Buddhist Belief Blog

The Second Paramita in Buddhist Belief, is about being good. It’s about being virtuous, ethical, moral, honorable, and harmless. It’s about having self-control — being disciplined. Because we are loving and compassionate, we do not harm others.

No, I won’t end it there. After all, I can see the cringing happening among my readers as they read that first paragraph. What is he talking about? Sure, this sounds good, but who can be all these things?

I know for myself, as a youngster, I was made to believe I was a miserable sinner. If any of you are reading my Memoir/Novel, you’ll know I had a parent who believed this to be true and had his way of driving it home. For many years I had no clue about how to be moral or ethical — or to even have an understanding of what those things were. Living on the streets as a child, one learns early on how to get what you need using whatever means were available.

I believe the sanscrit word for this paramita is Sila, which is said to be derived from the root word meaning “cool”. This is not quite the “hip cool” as in, “Hey man, you’re really cool!” It’s more in the sense of putting out the fires of greed, hatred and delusion. The word nirvana (the goal of Buddhist practice) has the original meaning of “blowing out,” as in blowing out a flame. So the path and the goal here are the same.

In Buddhism, ethical and moral conduct is based to some degree on what we think of as cause and effect. If we behave a certain way, we’re going to have certain results. We can get drunk or we can stay sober. We can choose peace of mind or we can have mental anguish. Honesty on our part brings trust from others, which in turn affects our ability to trust our own lives and the world. How often have many of us chosen to do things we know to be against our best interests, merely to assert our own independence? You know what I mean, “cutting off our nose to spite our face”. All too often we have chosen to sacrifice ourselves on the altar of ego rather than accept the world as it is.

Buddha taught in the First Noble Truth of Suffering the clarity of the human condition. He saw the flaws of humans brought about by our craving and clinging to our concept of our ego selves. This sila paramita is an open invitation for us to recreate our lives so as to lead to true awakening.

Since our moral and ethical goals will often include our speech, some of the precepts deal with this aspect:

I will refrain from false speech.
I will not slander.
I will not praise myself at the expense of others.
I will not to harbor ill will.

Those do sound somewhat negative, so framing them in a positive way:

I vow to speak the truth, realizing that I know only my version of it.
I vow to speak the best of others.
I vow to appreciate the merits of others.
I vow to make every effort to live in harmony with others in body, speech and mind.
I vow to honor and encourage the awakening mind in myself and in others.

The main point here is that in practicing this paramita we are precipitating a psychic change in ourselves and our outlook. In essence, we are attempting to change the default setting of our minds. Of course, if you are one of those fortunate beings who seem to be born with an innate tendency towards generosity and compassion, these precepts will come more naturally to you.

For most of us, this is going to take some work. We’re going to have to put some real commitment into embarking on this path. A daily practice of meditation will be vital. Bringing mindfulness into our everyday lives is also a requirement. And study of the Buddhist teachings, the Dharma, will be essential.

As we travel throughout our daily lives, we can keep re-minding and re-forming our minds about how we want to live. For me, Buddhism is learning to live a new lifestyle.

So, to restate some of the above … The essence of this paramita is that through our love and compassion we do not harm others; we are virtuous and harmless in our thoughts, speech, and actions.

This practice of ethical conduct is the very foundation for progressing in any practice of meditation. Our practice of generosity must always be supported by our practice of ethics; this ensures the lasting results of our generosity. We abstain from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, divisive speech, harsh speech, gossip, greed, malice, and wrong views.

Following these precepts or guidelines is not meant to be a burden or a restriction of our freedom. We follow these precepts so we can enjoy greater freedom, happiness, and security in our lives, because through our virtuous behavior we are no longer creating suffering for ourselves and others.

This is why I end these posts with ….

Metta ….May all beings be well and happy. May all beings live in safety. May all beings be healthy and strong. May all beings live with ease.

Namaste — Be in Peace.

Ron Rink

(NOTE: There is more to be discussed concerning this paramita, so we’ll continue with the next post to the blog.)
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Just click the links that are sort of Grey in color to take you to where you can learn more about each book and how you can purchase a copy for your own library.

Anam Thubten — No Self – No Problem

No Self – No Problem
shows how to realize the ultimate meaning of life in each moment by dissolving all notions of ego-identity. It asks that spiritual seekers wake up to their true nature, which is already enlightened. Based on Buddhist wisdom traditions, this easy-to-read book discusses in simple, but profound and inspiring language, how we can live a life full of love, satisfaction, and happiness. No Self – No Problem

Sharon Salzberg — The Kindness Handbook

“It takes boldness, even audacity, to step out of our habitual patterns and experiment with a quality like kindness–to work with it and see just how it might shift and open up our lives. This book is an invitation to do just that. — From The Kindness Handbook