I.

Foundation of Buddhist Ethics

A. Source of Guidance
One common practice of Buddhists is to proclaim devotion to the three things: a) Buddha, b)
Dhamma, and c) Sangha. These three are referred to as the Triratna (or also known as the Triple
Gem of Buddhism). The 3 refuges in Buddhism are called gems not just because they are important
and valuable but, it is due to its belief that these 3 have protective powers.
There are two (2) levels from Triratna - the internal and external levels. On the internal level of
the triple gem, they are the skillful qualities developed in minds in imitating external models wherein
these 3 somehow became one to the point of greed, anger and delusion. However in the external
level, disparate context are explained (refer to each Triratna below).
According to Bhikkhu (2001), the Triple Gem is better than other gems due to its protective
powers that can be put to the test and can lead further than those of any physical gem, all the way
to absolute freedom from the uncertainties of the realm of aging, illness, and death.

The following are the Triple Gem of Buddhism:

1. Buddha - the first jewel of Triratna, denotes the fulfillment of enlightenment. It is said to be
that this is also an act of refuge in the Buddha. Thus, this precisely mean that one is indeed
safe and secured in enlightenment. In the context of external level, Buddha refers to
Siddhattha Gotama - the Indian prince who renounced his royal titles and went into the forest,
meditating until he ultimately gained Awakening (Bhikkhu, 2001). Taking refuge in the
Buddha is His Awakening wherein there is a full trust from the said belief in such a way of
developing qualities and most importantly, the belief that the Awakening administer the best
perspective for life's conduct.
2. Dhamma - the second jewel of Triratna, consists of the teachings of Buddha. Based from the
Four (4) Noble Truths, Dhamma is a symbolic form from the Buddhist wheel. Dhamma is
considered by Buddhist as ways to truth wherein following the Four (4) Noble Truths in their
day to day activities would lead to the path of enlightenment, thus giving refuge. In the
external level, Dhamma refers to the path of practice. Bhikkhu (2001) proclaimed that there
are three (3) levels of Dhamma: 1) the words of his teachings, 2) the act of putting those
teachings into practice, and 3) the attainment of Awakening as the result of that practice. He
also added that the aforementioned divisions act as a map depicting how to take the external
refuges and change them into internal level.

Page 1 of 11
 3. Sangha - the third jewel of Triratna, denote the monks, nuns, and teachers of Buddhism.
However as time passes by, more groups were involved in joining its practice. In the external
level, Sangha has two senses: the conventional sense and the ideal sense. These two
senses provide disparate levels of refuge. Sangha as Conventional sense implies the
ordained monks and nuns. They are considered the connection wire to communication from
all the teachings of Buddha. Meanwhile in the Ideal sense, it consists of all people, lay or
ordained, who have practiced the Dhamma to the point of gaining at least a glimpse of the
Deathless (Bhikkhu, 2001). They provide a living and recorded examples that Buddhists must
look upon. Other followers who weren't mentioned in either of the two (2) senses are still
considered as genuine Buddhists, specifically as members of the Buddha's parisa.

B. Three Marks of Buddhism

Buddhism have three characteristics of existence that fulfills the abandonment of the physical
and mental bindings – dukkha (suffering), anicca (impermanence) and anatta (egolessness). The
three marks provides as the essential basic concepts in Buddhism that would further deepen the
understanding of the practices since it is the underlying ideas which was based from. Humans
suffers to find satisfaction may it be within the mind or the physical word through the endless cycle
of changes, thus it is futile to cling in where sufferings would further result.

According to Rosie (n.d.), Dukkha (suffering) refers to the idea that everyone is subject to
dissatisfaction and discomfort, even in things or experiences that gives a pleasant feeling or creates
an illusion of beauty. Dukkha has three main categories: (1) Dukkha-dukkha (Suffering or pain)
which includes physical, emotional and mental pain. (2) Viparinama-dukka, which refers to as
impermanence or change. Everything is fleeting, including happiness, and so we should enjoy it
while it is there and not cling to it. (3) Samkhara-dukka, conditioned states, meaning we are affected
by and dependent on something else. Annica (impermanence) permeates in all aspects of life or
inanimate objects that everything is impermanent and are in a continuous state of changes, thus
granting liberation and enlightenment. It serves as a constant reminder that human beings are
powerless, however, are subject to renewal of self that frees the soul from the negativity and gives
an avenue for enlightenment (Brien, 2018). Lastly, annata (egolessness), elaborates that humans
have no permanent souls and are only a collection of skandhas (aggregates) that gives an illusion
of self that can distinguished from others. Skandhas are experiences of each human in the world
that as a result, clings and provides sufferings. It is divided into five aggregates mainly: form,

Page 2 of 11
 sensation, perception, mental formations and consciousness. Clinging to the idea of having a self
only gives a person more sufferings in different ways.

