Fundamentals of Buddhist Ethics

The book opens by establishing the philosophical background of Buddhist ethics through the Buddha’s search for ultimate happiness, his rejection of both sensual indulgence and extreme asceticism, and his discovery of the Middle Path. It explains Buddhist epistemology, including the rejection of blind authority, the distinction between irrational and rational faith, the importance of perception and inference, and the need for conceptual clarity. It then discusses motivation in Buddhist ethics and the criteria by which actions are judged wholesome or unwholesome. Subsequent chapters examine karma and rebirth as ethical structures of responsibility, the sublime virtues as foundations of moral cultivation, and the Buddhist understanding of society, social ethics, governance, and the possibility of a morally ordered community. The work further develops the Bodhisattva ideal as the dynamic expression of Buddhist compassion and moral commitment, analyzes the Buddhist concept of evil, and concludes with the nature of Nirvana as the ultimate goal of ethical and spiritual practice. The appendix, “Buddhism and the Modern World,” extends the ethical discussion into contemporary problems and argues for a Buddhist perspective rooted in wisdom, non-violence, compassion, and correct understanding.