Early Buddhist Ethics

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Early Buddhism was an ethical system first and foremost. But what was it? What ethical system did the Buddha propose? We will look at the ethics of early Buddhism with a focus on his advice to a general lay audience as well as the role of karma and intention. We will also consider the meta-ethical question of how or whether early Buddhist ethics is grounded or foundationalized.
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✅ Video mentioned:
The Hierarchy of Pleasures in Early Buddhism -- • The Hierarchy of Pleas...
✅ Sutta mentioned:
suttacentral.net/an6.63/en/su...
✅ Secondary sources referenced:
C.A.F. Rhys Davids (trans.) A Buddhist Manual of Psychological Ethics (Dhammasangani) 1900. - amzn.to/3OXLOHX
Damien Keown, The Nature of Buddhist Ethics (1992). - amzn.to/43sFY5Y
Abraham Vélez de Cea “The Criteria of Goodness in the Pāli Nikāyas and the Nature of Buddhist Ethics,” Journal of Buddhist Ethics, 2004. blogs.dickinson.edu/buddhiste...
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00:00 Intro
01:01 The near and far end of Buddhist ethics
01:43 The “near end” of ethical advice
02:36 The role of karma
04:10 The role of intention
05:40 The role of sense pleasures
07:04 The alternate path
08:00 The role of wisdom
08:43 The role of the sangha of monastics
10:22 The metaethics of early Buddhism
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Пікірлер: 69

@DougsDharma Жыл бұрын

🧡 If you find benefit in my videos, consider supporting the channel by joining us on Patreon and get fun extras like exclusive videos, ad-free audio-only versions, and extensive show notes: www.patreon.com/dougsseculardharma 🙂 📙 You can find my book here: books2read.com/buddhisthandbook

@Dharmaku56 10 ай бұрын

I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying near Savatthi in Jeta's Grove, Anathapindika's monastery. Then Ven. Ananda went to the Blessed One and on arrival, having bowed down to him, sat to one side. As he was sitting there he said to the Blessed One: "What is the purpose of skillful virtues? What is their reward?" "Skillful virtues have freedom from remorse as their purpose, Ananda, and freedom from remorse as their reward." "And what is the purpose of freedom from remorse? What is its reward?" "Freedom from remorse has joy as its purpose, joy as its reward." "And what is the purpose of joy? What is its reward?" "Joy has rapture as its purpose, rapture as its reward." "And what is the purpose of rapture? What is its reward?" "Rapture has serenity as its purpose, serenity as its reward." "And what is the purpose of serenity? What is its reward?" "Serenity has pleasure as its purpose, pleasure as its reward." "And what is the purpose of pleasure? What is its reward?" "Pleasure has concentration as its purpose, concentration as its reward." "And what is the purpose of concentration? What is its reward?" "Concentration has knowledge & vision of things as they actually are as its purpose, knowledge & vision of things as they actually are as its reward." "And what is the purpose of knowledge & vision of things as they actually are? What is its reward?" "Knowledge & vision of things as they actually are has disenchantment as its purpose, disenchantment as its reward." "And what is the purpose of disenchantment? What is its reward?" "Disenchantment has dispassion as its purpose, dispassion as its reward." "And what is the purpose of dispassion? What is its reward?" "Dispassion has knowledge & vision of release as its purpose, knowledge & vision of release as its reward. "Thus in this way, Ananda, skillful virtues have freedom from remorse as their purpose, freedom from remorse as their reward. Freedom from remorse has joy as its purpose, joy as its reward. Joy has rapture as its purpose, rapture as its reward. Rapture has serenity as its purpose, serenity as its reward. Serenity has pleasure as its purpose, pleasure as its reward. Pleasure has concentration as its purpose, concentration as its reward. Concentration has knowledge & vision of things as they actually are as its purpose, knowledge & vision of things as they actually are as its reward. Knowledge & vision of things as they actually are has disenchantment as its purpose, disenchantment as its reward. Disenchantment has dispassion as its purpose, dispassion as its reward. Dispassion has knowledge & vision of release as its purpose, knowledge & vision of release as its reward. "In this way, Ananda, skillful virtues lead step-by-step to the consummation of arahantship.". AN 11.1

@lutra-lutra 3 ай бұрын

another brilliant lecture, thank you very much 🙏

@DougsDharma 3 ай бұрын

You’re most welcome!

