Buddhist Ethics Research Articles

Современные биоэтические проблемы в контексте основных принципов буддийской этики

The relevance of this research consists in reconsideration of the main approaches to solving bioethical problems based on the religious and ethical principles of Buddhism. The purpose of this research is to analyze Buddhist principles that can be consistently applied to a range of biomedical problems (euthanasia, biomedical experiments with animals, etc.). The subject of our research is ethics in the context of medicine, namely the relationship between Buddhism and medical practice. The research materials are based on many years of teaching the bioethics course at St. Petersburg State University of Chemistry and Pharmacy and Tyumen State Medical University, as well as on the results of research related to the development of scientific research of bioethical issues. The central question of modern bioethics about the nature and status of the moral subject in Buddhism is based on the principle of the moral dignity of all living beings: from human life to the life of animals and, perhaps, even plants. Belief in interspecific rebirth and respect for animal life are typical of Buddhist ethics. In modern ethics, Buddhism is a teleological ethics of virtue, which postulates a certain end result of life as the implementation of human potential and asserts that this goal should be realized through cultivation of certain spiritual practices, which implies the rejection of euthanasia, abortion, artificial insemination and other dvanced medical technologies.

Advocacy for a Buddhist approach to dementia care

ABSTRACT Despite the extensive literature on Christian and Muslim perspectives on dementia care, there has been an absence of scholarly research on dementia care from a Buddhist perspective. What appears to be largely missing from this discourse is the potential of incorporating traditional Buddhist beliefs and practices as part of a comprehensive approach to contemplative, spiritual caregiving for people living with dementia. A multi-faith approach to dementia care is necessary to truly appreciate the diverse spiritual/religious needs of individuals with this condition. Contemplative care informed by Buddhist ethics, beliefs, and practices is an approach that deserves further exploration. For chaplains and healthcare professionals who identify themselves as Buddhists, it is important to develop care strategies that are congruent with their spiritual and cultural beliefs to effectively support the well-being of individuals living with dementia.

Integrating Buddhist Ethics into Boarding School Education : Character Development at Pasastrian Kusalamitra, Gunung Kidul, Indonesia

This study aims to explore Buddhist character values focused on the educational processes at Pasastrian Kusalamitra Gunung Kidul and how these values are implemented within the boarding school context to develop student character. The study method used was descriptive with a qualitative approach, including interviews, focus group discussion, direct observation, participant observation, and document review. The subjects of this study included key individuals directly involved in educational programs, comprising the principal and vice principal of PKBM Homeschooling Kusalamitra, twelfth-grade teachers and students, selected for their significant roles in and deep engagement with the school’s activities. Data collected were analyzed using NVivo 14, employing thematic analysis to develop codes and themes, guided by description-focused coding, which involves extracting relevant statements, describing them, and tagging them for systematic categorization. Findings revealed that these Buddhist virtues significantly enhanced students' ethical orientations and personal growth, thereby boosting their academic and social skills. By deeply embedding these values within its educational framework, Pasastrian Kusalamitra not only promoted holistic development but also equipped students with the resilience and empathy needed for modern societal interactions. Highlighting the transformative potential of religious ethics in education, the study suggests robust pathways for developing moral character in diverse learning environments.

Insights from the lived experience of Buddhist ethics: implications for social work ethics education

ABSTRACT Ethics is largely dominated by European curriculum which includes Western moral theories such as deontology, utilitarianism, virtue ethics, and care ethics. To decenter this dominant ethics curriculum, the present phenomenological study explored the moral lived experience of ethics for Korean Buddhist (male and female) monastics (N = 21). Using three-level qualitative coding, data were thematically analyzed. Findings revealed three overarching themes (1) the importance of the saṅgha and community care, (2) the presence of ethical tensions, and (3) ethics as a practice. Each theme had two sub-themes. The implications of these findings are discussed in the context of how these insights from the lived experience of Buddhist ethics may inform and advance social work ethics education beyond the Eurocentric curriculum.