Annata correlates with dukkha and annica wherein the sufferings of each person are
impermanent, liberation and enlightenment are grasped in where the experience provides an insight
that changes each person and revitalizes their views and perspective. Thorough practice and
understanding of the three marks is a part of the Noble Eightfold Path.

C. Karma and Rebirth

Karma is another Asian concept that Westerners (and, for that matter, a lot of Easterners) often
misunderstand. Karma is not fate, but simple action and reaction, cause and effect. These actions
mold the conscious in a way that crafts one’s future life or rebirth. On one hand, rebirth in Buddhism
refers to its teaching that the actions of a person lead to a new existence after death, in endless
cycles called saṃsāra. Simply, Buddhism teaches that karma means "volitional action." Any
thought, word or deed conditioned by desire, hate, passion, and illusion create karma. When the
effects of karma reach across lifetimes, karma brings about rebirth.
Nirvana was first used by the Buddha to describe the highest state of profound well-being a
human is capable of attaining. The mind awakens from delusion, is liberated from bondage, is
cleansed of all its defilements, becomes entirely at peace, experiences the complete cessation of
suffering, and is no longer reborn. In other words, Nirvana is a place of perfect peace and happiness.
Wholesome acts can lead to positive rebirths and eventually Nirvana, where unwholesome acts,
driven by the three root of evils, center in The Wheel of Life produce unwholesome rebirths.
The Golden Rule of doing unto others as one would have done to him is the message in attaining
a wholesome rebirth; be good, do good, and good will be the result. Thus, one must understand the
cause and effect nature of life to understand the way out. The fabric of cause and effect relationships
and how they mutually condition each other is the basis of karma.
Karma fuels the wheel of life, and only a life that is fruitful without regret can achieve Nirvana.
There are different ‘prize levels’ one can achieve based on wholesomeness and understanding in
his life.
 The Hell Realms where one goes after self-indulgence and ignorance.
 Hungry Ghosts for those who had earthly attachments they will return as a subtle part of
the earth.
 Animal Realm where a person driven by impulse lives in animalistic conditions.

Page 3 of 11
  The Human Realm where one is rewarded for good karma and moral and virtue are
cultivated.
 Lastly, the realm of Lower Gods where rebirths are for spirits who can assume human
form but achieve a higher knowing and wholesomeness to arrive.
All realms are decided by the karma one created in his past life.

On a larger scale, people should take control of their behavior for karma determines where a
person will be reborn and their status in their next life. Good karma can result in being born in one
of the heavenly realms. Bad karma can cause rebirth as an animal, or torment in a hell realm.

D. Four Noble Truths

The Four Noble Truths contain the essence of the Buddha's teachings. It was these four
principles that the Buddha came to understand during his meditation under the bodhi tree.
 The truth of suffering (Dukkha)
 The truth of the origin of suffering (Samudāya)
 The truth of the cessation of suffering (Nirodha)
 The truth of the path to the cessation of suffering (Magga)

The Buddha is often compared to a physician. In the first two Noble Truths he diagnosed the
problem (suffering) and identified its cause. The third Noble Truth is the realization that there is a
cure. The fourth Noble Truth, in which the Buddha set out the Eightfold Path, is the prescription, the
way to achieve a release from suffering.

