Perspectives on Buddhist Ethics

The book is structured as a thematic collection of sixteen studies on Buddhist ethics. “Buddhist Ethics—A Brief Appraisal” presents the general ethical foundation of Buddhism through suffering, karma, desire, the Eightfold Path, virtues, vices, and the Middle Way. “Sīla-Saṃvara for Prajñopāya-Yoga” studies ethical restraint in relation to tantric practice, celibacy, purity, and the union of wisdom and skillful means. “Ethics of a Bodhisattva and Universal Welfare” examines the bodhisattva ideal as a model of compassion and collective benefit. “The Basis of Buddhist Ethics as Reflected in Pārājika Rules of Pātimokkha” analyzes monastic discipline as a core structure of Buddhist moral life. Other essays discuss āsava, ethical value in relational theory, sīla, pañca-sīla, Mahāyāna textual development, the ethical validity of śūnyatā, Vijñānavāda perspectives on the ten pāramitās, analytical ethics in Buddhism, ethical norms in avadāna literature, household morality, moral norms in the Chapter Hall, and the social ethics of Aśoka’s Dhamma. Together, these studies show Buddhist ethics as a comprehensive system integrating restraint, wisdom, compassion, mental cultivation, social conduct, and the progressive refinement of human character.