Buddhist Ethics and Environmental Conservation in Thailand

Buddhist Ethics and Environmental Conservation in Thailand

On Freedom from Remorse (Avipratisāra/Avippaṭisāra): Its Place on the Well-Trodden Path from Moral Discipline to Samādhi Meditation

The primary objective of this study is to shed light on the role and significance of freedom from remorse (avipratisāra/avippaṭisāra) in the cultivation of Buddhist concentration (samādhi) meditation. The study delves into the progression from avipratisāra/avippaṭisāra to samādhi, examining how moral discipline influences an individual’s conscience and, consequently, meditation. We commence by examining the well-established path of cultivation leading toward samādhi. A comprehensive study was undertaken to understand the term avipratisāra/avippaṭisāra, its significance for Buddhist meditation, the context in which it originated, and the various English translations that have been provided for it. Furthermore, a comparison is made between avipratisāra/avippaṭisāra and a seemingly synonymous term, kaukṛtya/kukkucca, with areas being sought where one or the other tends to be (or is exclusively) used within the discourse about Buddhist ethics and meditation. From various Buddhist scriptures, it is suggested that a morally disciplined individual typically progresses through a series of states, starting with freedom from remorse and potentially leading to concentration (samādhi). Avipratisāra/avippaṭisāra is pivotal in fostering positive meditative states, serving as a catalyst that propels individuals from negative emotions to wholesome ones on the Buddhist path. By contrast, both vipratisāra/vippaṭisāra and kaukṛtya/kukkucca are identified as basically synonymous words for disturbing emotions with somewhat different contexts of use, the elimination of such emotions being necessary if individuals are to progress on their spiritual journey. Avipratisāra/avippaṭisāra plays a crucial intermediary role bridging Buddhist ethics and meditation. Moral discipline and the subsequent understanding and confession of any personal misconduct are integral to fostering freedom from remorse. Such freedom not only paves the way to deeper meditation but also fortifies one’s confidence in Buddhist teachings, and so provides a foundation for true spiritual progress.

Buddhist Ethics for Improving Health and Well-Being during Pandemics Like COVID-19 with Special References to Modern Scientific Experiments

The purpose of this research is to examine whether Buddhist ethics can improve the health and well-being of Buddhist practitioners during pandemics like COVID-19. It is hypothesized that diseases are part of suffering, and Buddhist teachings aim to eliminate the suffering of all beings. Buddhism also offers ethical codes of conduct for its practitioners to improve their health and well-being. So, the Buddha’s teaching or Buddhist ethics, when practiced seriously, should be able to improve one’s health, physically and mentally, enhancing the well-being of all Buddhist practitioners during the spread of all pandemics including COVID-19. The present study found that Buddhist ethical practices like the chanting of Buddhist suttas and the development of mindfulness, concentration/meditation, and insight (vipassanā) can improve both physical and mental health, which are important for dealing with any pandemic, tremendously. If the cores of Buddhist ethics (morality, meditation, and wisdom) are perfectly practiced, not only will one live with good physical and mental health but one also will be able to eliminate all the mental defilements that are the root causes of all illnesses and thus enter nibbāna, the state of mind that is beyond all sources of suffering including pandemics/epidemics. More specifically, this paper highlights a set of Buddhist practices, called four bhāvanās (types of development), that can be used to improve health and well-being during any pandemic.

The Problems of Free Will and Moral Responsibility in Buddhist Ethics

At the end of the 20th century, a discipline of Buddhist ethics was formed in English-speaking countries, within the framework of which a community of closely interacting researchers is engaged in the comprehension and systematization of ethical positions within Buddhism, often resorting to the use of analytical philosophy tools. One of the directions within the discipline of Buddhist ethics is an attempt to embed the ethical content of Buddhism in a contemporary Western European philosophical context and to put before it questions characteristic of Western philosophy, for example, the questions of moral responsibility, free will and determinism. While some researchers believe that Buddhist texts reflect a compatibilist position, others see Buddhist ethical position as resembling incompatibilism. The first problem faced by Buddhist researchers interested in this topic is that Buddhism does not have a concept of “free will” similar to the one that exists in Western philosophy. Nevertheless, contemporary theorists believe that classical Buddhism contains enough material to allow for a conversation about causality and responsibility. The purpose of this research is to substantiate the possibility of discussing free will in the context of the ethics of Buddhism. In order to do this the research examines the key provisions of Buddhist teaching relevant in the context of free will: dependent arising, absence of self and karma. It is noted that one of the reasons for the difference in the conclusions of researchers of Buddhist ethics regarding the issue of free will and moral responsibility in Buddhism are the peculiarities of Theravada and Mahayana and their particular texts different theorists mainly refer to.