1. The First Noble Truth - Suffering (Dukkha)

Suffering comes in many forms. Three obvious kinds of suffering correspond to the first
three sights the Buddha saw on his first journey outside his palace: old age, sickness and
death. But according to the Buddha, the problem of suffering goes much deeper. Life is not
ideal: it frequently fails to live up to our expectations. Human beings are subject to desires
and cravings, but even when we are able to satisfy these desires, the satisfaction is only
temporary. Pleasure does not last; or if it does, it becomes monotonous. Even when we are
not suffering from outward causes like illness or bereavement, we are unfulfilled, unsatisfied.
This is the truth of suffering. Some people who encounter this teaching may find it pessimistic.
Buddhists find it neither optimistic nor pessimistic, but realistic. Fortunately the Buddha's
teachings do not end with suffering; rather, they go on to tell us what we can do about it and
how to end it.
Page 4 of 11
2. The Second Noble Truth - Origin of suffering (Samudāya)
Our day-to-day troubles may seem to have easily identifiable causes: thirst, pain from an
injury, sadness from the loss of a loved one. In the second of his Noble Truths, though, the
Buddha claimed to have found the cause of all suffering - and it is much more deeply rooted
than our immediate worries. The Buddha taught that the root of all suffering is desire, tanhā.
This comes in three forms, which he described as the Three Roots of Evil, or the Three Fires,
or the Three Poisons. These are represented by a bird, a snake and a pig rushing around in
a circle, each holding the tail of the next in its mouth. The rooster signifies greed and desire;
ignorance or delusion, represented by the pig and hatred and destructive urges is
represented by a snake.
3. The Third Noble Truth - Cessation of suffering (Nirodha)
The Buddha taught that the way to extinguish desire, which causes suffering, is to liberate
oneself from attachment. The Buddha was a living example that this is possible in a human
lifetime. Bhikkhus, when a noble follower who has heard (the truth) sees thus, he finds
estrangement in the eye, finds estrangement in forms, finds estrangement in eye-
consciousness, finds estrangement in eye-contact, and whatever is felt as pleasant or painful
or neither-painful- nor-pleasant that arises with eye-contact for its indispensable condition, in
that too he finds estrangement.
4. The Fourth Noble Truth - Path to the cessation of suffering (Magga)
The final Noble Truth is the Buddha's prescription for the end of suffering. This is a set of
principles called the Eightfold Path. The Eightfold Path is also called the Middle Way: it avoids
both indulgence and severe asceticism, neither of which the Buddha had found helpful in his
search for enlightenment. The eight stages are not to be taken in order, but rather support
and reinforce each other:
o Right Understanding - Sammā ditthi
o Right Intention - Sammā san̄kappa
o Right Speech - Sammā vācā
o Right Action - Sammā kammanta
o Right Livelihood - Sammā ājīva
o Right Effort - Sammā vāyāma
o Right Mindfulness - Sammā sati
o Right Concentration - Sammā samādhi

Page 5 of 11
 The eight stages can be grouped into Wisdom (right understanding and intention), Ethical
Conduct (right speech, action and livelihood) and Meditation (right effort, mindfulness and
concentration).The Buddha described the Eightfold Path as a means to enlightenment, like
a raft for crossing a river. Once one has reached the opposite shore, one no longer needs
the raft and can leave it behind.

The Noble Eightfold Path

The Division of Wisdom

a. Right View or Understanding

Vision of the nature of reality and the path of transformation. The right view or
understanding is true wisdom, knowledge, which penetrates into the nature of reality in
flashes of profound insight, direct seeing of the world as a stream of changing,
unsatisfactory, conditioned processes.
b. Right Thought
It denotes the thoughts of selfless renunciation or detachment, thoughts of love
and thoughts of non-violence, which are extended to all beings. This clearly shows that
true wisdom is endowed with these noble qualities, and that all thoughts of selfish desire,
ill-will, hatred, and violence are the result of a lack of wisdom in all spheres of life.

The Division of Ethical Conduct

c. Right Speech
Clear, truthful, uplifting and non-harmful communication. One should not speak
carelessly: speech should be at the right time and place. If one cannot say something
useful, one should keep “noble silence.”
d. Right Action
An ethical foundation for life based on the principle of non-exploitation of oneself
and others. Right action is abstaining from wrong bodily behavior: onslaught on living
beings, taking what is not given, and wrong conduct with regard to sense to sense-
pleasures. It also aims at promoting moral, honorable, and peaceful conduct.
e. Right Livelihood
It was based on correct action the ethical principal of non-exploitation. It generally
means that one should abstain from making one’s living through a profession that brings
harm to others and should live by a profession which is honorable.

Page 6 of 11
The Division of Mental Discipline

f. Right Effort
Consciously directing our life energy to the transformative path of creative and
healing action that fosters wholeness. The right effort is to avoid the arising of
unwholesome states of mind, to overcome or undermine unwholesome states which
nevertheless arise, to direct the meditative development of wholesome states of mind and
the effort to maintain and stabilize wholesome qualities of mind.
g. Right Mindfulness
Right mindfulness is to be diligently aware, mindful, and attentive with regard to
the activities of the body, sensations or feelings, the activities of the mind and ideas,
thoughts, conceptions, and things.
h. Right Concentration
Right Concentration is when the mind is fixed on a single object, the establishment,
not just of the mind, but also of the whole being in various levels or modes of
consciousness and awareness.

