all being try to achieve happiness and when they fail to succeed they suffer and thus life is full of suffering. People also suffer because of fear, fear of death, fear of sickness, fear of poverty. The second noble truth is what causes the suffering which is desire or also called tanha. Our desires are endless, people always want bigger and better things, and when our desires are not met we suffer because of it. The third noble truth is the cure or the prescription to the first two truths, it is called the eightfold path. The

Buddhism lives by the right speech, right action, and right livelihood. Within their Five Precepts are basis of Buddhist morality. Avoid killing or harming living beings, avoid stealing,, sexual misconduct, lying and avoid alcohol and other intoxicating drugs.

Virtue ethics is one of the three major approaches in ethics. This approach of ethics emphasizes the virtues, or moral character, in contrast to other approaches which emphasizes duties or rules. Virtue ethics has three central concepts; virtue, practical wisdom, and eudemonia, however, these are often misunderstood. The three approaches of ethics are virtue ethics, consequentialist ethics, and deontology ethics. Each approach provides a different way to understanding ethics.

In Buddhism, knowledge is gained through a series of works and scriptures. Aside from the collection of scriptures, families also teach Buddhists between right and wrong. Buddhism also has the Five Moral Precepts, which are: do not kill or harm anything living, do not steal, do not engage in sexual misconduct, do not lie and do not consume intoxicants, such as tobacco, alcohol or mind-altering drugs (ElGindy, 2013). Family is very important in Buddhism (Chen, 2016). In Buddhism, the meaning of human history is to achieve Nirvana.

Benjamin Franklin, American humanists, inventor, and writer during the Age of Reason, wrote in his autobiography that, “[He] knew…what was right and wrong …[and] concluded that the mere speculative conviction that it was [everyone’s] interest to be completely virtuous,” (Franklin 69). Franklin portrays the importance of virtues, and that doing good will help one’s life become a success. Franklin wishes the populous to do good so that everyone’s life will benefit from outstanding accomplishments. People do good deeds everyday to benefit the world around them. Buddhists, for example, believe in practicing the Five Precepts, which are the basic code of ethics: (1) one should not kill another living being, (2) one should not take anything that is not given or offered, (3) one should not commit adultery, (4) one should not tell fibs, and (5) one should not drink alcohol or intoxicate him or herself in any way (“Basic Buddhism Guide”). By practicing these Precepts, Buddhists serve their fellow beings by honoring their rights. Buddhists wish to better the world by undertaking such ambitious duties. Unlike the Puritans, Buddhists do not believe there is a god, so when one sabotages a Precept, he or she must reflect on the misdeed, and analyze how the treachery can be avoided in the future.

Now let’s answer the question of morality. We get our morality from God. God is the standard by which this is based. God is the ultimate good and there is no other place that we should seek to justify our actions. Jesus gave us the greatest commandments as stated in Matt. 22:37-38 “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all you mind.” And it continues, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” If we follow these commandments, we will have no problem distinguishing between right and wrong. The Buddhists follow the Eight Paths, which is very close to “love you neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 22:38), but they look internally to the god within them for guidance. [xiii]

The four noble truths of Buddhism are the truth of suffering, the truth of the cause of suffering, the truth of the end of suffering, and the truth of the path to the end of suffering. These four truths are the basics of Buddha's teaching, and is the most frequently shared belief amongst Buddhists. The first noble truth is suffering, meaning life is Dukkha. This noble truth interpretation is that suffering appears in many shapes. And it is believe that anything short-term is Dukkha, even pleasure. The second truth is the cause of suffering, also known as samudaya. In this truth, Buddhism claims the cause for suffering are cupidity, wants, illiteracy, loathing and devastating desires. The second truth does not mean a person should give up what they love to be happy. But the problem lies within an individual connection to their passion that puts them in trouble. The third truth is the end of suffering, also known as Nirodha. This truth believes that there is a possibility of freedom. The fourth truth is the path to the end of suffering, also known as magga. In the fourth truth, it is believed that in order to end suffering, one must follow the eightfold strategy.

The ethical guidelines of Buddhism are not to murder, lie, steal, drink, or participate in unlawful sexual behavior. Buddhists believe in the “Four Noble Truths: 1) human life is full of suffering; 2) suffering stems from cravings for pleasure and avoidance of pain; 3) suffering can be eradicated; 4) the path of freedom from suffering is the path of enlightenment.” (Julia Hardy) They also follow the Noble Eightfold Path in order to achieve the end of suffering. The Eightfold Path consists of: 1) Samma-Ditthi - Right view or understanding, 2) Samma-Sankappa - Right thought or attitude, 3) Samma-Vaca - Right speech, 4) Samma-Kammanta - Right Action, 5)

In Herman Hesse’s Siddhartha, the four Noble Truths of Buddhism are revealed throughout the journey of Siddhartha. The Four Noble Truths include: Life means suffering, the origin of suffering is attachment, the cessation of suffering is attainable, and the path to the cessation of suffering. Siddhartha discovers that in order to reach enlightenment, one must have experiences and struggle through these Noble Truths firsthand.

Buddhism does not regard ethics as a particular set of duties, rights, imperatives or obligations that should be used to evaluate the actions of a person. Instead, Buddhism views as the “accumulated wisdom” that one acquires in the areas of life and that are related to the fundamental problem that every person encounters—suffering (Voorst 2007; Becker & Becker, 2013). This paper will attempt to argue that the four noble truths are the basis onto which Buddhist ethics are founded; therefore, understanding the truths reveals the prominent elements of Buddhist ethical concerns.