Mahayana Philosophy: Problems and Research

The introduction to the topic of this issue is an overview of the research articles authored by Russian, Lithuanian, and Indian scholars on various problems of Mahayana Buddhist philosophy. While explaining the status of the terms “Mahāyāna” and “Hīnayāna,” the author emphasizes that since they are represent the apologetic conceptualizations of Mahayanists, the appellation “Hīnayāna” (“Lesser Vehicle”, etc.) is not recognized either by those Buddhists who are supposed to be characterized by it, or by scholars striving for a neutral appellation. This creates difficulties, including the need for a generally accepted designation for this Buddhist tradition. However, despite the apologetic nature of the Mahāyāna - Hīnayāna opposition, the difference between the two is captured very plausibly. The first one teaches about the individual way of achieving liberation from the cycle of endless rebirths (saṃsāra) through a personal, individual self-perfection (the path of the arhat) leading to enlightenment (bodhi) and nirvāṇa (extinction of passions). The second one develops a full-fledged religion with its own pantheon and rituals, in which nirvāṇa and individual liberation, while remaining, more or less theoretically, the ultimate goal, are pushed to a distant plane. At the same time, the idea of compassion and the ideal of bodhisattva who, having taken a vow to help all living beings to get rid of sufferings, continues to remain in saṃsāra, is put forward in the center. However, despite this major difference a Buddhist discipline known as Abhidharma which consists in analysis and classification of discrete states of consciousness (dharmas), identified in meditation, remains a reference point in both traditions. Three authors touch upon it (Helen Ostrovskaya, Pradeep Gokhale, and Vladimir Korobov). Two of them (Ostrovskaya and Gokhale) focus on the problems of murder and death, and the third one (Korobov) dwells on the methodology of Abhidharma. Vladimir Ivanov offers a new interpretation of the structure of Śāntarakṣita’s treatise “Tattva-saṃgraha” with Kamalaśīla’s “Pañjikā” commentary. Yangutov and Lepekhov explore the specificity of Buddhism reception in China, Tibet, Mongolia, and Russia. Nesterkin publishes for the first time B. Baradiin’s theses for Agvan Dordjiev’s lecture, which exemplifies the Buryat Buddhist Renovationists’ interpretation of Buddhism. Burmistrov analyzes the views of Indian historians of philosophy on the history of Buddhism, Volkova - the concepts of Buddhist ethics in contemporary analytical philosophy.

Mindfulness in education: Critical debates and pragmatic considerations

AbstractMindfulness has all but become a mainstay in modern education. Yet despite the incredible enthusiasm and increased application in schools, there remains significant divergence between advocates and critics. Advocates assert that mindfulness practice promotes individual and societal health and well‐being. Meanwhile, critics question the intention and the social and political implications of promoting these ancient practices in schools, arguing that the Buddhist ethics underlying mindfulness remain incompatible with the neoliberal ideology and instrumentalism of contemporary schooling. As mindfulness has been commodified, instrumentalised and used as a therapeutic tool for acute coping, its broader potential for human growth and development may be undermined. Furthermore, scholars caution that the fledging nature of mindfulness research leaves critical questions unanswered, especially the potential for adverse effects. The work herein examines these critiques, presenting three critical considerations for mindfulness in education, and articulates practical recommendations for educational leaders, policy makers and stakeholders. We aim to empower educators and others to make judgements about the promotion and integration of mindfulness into educational settings, considering context‐specific factors such as developmental needs and capacities, as well as recommendations to support effective and ethical practice of mindfulness in education.

Buddhist Moral Teachings is not Virtue Ethics: A Critical Response to Damien Keown’s View

Buddhist Moral Teachings is not Virtue Ethics: A Critical Response to Damien Keown’s View

Buddhist Transformation in the Digital Age: AI (Artificial Intelligence) and Humanistic Buddhism

Humanistic Buddhism is one of the mainstreams of modern Buddhism, with special emphasis on the humanistic dimension. With the development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, Humanistic Buddhism is also at an important stage of modernization and transformation, thus facing a continuous negotiation between religious values and technological innovations. This paper first argues that AI is technically beneficial to the propagation of Buddhism by citing several cases in which AI technology has been used in Buddhism. Then, by comparing Master Hsing Yun’s Buddhist ethics to “Posthuman” ethics, it points out that the theories of Humanistic Buddhism share similarities with AI and Posthuman ethics. Among them, Master Hsing Yun’s theory of “the nature of insentient beings” provides an important theoretical reference for the question of “whether AI can become a Buddha”. From the technical and ethical dimensions, it points out that the interaction between Humanistic Buddhism and AI can promote original uses or implementations of AI technology. However, it should also be noted that compared to the cases of “Artificial Narrow Intelligence”discussed in the paper, the “Strong AI” could lead to much more ethical crises. It is also likely to cause the cult of science and technology, and thus subvert the humanistic tradition of Buddhism with a new instrumental rationality. In addition, there are some potential pitfalls that Humanistic Buddhism may encounter when using AI. Hence, while it is necessary to encourage the use of technologies such as AI in contemporary Buddhism, it is also important for Buddhism to keep a critical distance from digital technologies.