II. Key Buddhist Values

A. Keeping the Lay Precepts

The 5 lay precepts of Buddhism is considered the foundation of ethical lifestyle since it
helps to reflect on our behavior and gives impact to the people through realizations.

Five Lay Precepts of Buddhism

1. To abstain from taking life - It refers to the striking and killing of living beings and the will or
expression of the person in bodily action or in speech. These 5 factors measures the weight
of sins and help us decide on what rightful offences to be executed. (1) What living beings
ex: human, animals. (2) Perception of living being ex: animals, big or small. (3) Thought of
murder (4) the action of carrying it out. (5) Death as a result of it. Example: With regards to
animals it is worst to kill the big animals then small animals. And with regards to human it is
more sinful if you torture
2. To abstain from taking what is not given - it refers to stealing things or property that belongs
to someone else. Basically theft. These 5 factors measures the weight of sins and help us
Page 7 of 11
 decide on what rightful offences to be executed. (1) Based on someone else’s belongings
(2) The awareness that it is someone else’s belongings (3) Thought of Theft (4) Action of
carrying it out (5) Taking away as a result of it.
3. To abstain from sensuous misconduct - “sensuous” means “sexual” and “misconduct” means
inappropriate behavior that is blameworthy. - It refers to the will of transgression that one
person wants to engage in unlawful physical action whom one should not go into such as
women bought with money, concubines etc. it involves with 4 factors. (1) Someone who
should not gone into. (2) The thought of cohabiting with that one, (3) the actions which lead
to such cohabitation. (4) its actual performance
4. To abstain from false speech - it refers to a word that is not real with the intention of deceiving
others through words or deeds. Saying things that are not true are sometimes used in good
purposes but to use it to deceive person it has a consequence to pay for the bad deeds.
5. To abstain from intoxicants as tending to cloud the mind - it refers to the drug and alcohol
that is not for medication. Alcohol is sometimes used to bind relationship or to socialize but
taking too much until you do bad behavior that can cause trouble it can lead to serious
offences. The same thing with drugs.

B. Ethics of Inter-Personal Relationship

1. Family
According to the Buddhist teaching, the family is the most important human association
for the formation and socialization of the infant. Sons and daughters learn diverse things
under various teachers when they grow up, but the first and most important lessons they
learn at home from their parents _ like how to talk, eat, and clean themselves, and how to
behave properly. Hence the Buddha said that parents are Brahma - God and also our first
teachers: "Brahma is a term for parents. Early teachers is a term for parents. Parents are
worthy of offerings, because the mother and father do much for children. They bring them
up, nourish them, and introduce them to the world." No matter where the parents may be
when the children grow older, they should visit their parents and offer them all their requisites
and gifts. That is why the Buddha said they are worthy of offerings. When the Buddha was
asked, "Who are the gods?" he replied, "Let your father and mother be your gods."

2. Marriage
The life of marriage is a unique balance of enlightened self-interest and unselfish
devotion. It should be a religious partnership, a relationship free to grow, with trust and
Page 8 of 11
 freedom from fear. Different but complementary, each partner develops strengths that
support and sustain the other. Neither is superior nor inferior; rather, the marriage bond
should be a true partnership: If, householders, both husband and wife hope to be in one
another's sight so long as this life lasts and in the future life as well, they should have the
same faith, the same virtue, the same generosity, the same wisdom; then they will be in one
another's sight so long as this life lasts and in the future life as well.

3. Friendship
The Buddhist emphasis on cultivating loving kindness, compassion, appreciative joy, and
equanimity includes developing caring and empathic attitudes toward others. With practice,
these attitudes become the orientation for everything we do and the very motivation for doing
the more solitary practices. An important part of the interpersonal aspect of Buddhist practice
is having spiritual friendships. The Buddha emphasized this when he said that the precursor
for the Eight Fold Path is having good spiritual friends (kalyana mitta). These are the people
with whom we share the practice and who support us in the practice. While it includes our
peers on the path, the term kalyana mitta is also a common expression for a Buddhist teacher
in our Theravada Buddhist tradition. For us, a teacher is more a friend than a guru, more a
supporter than an authority figure.

C. Social Ethics (Four Sublime States)

What are the four sublime states? They are: loving kindness (metta), compassion
(karuna), sympathetic joy (mudita) and equanimity (upekkha). They are called Brahmavihara.
According to Buddhist cosmology, "Brahma" is the highest being in the order of beings. A result
of the attainment of meditative absorptions one is reborn into the Brahma, who always practices
loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity. Any one, in this world, who
practice these meditations is said to be living as Brahma or sublime living. An individual who
cultivates these qualities is beyond all biases and prejudices and, above all, beyond all kinds of
limitations such as those pertaining to race, nationality, religion, caste, class, color, clan and so
on.

