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Not About Being Good: A Practical Guide to Buddhist Ethics
While there are numerous books on Buddhist meditation and philosophy, there are few books that are entirely devoted to the practice of Buddhist ethics. Here Subhadramati, an experienced teacher of meditation and ethics, communicates clearly both their founding principles and the practical methods to embody them. She begins by stating that Buddhist ethics don't see human nature as something to be beaten into submission, tamed, or domesticated. Buddhism is not trying "to cure life of itself." Buddhism is about fulfilling our human nature, not diminishing it, and its ethics are both the means and the expression of this fulfillment. In Buddhism, being ethical means being truly human. Buddhist ethics are thus not about conforming to a set of conventions, not about "being good" in order to gain material, social, or religious rewards. Instead, as Subhadramati outlines, living ethically springs from the awareness that other people are essentially no different from ourselves. We can, if we choose, actively develop this awareness, through cultivating more and more love, clarity, and contentment. Helping us to come into a greater harmony with all that lives, including ourselves, this is ultimately a guidebook to a more satisfactory life. Subhadramati is a teacher of meditation and Buddhism at the London Buddhist Centre. This is her first book.
176 pages, Paperback
First published October 15, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 29, 2013
Don't be put off by the title or the rather odd cover, with its glowing androgynous figure. 'Not About Being Good' delivers exactly what the byline promises: a practical guide to Buddhist ethics.
Subhadramati is a member of the Triratna Buddhist Order, based in the UK. This is her first book but it is written in a very accessible and readable style: I found it perfect to read on public transport on the way to work. She supports her writing with many practical examples from her life which are very relatable.
There is a particularly good chapter on the five and ten precepts, which reads as an updated version of Sangharakshita's 'The Ten Pillars of Buddhism' (for those familiar with the Triratna Buddhist Community and its founder).
Meditation and Dharma wisdom often receive more attention from Buddhist writers and practitioners. But ethics is the foundation of daily meditation and Buddhist practice, whether on retreat or in the everyday world, so it is worth being familiar with the material covered here. This book is suitable for beginners but not to be discounted by those who have been practising Buddhism a little longer.
Subhadramati is a member of the Triratna Buddhist Order, based in the UK. This is her first book but it is written in a very accessible and readable style: I found it perfect to read on public transport on the way to work. She supports her writing with many practical examples from her life which are very relatable.
There is a particularly good chapter on the five and ten precepts, which reads as an updated version of Sangharakshita's 'The Ten Pillars of Buddhism' (for those familiar with the Triratna Buddhist Community and its founder).
Meditation and Dharma wisdom often receive more attention from Buddhist writers and practitioners. But ethics is the foundation of daily meditation and Buddhist practice, whether on retreat or in the everyday world, so it is worth being familiar with the material covered here. This book is suitable for beginners but not to be discounted by those who have been practising Buddhism a little longer.
July 24, 2017
Has some potent ideas about practical ethics (mainly regarding each person's responsibility to discover and live according to their own ethics), but the writing style has not been very appealing to me and it has been basing its arguments on Buddhist fairy tales and a specific Buddhist movement that I personally felt does not speak to me.
A nice read but not a must.
A nice read but not a must.
December 29, 2024
Read on the 2024 winter retreat
I’m glad I read this and I want to make notes on my favourite parts. Mainly I found it a little bit anxiety-inducing, it was fleshing out something that I feel comes really intuitively with a lot of detail that made me feel like a Buddhist life sounds a bit dry. The concept that I hope stays with me is the positive precepts, the idea of ‘creating beauty’ or ‘living beautifully’ rather than cessation of unskillful or unethical actions.
I felt it was directed at an audience that was grappling more with an imposed moral code, which for whatever reason didn’t chime with me- I feel that my code is developed from my own experience and intuition. Interesting nonetheless to read what it might be like to develop a Buddhist mind from a catholic background and get a bit more information on core buddhist concepts
I’m glad I read this and I want to make notes on my favourite parts. Mainly I found it a little bit anxiety-inducing, it was fleshing out something that I feel comes really intuitively with a lot of detail that made me feel like a Buddhist life sounds a bit dry. The concept that I hope stays with me is the positive precepts, the idea of ‘creating beauty’ or ‘living beautifully’ rather than cessation of unskillful or unethical actions.
I felt it was directed at an audience that was grappling more with an imposed moral code, which for whatever reason didn’t chime with me- I feel that my code is developed from my own experience and intuition. Interesting nonetheless to read what it might be like to develop a Buddhist mind from a catholic background and get a bit more information on core buddhist concepts
October 13, 2020
A nice, more in-depth look and set of practices to bring more ethical consistency to your life
March 20, 2022
Beautiful and meaningful.
March 14, 2023
An interesting and fairly short read. Like many of this genre it is full of personal anecdotes and is careful to avoid coming across as too religious!
October 28, 2014
An excellent guide to practising ethics according to Buddhist teachings, written in an evocative, personal way from someone who is clearly used to communicating asa Buddhist teacher
The absence of books on Buddhist ethics is very striking, especially if you look at the number on meditation and wisdom, the other elements of the Buddhist path. This book is for people who want to practice ethics, not study it in a philosophical way, and it's very good at disentangling the ideas about ethics that many of us have, and suggesting the Buddhist contribution. The books richness is helped by Subhadramati's honesty, sincerity and lack of pretension and her love of literature, especially poetry.
A few caveats (and I should add that the author is a good friend of mine):
# a little more philosophy might have helped the book show connections with other aspects of practice, including meditation (they're joined by the notions of skilful and unskillful).
# There's a strong debt to Sangharakshita, Subhadramati's personal Buddhist teacher, and it would have been good to hear other Buddhist voices as well.
# I don't agree with her contention that Buddhist is innate: that's a complex idea, philosophically, and not one I recognise from core Buddhist teachings.
# The notes need sorting out!
These points won't matter much to most readers. They will simply be left with an excellent, heartfelt and inspiring ethical guide.
The absence of books on Buddhist ethics is very striking, especially if you look at the number on meditation and wisdom, the other elements of the Buddhist path. This book is for people who want to practice ethics, not study it in a philosophical way, and it's very good at disentangling the ideas about ethics that many of us have, and suggesting the Buddhist contribution. The books richness is helped by Subhadramati's honesty, sincerity and lack of pretension and her love of literature, especially poetry.
A few caveats (and I should add that the author is a good friend of mine):
# a little more philosophy might have helped the book show connections with other aspects of practice, including meditation (they're joined by the notions of skilful and unskillful).
# There's a strong debt to Sangharakshita, Subhadramati's personal Buddhist teacher, and it would have been good to hear other Buddhist voices as well.
# I don't agree with her contention that Buddhist is innate: that's a complex idea, philosophically, and not one I recognise from core Buddhist teachings.
# The notes need sorting out!
These points won't matter much to most readers. They will simply be left with an excellent, heartfelt and inspiring ethical guide.
October 18, 2013
She really explains well the key distinction between Buddhist ethics and 'Being Good' - I think there's still a book to write on the last precept - the ethics of views.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews