So does Buddhism have a code of morality?
Yes, it does.
The Five Precepts are the basis
of Buddhist morality.
The first precept is to avoid killing
or harming living beings.
The second is to avoid stealing,
the third is to avoid sexual misconduct,
the fourth is to
and the fifth is to avoid alcohol and other intoxicating drugs.
But surely it is good to kill sometimes.
To kill disease-spreading insects,
for example, or someone
who is going to kill you?
It might be good for you but what about that
thing or that person?
They wish to live just as you do.
When you decide to kill a disease-spreading insect, your
intention is perhaps a mixture of self-concern (good) and
The act will benefit yourself (good) but
obviously it will not benefit that creature (bad).
So at times it may be necessary to kill but it is never wholly good.
You Buddhists are too concerned
about ants and bugs.
Buddhists strive to develop a compassion that is
undiscriminating and all-embracing.
They see the world as
a unified whole where each thing or creature has its place
They believe that before we destroy or upset
natureís delicate balance, we should be very careful.
look at those cultures where emphasis is on exploiting nature
to the full, squeezing every last drop out of it without putting
anything back, on conquering and subduing it.
The very air is becoming poisoned, the rivers are
polluted and dead, so many beautiful animal species are
extinct, the slopes of the mountains are barren and eroded.
Even the climate is changing.
If people were a little less
anxious to crush, destroy and kill, this terrible situation
may not have arisen.
We should all strive to develop a
little more respect for life.
And this is what the first precept is saying.
The Third Precept says we should avoid sexual
misconduct. What is sexual misconduct?
If we use trickery, emotional blackmail or
force to compel someone to have sex with us, then
this is sexual misconduct.
Adultery is also a form of sexual
misconduct because when we marry we promise our spouse
we will be loyal to them.
When we commit adultery we break
that promise and betray their trust.
Sex should be an expression of love
and intimacy between two people and when it is it contributes
to our mental and emotional well-being.
Is sex before marriage
a type of sexual misconduct?
Not if there is love and mutual agreement between
the two people.
However it should never be forgotten that the
biological function of sex is to reproduce and if an unmarried
woman becomes pregnant it can cause a great deal of problems.
Many mature and thoughtful people think it is far better to leave
sex until after marriage.
But what about lying?
Is it possible to live without telling lies?
If it is really impossible to get by in society or business
without lying, such a shocking and corrupt state of affairs should
The Buddhist is someone who resolves to do something
practical about the problem by trying to be more truthful and honest.
Well, what about alcohol?
Surely a little drink doesnít hurt.
People donít drink for the taste.
When they drink alone it is
in order to seek release from tension and
when they drink socially,
it is usually to conform.
Even a small amount of alcohol distorts
consciousness and disrupts self-awareness.
Taken in large quantities, its effect can be devastating.
But drinking just a small amount wouldnít be
really breaking the precept, would it?
Itís only a small thing.
Yes, it is only a small thing and if you canít practice
even a small thing, your commitment and resolution
isnít very strong, is it?
The five precepts are negative.
They tell you what not to do.
They donít tell you what to do.
The Five Precepts are the basis of Buddhist morality.
They are not all of it.
We start by recognizing our bad behavior
and striving to stop doing it.
That is what the Five Precepts are for.
After we have stopped doing bad,
we then commence to do good.
Take for example, speech.
The Buddha says we should start by
refraining from telling lies.
After that, we should speak the truth,
speak gently and politely and speak at the right time.
ďGiving up false speech he becomes a speaker of truth, reliable,
trustworthy, dependable, he does not deceive the world.
up malicious speech he does not repeat there what he has heard
here nor does he repeat here what he has heard there in order
to cause variance between people.
He reconciles those who are
divided and brings closer together those who are already friends.
Harmony is his joy, harmony is his delight,
harmony is his love;
it is the motive of his speech.
Giving up harsh speech his speech
is blameless, pleasing to the ear, agreeable, going to the heart,
urbane, liked by most.
Giving up idle chatter he speaks at the right
time, what is correct, to the point, about Dhamma and about discipline.
He speaks words worth being treasured up, seasonable, reasonable,
well defined and to the point.Ē