The practice of the perfection of ethical conduct has three aspects. First, restraint—noticing and checking conscious and unconscious selfishness, which is counterproductive to real self-love and love of others. Second, the development of virtue—cultivating positive inner qualities, matched by outer conduct, that go beyond mere restraint to encouraging and increasing an inner passion for goodness and caring. Third, the full bodhisattva joy in benefiting others—loving and helping without a sense of restraint or a need to develop virtue.
