Buddhist Ethics

Elements in Ethics

by Maria Heim

'Ethics' was not developed as a separate branch of philosophy in Buddhist traditions until the modern period, though Buddhist philosophers have always been concerned with the moral significance of thoughts, emotions, intentions, actions, virtues, and precepts. Their most penetrating forms of moral reflection have been developed within disciplines of practice aimed at achieving freedom and peace. This Element first offers a brief overview of Buddhist thought and modern scholarly approaches to its diverse forms of moral reflection. It then explores two of the most prominent philosophers from the main strands of the Indian Buddhist tradition – Buddhaghosa and Śāntideva – in a comparative fashion.

74 pages, Paperback

Published February 2, 2020

Reviews

[Justin Howell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short yet insightful comparison of the spiritual practices of Buddhagosa (representing the Theravada tradition) and Shantideva (representing the Mahayana tradition) and the ethical implications of their approach to Buddhist transformative practices. I have studied both of these classical Buddhist thinkers separately and appreciated the comparative approach of this text. A great survey of the topic - book could easily have been 2-3x longer given the vastness of the topic so it would be a good introduction to these historic thinkers for those not familiar with them.