1. Metta (Loving kindness)

The first of Brahmavihara is metta. What is metta? It is loving kindness, pure love, infinite
love, boundless love and unconditioned love. The direct enemy of Metta is hatred, ill-will or
aversion; its indirect enemy is personal affection.
Page 9 of 11
 2. Karuna (Compassion)
It is pure compassion, infinite compassion; it is boundless and unconditioned compassion.
. It should be developed toward all beings without exception, or limitation. If compassion is
based on selfishness or attachment, that is not Karuna.

3. Mudita (Sympathetic Joy)

Mudita is pure sympathetic joy, and boundless, infinite and unconditioned sympathetic
joy. If we feel sympathetic joy or happiness, when our nearest and dearest are successful
and happy, then that is not mudita, pure sympathetic joy, for it is based on selfishness and
attachment and it also limited. Therefore we should practise sympathetic joy towards all living
beings without exception.

4. Upekkha (Equanimity)
It is the highest state of the mind which one can experience after the attainment of the
meditative absorptions. It means 'discerning rightly,' 'viewing justly,' or 'looking impartially,'
that is, without attachment or aversion. This is a very effective meditation practice for those
who have to live in an unbalanced society amidst fluctuating circumstances.

REFERENCES:

BBC. (2009, November 17). The Four Noble Truths. Retrieved July 6, 2019, from
https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/buddhism/beliefs/fournobletruths_1.shtml

Bhikkhu, T. (2001). An Introduction To Buddha, Dhamma And Sangha. Retrieved July 6, 2019 from
https://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/refuge.html.

BudhaNet.(n.d.). The Eight-Fold Path. Retrieved July 6, 2019, from https://www.buddhanet.net/e-

learning/8foldpath.htm

Dhammapada. (n.d.). Social Ethics in Buddhism. Retrieved from

https://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/176677/9/09_chapter 4.pdf

Conze, E. (n.d). Five Percept Of Buddhism Explained. Retrieved from

https://tricycle.org/magazine/the-five-precepts/
Page 10 of 11
Mapes, T. (2017, February 03). Karma and rebirth in Buddhism. Retrieved July 5, 2019, from
https://owlcation.com/humanities/Karma-and-Rebirth

Nayaka Thera, V. V. (2000). Transmitting the Buddhist Heritage Across Generations. Retrieved 2006,
from https://what-buddha-said.net/library/Leaves/bl151.pdf

Nourie, D. (2013, April 17). What are the Three Marks of Existence? Retrrieved July 17, 2019, from
https://secularbuddhism.org/what-are-the-three-marks-of-existence/

O'Brien, B. (2018, March 17). Buddhism: Three Marks of Existence. Retrieved July 17, 2019, from
https://www.learnreligions.com/the-marks-of-existence-449744

O'Brien, B. (2019, May 23). What the Buddha didn't teach about reincarnation. Retrieved July 5,
2019, from https://www.learnreligions.com/reincarnation-in-buddhism-449994

Olendzki, A. (n.d.). What's In A Word? Nirvana. Retrieved July 6, 2019, from

https://tricycle.org/magazine/what-is-nirvana-in-buddhism/

Rahula, W. (n.d.). The Noble Eightfold Path. Retrieved July 6, 2019, from https://tricycle.org/magazine/noble-
eightfold- path/?fbclid=IwAR25AnbgBqDUjSEGiVRMvlLRbg4g2Qki5L7lbgz-h5- SIDL_vS4u1Bn2gp4

Sara, B. (n.d.). For Buddhists, ‘impermanence (anicca) is the most important of the Three Marks of Existence.’
Retrieved July 17, 2019, from https://www.mytutor.co.uk/answers/17804/GCSE/Philosophy/For-
Buddhists-impermanence-anicca-is-the-most-important-of-the-Three-Marks-of-Existence/

Study.com (n.d.). The Triple Gem of Buddhism. Retrieved July 6, 2019 from
https://study.com/academy/lesson/the-triple-gem-of-buddhism-buddha-kharma- samgha.html.

Fronsdal, G. (n.d). The Role of Friendship In Buddhist Practice. Retrieved from

https://www.insightmeditationcenter.org/the-role-of-friendship-in-buddhist-practice-
newimcwebsite/

Page 11 of 11