@paulomoreira995 10 ай бұрын

Ive been wondering about this Topic, thanks a Lot ;-)

@DougsDharma 10 ай бұрын

Happy to help!

@Flomo112 10 ай бұрын

I really liked this video and posted it to a dharma page I maintain. Thank you

@DougsDharma 10 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing! 🙏

@peterkruger5115 10 ай бұрын

Always enjoy your talks thanks 👍

@DougsDharma 10 ай бұрын

I appreciate that. 🙏

@Frank-jt8sz 10 ай бұрын

Hi Doug! I have been watching your channel for some time, but have never commented. I would love to see a video about the Buddha of the future, Maitreya. I don't understand a lot about this topic, and would be greatful to see an explaination from you. Thank you for the content you put out!

@DougsDharma 10 ай бұрын

You're very welcome, and thanks for your first comment! As to your suggestion, I did a video awhile back on Buddhas of the past and future that touches on Metteyya/Maitreya: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/bqmAYLaUtKmsemQ.html

@noonenowhere6920 10 ай бұрын

I've spent my life seeking pleasure. I found only suffering.

@collinsharrelson6887 10 ай бұрын

Deeply true.

@branimirsalevic5092 10 ай бұрын

Good for you. Ending suffering starts with finding it.

@timetoreason181 10 ай бұрын

@@branimirsalevic5092 Will the end of suffering is the end of rebirth? Is there an end even for a Thathagatha? One of 10 questions where the Thathagatha maintained his silence.

@branimirsalevic5092 10 ай бұрын

@@timetoreason181 "Rebirth" in Dhamma refers to the "rebirth" of Dependent Origination, and not to "rebirth after death of body & mind". It's a mental process, and not a biological birth from the mother's womb. And when does Dependent Origination happen? Every time there is acting by thoughts, speech, body, while the mind is afflicted with ignorance, clinging, craving. It is therefore "selfish" acting, acting aiming to satisfy selfish cravings. Enlightened beings have extinguished the afflictions, therefore their acting is Selfless, not Selfish, therefore their actions do not cause the arising ("birth") of Dependent Origination, therefore their actions do not end up in Dukkha. Their acting is not kamma, it is kiriya.

@DougsDharma 10 ай бұрын

🙏

@MidnightLight. 10 ай бұрын

A good talk, Doug!

@DougsDharma 10 ай бұрын

Thanks!

@mikehume 10 ай бұрын

It is my understanding that Buddha taught on many different levels, but with an ultimate intention to lead all beings to enlightenment. Some teachings explained how to avoid a lower rebirth, some how to escape from samsara for our own benefit, then the Mahayana - how to attain enlightenment for the benefit of all beings. Each of these requires its own set of a action, or karma. It is effectively using the wisdom understanding karma to take us to our desired goal. As you say, intention is key. To use the example of giving, or generosity, we can do this with many different intentions (it is even possible to give with a negative intention- for example to win someone’s trust so you can deceive them into parting with a lot of money etc). We can give hoping to achieve personal liberation, or with a Bodhichitta motivation in order to attain full enlightenment. I think it is also useful to consider what virtue means. The definition I like is that it is “An actual cause of happiness”. Then we need to rely on many of Buddhas teachings which explain what actually does cause happiness. I like to equate ethics with virtue. On this topic, one of my favourite teachers once said, “Buddha’s sublime irony is that in order to be happy we have to completely give up our wish to be happy. But there is nothing wrong with the wish to be happy, in fact it is the deepest wish of every living being”. I like to contemplate this, and to rely on a combination of faith and wisdom to understand it more and more deeply. Namaste.

