Theravada Buddhist Ethics: With Special Reference to Visuddhimagga

The book is organized into six chapters. The first chapter introduces the relation between ethics and religion, explains Indian ethical thought, and defines the distinctive place of Buddhist ethics within that wider intellectual background. The second chapter studies the main tenets of Theravāda Buddhist ethics, including the origin and development of Buddhist ethical thought, its defining characteristics, the Three Refuges, sīla, and the Four Noble Truths. The third chapter presents Nibbāna as the ultimate goal of life and discusses key doctrinal foundations such as pratītyasamutpāda, anātman, kṣaṇikavāda, and liberation. The fourth chapter examines the nature of moral conduct, distinguishing between the duties and ethical discipline of householders and the more rigorous moral conduct required of monks. The fifth chapter focuses on Visuddhimagga, explaining its meaning, subject matter, and place in Theravāda Buddhist ethics, with detailed treatment of sīla, samādhi, and paññā as the core structure of purification. The sixth chapter offers a concluding synthesis, drawing together the ethical, doctrinal, and practical dimensions of the study and presenting Theravāda Buddhist ethics as a disciplined path toward moral purification, spiritual insight, and final liberation.