Ethical Dilemma and Compassionate Choices: Intersection of Buddhist Ethics and Euthanasia in India

Euthanasia, also known as mercy killing, involves the act of ending a person's life to alleviate unbearable pain or suffering, or to facilitate a painless death in situations where life has lost its meaning and has become unpleasant. While, Buddhism is about being kind, paying attention, and stopping suffering, so it has a different view that might affect people and communities dealing with end-of-life decisions. Focusing on compassionate choices, the study examines how Buddhist principles influence perceptions and decisions regarding end-of-life care. Investigating the conflicts between Buddhist teachings, which emphasize compassion and the easing of distress, and the evolving legal landscape of euthanasia in India. In this paper we shed light on the nuanced ethical considerations and we suggest that people should work together and think carefully to find a good balance between what Buddhism teaches and the laws about euthanasia in India. This means including kindness and being aware of others in legal discussions and making sure everyone understands each other's viewpoints. The goal of this paper is to create a fair way that respects each person's rights while dealing with the deep ethical questions connected to Buddhism.

Buddhist environmental ethics and climate change

AbstractPhilosophically, Buddhist ethics would appear to be well‐prepared for the climate change age. Buddhists receive encouragement to extend compassion and nonharm throughout a universe that is utterly interconnected across time and space. Such positive extensions result in a strength of the tradition involving some welcome positive treatment of nonhuman animals. However, looking closely in terms of practical outcomes reveals some serious limitations regarding Buddhist environmental ethics. Not all animals receive ethical value and care, for instance, and the tradition provides a historically unstable platform for vegetarianism despite some popular beliefs to the contrary. Even worse, perceived sentience is required to receive substantial Buddhist moral value, in most cases leaving plants, stones, and bodies of water without ecological respect. Since managing climate change precisely includes the moral management of plants, stones, and bodies of water, our ethics regarding these entities must be clear. Buddhist environmental ethics, though, today provide us with few tools for developing such ethics for entities considered by Buddhism to be insentient, although perhaps views are changing.

Calmer, Kinder, Wiser: A Novel Threefold Categorization for Mindfulness-Based Interventions

Mindfulness is said to be a connecting thread between an ancient philosophy on the one hand and a contemporary psychological practice on the other. However, some contemporary mindfulness practices have arguably become so disconnected from their roots in Buddhist ethics and wisdom principles that the fundamental essence of the practice is no longer recognisable. It appears that when mindfulness is disconnected from its Buddhist ethical and wisdom-based foundations, being applied as a purely concentrative practice, it can yield adverse effects (such as decreased prosocial behaviour, increased self-centredness, and reduced psychological well-being) for individuals with low-trait empathy or narcissistic traits. Consequently, we propose a novel threefold categorization that aims to build bridges between contemporary Western and traditional Buddhist approaches to mindfulness. This categorization, rooted in the traditional “three trainings” or “triśikṣā” Buddhist principle, distinguishes between the mindfulness practices incorporated within mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs), according to whether they primarily employ concentration-, ethics-, or wisdom-based contemplative techniques. We explicate how this more nuanced categorization provides a greater understanding of how varied mindfulness practices could influence outcomes associated with an individual’s prosocial behaviour, social and emotional well-being, and mental health. Additionally, we highlight the potential of greater research into MBIs that are structured around the Mindfulness of Breathing or the Ānāpānasati Sutta progression of concentration-based to ethics-based and finally to wisdom-based practices, particularly in terms of their utility to facilitate self-transcendent experiences.

