Buddhist Ethics

by Hammalawa Saddhatissa, Charles Hallisey (Introduction)

"For more than a quarter of a century, those in search of an introduction to Buddhist moral thought have turned and returned to this little volume..." Thus notes Charles Hallisey of Harvard University in his introduction. Starting with an examination of classical Greek notions of ethics, Venerable Saddhatissa goes on to explain the development of Buddhist moral codes and their practical application. In this work, Venerable Saddhatissa starts with an examination of Western notions of ethics, beginning with the early Greek philosophers and moving on to show us how the study of morality is crucial to a clear understanding of the Buddhist tradition. Drawing on a vast array of Buddhist scriptures, Venerable Saddhatissa explains the development and position of Buddhist precepts from a traditional perspective, while simultaneously offering clear and practical advice on how best to live the moral life of a lay Buddhist practitioner. Throughout Buddhist Ethics , Venerable Saddhatissa always keeps us in touch with the pragmatic uses of Buddhist moral practices, not only as a way to live in harmony with the world, but as an indispensable aspect of the path to the Buddhist's highest spiritual goal.

Genres: Buddhism, Religion, Philosophy, Nonfiction

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1970

Reviews

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

The is more of a Dharma book than an ethics book, which is fine with me. He can't extricate ethics from the Dharma. He's a Theravadan monk from Sri Lanka and he's the one who did the conversion of Ambedkar in India, and he traveled to Europe, so he was pretty worldly in the sense of traveling the world, as a monk. I enjoyed the Theravadan digressions, but it's not really a book for beginners.

[Kylie Marsh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty difficult to get through