@DougsDharma 10 ай бұрын

Thanks yes, that's a nice comment by your teacher!

@tasospanagiotou7823 9 ай бұрын

Hey Doug. Can you give your view or Buddhism's view on deliberate exposure of ourselves to limited or progressive discomfort( e.g. cold showers)). Can it be beneficial spiritually ?

@DougsDharma 9 ай бұрын

I don't think the Buddha ever mentions intentional discomfort as beneficial. Indeed, the path he proposes is one in which certain very pleasant states (e.g., jhāna) are important to progress.

@Jorghee316 10 ай бұрын

love this channel

@DougsDharma 10 ай бұрын

🙏😊

@user-ve8kl3hw2h 10 ай бұрын

Great vids! Can you do one on Socrates in a Buddhist context? Thanks! Keep up the great vids!

@DougsDharma 10 ай бұрын

Thanks! Socrates is very thorny, it's hard to distinguish what his views were since most of what we see of him in the early dialogues is propounding a method of inquiry. In the later dialogues arguably what we are seeing is more Plato's view than Socrates's. And it's been awhile since I dealt with Plato! 😄

@Scatrex 10 ай бұрын

Hi Doug, what is your opinion of the movie "Don't expect anything" by Isi Dhamma?

@tamoghnasarkar4257 10 ай бұрын

Will you kindly talk about the uniqueness of the great middle way and the eightfold path? Is the each conceptual element in that path novel and Buddha's innovation? If you have past videos and textual references please do share..

@DougsDharma 10 ай бұрын

It's very hard to know all such things for sure, but many elements of the Buddhist path did exist in other belief systems.

@luwluwstarshyne 10 ай бұрын

Hy ! Are there, let's say, "major karmic consequences" by killing purposely or more often accidentally insects, bacterias etc ? Are the consequences of these actions measured by the intensity of the intention rather than the action itself ? And could they impact our "future", meaning life events and rebirth cycles ? I hope these questions don't sound too strange.

@DougsDharma 10 ай бұрын

Well all of this is very theoretical, and I'm not sure I'd make too much of it except to say, consider it part of your practice to see how such intentions effect your life. Though do keep in mind that the Buddha was concerned with intentional action, not accidental happenstance.

@Genos393 8 ай бұрын

💙

@DougsDharma 8 ай бұрын

🙏😊

@sunset-inn 2 ай бұрын

If you have heard of it do you have any opinions on the claims made in the book Zen at War?

@DougsDharma 2 ай бұрын

I haven’t read it but indeed, Zen did play a role in training for warfare in Japan.

@branimirsalevic5092 10 ай бұрын

Good & bad kamma are equally unwholesome. It is the 3rd type of kamma that is beneficial, the kamma that aims at ending both the good & the bad kamma... The ultimate aim is performing no kamma at all. Acting of enlightened beings is not kamma, it is called kiriya, and it's results are not vipaka, but patikiriya (because their acting is not rooted in afflictions and do not result in dukkha).

@fingerprint5511 10 ай бұрын

🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

@DougsDharma 10 ай бұрын

🙏😊

@Giantcrabz Ай бұрын

Given many prescription drugs (the dose makes the poison) can be poisonous or intoxicating, I wonder if the Buddha would call pharmacy Right Livelihood. I suppose it depends on one's intentions?

@DougsDharma Ай бұрын

Yes, there's definitely a difference between poison and medicine. It's true that the dose makes the poison, this means that in a sense anything we ingest *can* be a poison, even water.

@noonenowhere6920 10 ай бұрын

I haven't had the right livelihood. Took a long time to see that. The time has come for me to put on the robes.

@timetoreason181 10 ай бұрын

It it good but taking robes is not an easy road, unless you wish to stick to the true meaning and purpose of being a monk; renunciation and humility. Have seen many new monks, they just wear robes and enjoy more luxury and privileged in Asian countries.

@branimirsalevic5092 10 ай бұрын

Alan Watts illustrating "good intentions": "Kindly let me help you or you will drown, said the monkey putting the fish safely up a tree." Meaning, good intentions without wisdom are good only for pleasing the ego.

