Buddhist morality

Most religions put a great deal of emphasis on moral behavior as if they are really saying, “This pleases God and if you please God enough times you’ll get a reward for it; he may even protect you from harm.”  

When we turn to Buddhism we find that there is no God to please.  If there is such a thing as Buddhist morality it is how one handles a subtle world illusion of great depth, or if your prefer, a spectacular dream, so as to not get trapped in it again and again by rebirth.

This world illusion is ultimately devoid of reality.  No matter how many times we passionately engage with the illusion it will never be anymore than empty and hollow; ultimately unfulfilling.  We can crave its objects; we can crave our own psychophysical bodies and the particular world they inhabit and a particular time.  This does not make the power of the illusion any less, rather the opposite is true, such behavior makes the illusion seem more concrete than it is.  According to the Bhavasankrânti Sutra:

"When at the end of life the mental consciousness (manovijñâna) is about to disappear, all the actions that have been [previously] preformed, appear in front just as the image of the beautiful female that has been seen in dream appears before the man when he remembers after awaking from sleep.  Thus, O king, when the consciousness has disappeared and the future consciousness is born, it (or he) is born either amongst men, or gods, or beasts or ghosts or in hell."

All this is a dynamic process consisting of countless actions and fruits of actions, or again-births which, taken together, resemble the flow of a stream of water.  There is a flow of continuing differences but as the selfsame universal substance (which is pure Mind). It is also the great wheel of samsara.

This is where Buddhism’s morality comes into play.  We can either try for lots of good merit doing good deeds (karma), hoping for a better dream, or we can decide to transcend the whole thing which is much more difficult, requiring a much different morality which involves mystically seeing the substance from which our dreams are spun (it’s pure Mind).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

[Sarah]

"Many Westerners first encounter the Buddha's teachings on meditation retreats, which typically begin with instructions in how to develop the skillful qualities of right mindfulness and right concentration. It is worth noting that, as important as these qualities are, the Buddha placed them towards the very end of his gradual course of training. The meaning is clear: to reap the most benefit from meditation practice, to bring to full maturity all the qualities needed for Awakening, the fundamental groundwork must not be overlooked."

The gradual training begins with the practice of generosity, which helps begin the long process of weakening the unawakened practitioner's habitual tendencies to cling — to views, to sensuality, and to unskillful modes of thought and behavior. This is followed by the development of virtue, the basic level of sense-restraint that helps the practitioner develop a healthy and trustworthy sense of self. The peace of mind born from this level of self-respect provides the foundation for all further progress along the path. The practitioner now understands that some kinds of happiness are deeper and more dependable than anything that sense-gratification can ever provide; the happiness born of generosity and virtue can even lead to rebirth in heaven — either literal or metaphorical. But eventually the practitioner begins to recognize the intrinsic drawbacks of even this kind of happiness: as good as rebirth in wholesome states may be, the happiness it brings is not a true and lasting one, for it relies on conditions over which he or she ultimately has no control. This marks a crucial turning point in the training, when the practitioner begins to grasp that true happiness will never be found in the realm of the physical and sensual world. The only possible route to an unconditioned happiness lies in renunciation, in turning away from the sensual realm, by trading the familiar, lower forms of happiness for something far more rewarding and noble. Now, at last, the practitioner is ripe to receive the teachings on the Four Noble Truths, which spell out the course of mental training required to realize the highest happiness: nibbana.

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/dhamma/index.html

[Jure K.]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqPByltWSbc