Download THE MEANS - Glow Blogs

Wall Boards
a)
What is meant by the Threefold
Way?
b)
What is the Eightfold Path?
c)
Explain what Buddhists mean
by:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Right Intention
Right Speech
Right Action
Right Livelihood
Use an example.
THE THREEFOLD WAY
Wisdom
• Linking thoughts and
actions.
Morality
• Putting beliefs into action.
Meditation
• Training mind to have
correct thoughts & beliefs.
THE NOBLE EIGHTFOLD PATH
Wisdom
• Right View
• Right Intention
Morality
• Right Speech
• Right Action
• Right Livelihood
Meditation
• Right Effort
• Right Mindfulness
• Right Concentration
These are not to be seen in isolation.
Think of a time
when your
intentions had been
good but things
didn’t work out like
you had planned…
When was the last
time you hurt
someone with your
words?
When was the last
time you hurt
someone with your
actions?
What kind of career
would you like to
have in the future?
What might a
Buddhist feel about
this livelihood?
REAL-TIME TEST
1.
Rule for all
Theravada
Buddhists
a)
b)
c)
2.
3.
Rule for Theravada
monastics only
Expelled from
Theravada
Buddhism!
d)
e)
f)
g)
To eat untimely
meals
To have sex
To watch TV
To lie
To claim
enlightenment and
not be
To wear perfume
To handle money
precept
noun
A general rule
intended to regulate
behaviour or thought.
"the legal precept of
being innocent until
proven guilty"
If you had to come
up with 5 Precepts
what would they be?
Explain your own reasoning.
Evaluate others.
If a Buddhist had to
come up with 5
Precepts what would
they be?
Explain your own reasoning.
Evaluate others.
THE 5 PRECEPTS
from Buddhism
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Do not take life
Do not take what is not given
Do not distort fact
Refrain from misuse of the
senses (sensual desire)
Refrain from self-intoxication
through alcohol or drugs
Vote with your feet
The 5 Precepts
are a sound
basis for living
a good life.
THE MEANS (6)
Which practices help to
achieve the goals?
Human beings progress
towards Enlightenment by
following the Eightfold Path.
THE MEANS (6)
 The
Noble Eightfold Path — focus on Right
Intention, Right Speech, Right Action and
Right Livelihood; the Threefold Way.
 Ethics
— the Five Precepts in principle and
practice; the Bodhisattva and Arhat ideals.
 Meditation
and worship — purpose and
practice.
 (The
differences in Theravada and Mahayana
practice should be addressed).
BUDDHIST ETHICS




Buddha gave advice on what is
harmful and should be avoided.
Buddhist rules are never
dogmatic or rigid.
General feeling of moral
tolerance because kamma will
‘balance’ everything.
Buddhist ethics can be divided
into:
 guidelines for lay people
 guidelines for monastics
LAY MORALITY - Theravada
 As
well as taking the Three Refuges, lay
people can choose to take one or several of
the Five Precepts.
 These
are the basic moral guidelines that
underpin the Buddhist way of life:
1. Do
not take life
2. Do not take what is not given
3. Do not distort fact
4. Refrain from misuse of the senses
5. Refrain from self-intoxication through
alcohol or drugs
What do you think might be
some similarities and
differences between lay and
monastic morality in the
Theravada tradition?


MONASTIC MORALITY - Theravada
Buddhist monks and nuns have these additional
rules to follow.
 To abstain from taking untimely meals
 To abstain from dancing, music, singing
and watching mime
 To abstain from using perfumes and
personal adornment
 To abstain from the use of high seats
 To abstain from handling money
As a monastic there is a higher expectation
placed on you with regards to your behaviour.
MONASTIC MORALITY - Theravada



A fully ordained monk in the
Theravada tradition takes 227
precepts e.g. not preaching to
women alone or promising to take
care of sick monks.
If a monk has infringed on a rule
they are expected to confess
publicly to the community that is
supporting them.
The senior monks give
punishments according to the
Buddha’s teachings.
MONASTIC MORALITY - Theravada

There are only some cases where a monk can
be expelled from the monastic order and asked
to disrobe:
1. sexual
intercourse
2. serious theft
3. murder
4. making false claims about supernatural powers
What are the similarities
and differences between lay
and monastic morality in
the Theravada tradition?
MORALITY in
Theravada Buddhism
Ahimsa – ‘To
cause no harm’
MONASTIC MORALITY – Theravada for the girls


Buddha took a radical
step by accepting
women at all as
monastics.
In the Theravada
tradition Nuns have
more rules than monks
which emphasises the
fact that monks, no
matter how young,
outrank nuns.
REAL-TIME TEST
1.
Rule for all
Theravada
Buddhists
a)
b)
c)
2.
3.
Rule for Theravada
monastics only
A Theravada monk
will be expelled from
the Sangha!
d)
e)
f)
g)
To eat untimely
meals
To have sex
To watch TV
To lie
To claim
enlightenment and
not be
To wear perfume
To handle money
RMPS in the news: Man walks free from
death row after decades in US jail

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada26540910
THICS
– MAHAYANA
TRADITION
E
The
principles
for Mahayana
ethics are basically the same as
for Therevada.
 The
key difference is
bodhichitta: the realisation of
ultimate wisdom and limitless
compassion which gives rise to
the path of the bodhisattva.
 Mahayana
Buddhist also have a
principle of ‘skillful means’ or
upaya e.g. burning monk
THICS-–What
MAHAYANA
TRADITION
E
Upaya
is morally
correct
will depend on the Bodhisattva
making a decision based on
compassion and wisdom.
A
bodhisattva is not
necessarily constrained by the
ethical guidelines of Buddhism
 The
story of the burning
house.
MORALITY in
Mahayana Buddhism
Bodhichitta –
‘enlightened mind’
(ultimate compassion and wisdom)
Which principle is a
better one for making
moral decisions?
A.Ahimsa
B.Bodhichitta
Buddhism and Capital Punishment



Because Buddhism exists in many forms, under
many organisations, there is no unified Buddhist
policy on capital punishment.
In terms of doctrine the death penalty is clearly
inconsistent with Buddhist teaching. Buddhists
place great emphasis on non-violence and
compassion for all life. The First Precept requires
individuals to abstain from injuring or killing any
living creature.
The Buddha did not explicitly speak about capital
punishment, but his teachings show no sympathy for
physical punishment, no matter how bad the crime.
Buddhism and Capital Punishment
An action, even if it brings benefit to
oneself, cannot be considered a good action
if it causes physical and mental pain to
another being.
The Buddha
If a person foolishly does me wrong, I will
return to him the protection of my
boundless love. The more evil that comes
from him, the more good will go from me.
The Buddha
Buddhism and Capital Punishment
Buddhism believes fundamentally in the cycle of birth
and re-birth (Samsara) and teaches that if capital
punishment is administered it will have compromising
effects on the re-birth of both offender and the punisher.
Buddhism and Punishment
 As
far as punishment in this world is
concerned, Buddhism has strong views:

inhumane treatment of an offender does not
solve their misdeeds or those of humanity in
general - the best approach to an offender is
reformation

punishment should only be to the extent to
which the offender needs to make amends, and
his rehabilitation into society should be of
paramount importance
Buddhism and Punishment
 As
far as punishment in this world is
concerned, Buddhism has strong views:

punishing an offender with excessive cruelty will
injure not just the offender's mind, but also the
mind of the person doing the punishing

it is impossible to administer severe punishment
with composure and compassion

if the crime is particularly serious, the person
may be banished from the community or country
Buddhist countries and Capital Punishment
 Despite
these teachings several countries
with substantial Buddhist populations
retain the death penalty, and some of
them, for example Thailand, continue to
use it.

http://www.deathpenaltyworldwide.org/country-searchpost.cfm?country=Thailand
 These
are no states that have Buddhism
as their official religion.
Buddhist countries and Capital Punishment
 Some
suggest that this apparent paradox
partly stems from the difference between
popular and monastic Buddhism.
 The
majority of lay Buddhists in these
countries follow Buddhist practices and
are entirely sincere in their commitment,
but commentators have argued that "the
genuine study of Buddhism, its rituals,
and carryover to daily life is superficial
for most Buddhist followers."
Buddhist countries and Capital Punishment
 Other
reasons Buddhist countries retain the
death penalty are:

belief by politicians that capital punishment is
necessary for retribution, cultural customs, or for
deterrence value

a long tradition of capital punishment in a particular
country

keeping order in society is seen as more important
than Buddha's teaching

reaction to long periods of political unrest or
economic instability
RMPS in the news: CCTV footage
shows policeman punching woman
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-26536795
 150hrs community service???