@DougsDharma 10 ай бұрын

Yes I did an earlier video on that topic: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/qbqfe5xo2LPXaZc.html

@TheWayOfRespectAndKindness 10 ай бұрын

Ethics arise from experience and our natural survival instincts. Objective mindsets develop beneficial ethics. Delusional mindsets develop harmful ethics.

@branimirsalevic5092 10 ай бұрын

@@Giantcrabz there's nothing objective about ethics. Ethics is a very varied thing both in time and in space. So it's a pragmatic thing, a set of rules we adopt to make life in a human society as smooth and conflictless as possible.

@normalizedaudio2481 10 ай бұрын

Thou salt get up at 4:00 AM.

@Dr.stoic7 10 ай бұрын

Sorry sir, as a hindu Buddhist, the prebuddhistic karma was same as that in Buddhism plus rituals.

@branimirsalevic5092 10 ай бұрын

Sorry Sir, but Buddhist kamma is lightning fast; results are immediate. You don't have to wait to die and then get reborn as someone, nobody knows who, somewhere, nobody knows where to see the results of kamma (aka vipaka). Also, in Buddha Dhamma, there's only acting (kamma), there's no actor (atman). To explain on an example: If a boy thinks like a bandit, at that very moment his mind becomes a bandit mind and he is "born" as a bandit. He actually appears as a bandit in the world right then and there. He doesn't have to wait for 60 years to die and enter the coffin and only then to be reborn as a bandit in some other life, as some other being. And when his mind cools down from bandit thoughts, when it exits the "bandit realm", the bandit-boy "dies" - disappears. What's his next "birth" (appearance) going to be depends on how he acts next, and how that acting alters his mental state. For example, if he acts as a good boy, then his mind will become the mind of a good boy, and he will be born as a good boy; he will appear in the world as a good boy right then and there; the good boy will then persist for as long as he acts as a good boy, and then he will disappear, too... But if his mind starts burning in rage or hatred, then his mind will become "Hell realm" and the boy will be born as some kind of demon right then and there; The whole world will be able to see this boy acting like a "demon", therefore being a "demon". And again, when his mind cools down and exits the Hell realm, the demon-boy will "die" - disappear. It is in this way that we are born and we die many times every day. It is these "births" and "deaths", which are all nothing else but the "birth" of Dukkha, that the Dhamma is concerned with ending.

@Dr.stoic7 10 ай бұрын

@@branimirsalevic5092 In hindu Karma, the result are also lightening fast. The remaining karma which were left after death will be manifested as rebirth and there u gonna reap them. Not at all different. About Atman it's very deep not as you see in movies.. Show me one phylosophy in Buddhism which is not there before buddha.

@Dr.stoic7 10 ай бұрын

@@Giantcrabz it was same then also.. But buddha refined it.

@Dr.stoic7 10 ай бұрын

@@branimirsalevic5092 Due respect sir!U have a fundamentally wrong idea on Hinduism. Which is very shallow . We reap our karmas in this life and the remaining also will be reaped after death as rebirth. To define karma, every action that our mind, body does is a karma. They leave impressions in the nature which is our inner nature and outside nature.. the impressions in the inner nature manifests as thoughts. And on outer nature manifests as situations. In this way we are slaves of our karmas. The liberation from this karmic cycle is nirvana, mukti or moksha.. the goal of every indian phylosophy.

@branimirsalevic5092 10 ай бұрын

@@Dr.stoic7 That's the difference. There's no such thing as "leftover karma to be reaped after death" in Buddha's Dhamma, for the same reason that the long planned trip to Paris won't happen after death. Well, won't happen to you anyway. But it is okay to believe that, as many/most Buddhists also believe that they will be reborn after they die. I'm just saying in Dhamma this belief is superstition, imported to Buddhism by converts from religions other than Buddhism. The main culprit being Buddhagosa and his main work, Visuddhimagga.