Becoming Silent Mentors: Buddhist Ethics Regarding Cadaver Donations for Science in Taiwan

ABSTRACTSince 1995, thousands of people in Taiwan have pledged each year to donate their cadavers to the medical college run by the Buddhist Tzu Chi (Ciji) Foundation. The “surge of cadavers” seems intriguing in a society where ancestor worship continues to be salient. Drawing on my fieldwork in 2012–2013 and 2015, the purpose of this paper is to describe a series of practices involving the transformation of a cadaver into a Buddhist moral subject: the donor, the family, and the medical school engage in various endeavors and rituals involving “emotional practices” to honor the deceased; situate the donation as a “good death”; and fulfill the family's obligations to ancestor worship. I argue what makes the ritual transformation efficacious is the dominant currency of emotional practices. Emotional practices “authenticate” the ritual transformation. The main ethic for commemorating the cadaver donation is not generosity or dāna but equanimity.

Methodological basis for studying the ethical component of the Buddhist creed

The subject of the study is a methodological toolkit for a comprehensive study of ethical ideas contained in the creed of traditional Russian Buddhists — Kalmyks, Buryats, Tuvans, Altaians. The purpose of this study is to substantiate philosophical understanding of the ethical component of the text “Refuge”, recited by traditional Buddhists of Russia. The choice of methodological approaches, principles and methods is determined by the philosophical orientalist paradigm, when Buddhist materials are considered in their integrity, in their inextricable connection with human and culture. Important addition is taking into account ideas of Buddhologist O. O. Rosenberg, who advocated the study of the “living” tradition of Buddhism. The novelty of the study lies in substantiation that a holistic understanding of the ethical component of the Russian Buddhists' creed can be obtained by combining three approaches: philosophy of culture, philosophy of religion, and philosophical anthropology. Philosophical cultural dimension will allow focusing on categories of Buddhist ethics set out in the text “Refuge” and taking into account comments of Buddhist authors in accordance with the principle of “cognitive modesty” of intercultural philosophy. The philosophical religious approach allows to consider the ethical component of the text “Refuge” in a soteriological context and show its place in the Buddhist religious complex. Philosophical anthropology will make it possible to identify the probable subjective meaning of the ethical component of the text “Refuge” for Buddhists. Such a comprehensive philosophical analysis of Russian Buddhists' creed will lead to the discovery of the foundations of their spiritual and moral values.

Introduction to the Special Issue on Buddhist Moral Emotions

ABSTRACTThis introduction to the special issue on “Buddhist Moral Emotions” explains the need for analyzing affect and emotion for a full understanding of Buddhist ethics. The introduction surveys major works in the turn to affect and advocates for ethnographic research on Buddhism as a lived religion in order to address the role of emotion in Buddhist ethics.

Response to Focus Issue: Buddhist Moral Emotions

ABSTRACTHeim responds to the five articles by anthropologists concerned with contemporary Buddhist practices and ideologies of emotions, arguing that a history of emotions approach that attends to the centrality of emotions and their evaluations can be important for ethics. She submits that while sometimes studies of moral psychology in Buddhist ethics have focused on individuals, these articles suggest how emotions can have a very public and collective impact on social, economic, and political life. She is also interested in how these anthropological studies of contemporary Buddhist communities trouble textual accounts of Buddhist ethics on central questions of giving, karma, merit, and compassion.

Thai Conversation Learning and Teaching for Foreigners Based on Thai Culture Context in the CTLF Program at Kasetsart University: Evolution and Inno-Creative Approach

The objectives of this research article were to survey the evolution of Thai conversation learning based on Thai culture studies for foreign students in the International B.A. Program in Communicative Thai Language for Foreigners (CTLF) at Kasetsart University from the Program’s beginning up until the present day, and to explore the inno-creative approaches to be added in the digital era. The findings revealed that Thai conversation for foreigners was first offered as one of the core subjects in the International B.A. Program in the CTLF at Kasetsart University, which was founded in 2008. It has evolved and grown from the first program to the current program. Its course outlines have been revised based on content relevant to Thai culture studies. This has helped to achieve success in learning. To help Thai conversation learning become more successful in the digital era, the following 10 inno-creative approaches should be focused on, namely, 1. Digital and Innovative Learning and Teaching 2. Touch screen materials and inno-creative textbooks 3. Intellectual Networking and Joint Thai Learning and Teaching 4. Cross-cultural Communication through Inter-culture Diffusions 5. Learning and teaching based on multiculturalism 6. International Student Exchange Programs 7. Knowledge-career-life Skills 8. Continuing and Thai Language Learning and teaching Networking 9. High Technology-based Learning and teaching in the Digital Era and 10. Buddhist Moral knowledge and balanced development in the digital era. Furthermore, digital technologies and inno-creative learning such as devices and innovative textbooks as keys to success should be taken into account in order to drive Thai conversation learning.