The origin of Buddhism points to one man, Siddhartha Gautama, the historical Buddha, who was born

in Lumbini (Nepal) during the 5th century BCE. Siddhartha Gautama was the warrior son of a king and
queen. According to legend, at his birth a soothsayer predicted that he might become a renouncer
(withdrawing from the temporal life). To prevent this, his father provided him with many luxuries and
pleasures. But, as a young man, he once went on a series of four chariot rides where he first saw the more
severe forms of human suffering: old age, illness, and death (a corpse), as well as an ascetic renouncer.
The contrast between his life and this human suffering made him realize that all the pleasures on earth
where in fact transitory, and could only mask human suffering.

I. Shared Foundations of Buddhist Ethics

A. Sources of Guidance to Buddhists
To be a Buddhist one needs to proclaim devotion to three things; (1) Buddha, (2) Dhamma
(Dharma) and (3) Sangha. These three are referred to as the Triratna or as the Triple Gem of
Buddhism. The 3 refuges in Buddhism are called gems not just because they are important and
valuable but, it is due to its belief that these 3 has protective powers.
There are two (2) levels from Triratna - the internal and external levels. On the internal
level of the triple gem, they are the skillful qualities developed in minds in imitating external
models wherein these 3 somehow became one to the point of greed, anger and delusion. The
Triple Gem outdoes other gems in this respect because its protective powers can be put to the test
and can lead further than those of any physical gem, all the way to absolute freedom from the
uncertainties of the realm of aging, illness, and death (Bhikkhu, 2001).

1. Buddha – The first jewel of the Triratna, the most precious. In an external level refers to
Siddhartha Gautama. On an internal level, since Buddha is believed to have been the first
man to truly understand wisdom and the way to enlightenment, this jewel also signifies the
fulfillment of enlightenment. Therefore, when a Buddhist claims to take refuge in the
Buddha, he's also saying that enlightenment, in itself, is his refuge (Whittemore, n.d).
According to Harvey (2000), the Buddha is referred to as (1) the “rediscoverer” and teacher
of liberating truths and (2) the embodiment of liberating qualities to be developed by others.
2. Dhamma – The second jewel of the Triratna, the rarest. It refers to the guide for the process
of transformation to enlightenment: the patterns of reality and cosmic law orderliness
discovered by the Buddha(s), Buddhist teachings, the Buddhist path of practice, and the goal
of Buddhism, the timeless Nirvān˙a. Buddhism thus essentially consists of understanding,
practising and realizing Dhamma (Harvey, 1990). The Dhamma is the teachings of the
Buddhas, the path to the Buddhist goal, and the various levels of realizations of this goal
(Harvey, 2000).
3. Sangha – The third jewel of the Triratna, the most holy. According to Harvey (1990), The
Sangha is the “Community” of Noble Ones: advanced practitioners who have experienced
something of this goal, being symbolized, on a more day-to-day level, by the Buddhist
monastic Sangha. The most important bearers of the Buddhist tradition have been the monks
and nuns who make up the Buddhist Sangha.
B. Doctrines of Existence

The doctrine of anatman (Sanskrit; anatta in Pali) is the core teaching of Buddhism.
According to this doctrine, there is no "self" in the sense of a permanent, integral, autonomous
 being within an individual existence. What we think of as our self, the "me" that inhabits our
body, is just an ephemeral experience. Anatman is sometimes misunderstood to mean that
nothing exists, but this is not what Buddhism teaches. It's more accurate to say that there is
existence, but that we understand it in a one-sided and delusional way. With anatta, although
there is no self or soul, there is still afterlife, rebirth, and fruition of karma. Right view and right
actions are necessary for liberation (O’Brien,2019). Recognition of these doctrines constitutes
“right understanding”.

1. Anatta, or absence of self, the doctrine that there is in humans no permanent, underlying
substance that can be called the soul. Instead, the individual is compounded of five factors
(skandha) that are constantly changing.
2. Anicca, the absence of a self, impermanence of all being, means that reality is never static but
is dynamic throughout, and this the modern scientists are realizing to be the basic nature of
the world without any exception. In his teaching of dynamic reality, the Buddha gave us the
master key to open any door we wish. The modern world is using the same master key, but
only for material achievements, and is opening door after door with amazing success (Thera,
2006).
3. Dukkha, suffering, we all suffer or fail to find satisfaction in the physical world or within our
own minds. We are constantly experiencing change and attachment to anything is futile,
which in turn leads to suffering.

Experience is analyzed into five aggregates (skandhas). The first, form (rupa), refers to
material existence; the following four, sensations (vedana), perceptions (samjna), psychic
constructs (samskara), and consciousness (vijnana), refer to psychological processes. The
central Buddhist teaching of non-self (anatman) asserts that in the five aggregates no
independently existent, immutable self, or soul, can be found.

C. Rebirth and Karma (Harvey,2000)

In Buddhism, one’s present life is seen as one of a countless number of lives stretching
back into the past, with no discernible beginning to the series. To understand rebirth to some
extent, known as samsara, or “wandering on” from life to life, it is to strive, firstly, to avoid its
more unpleasant realms, and ultimately transcend it altogether, by attaining Nirvana, and to help
others to do so.
Within the round of rebirths, worlds belong to one of three broad categories:
1. The “realm of sense-desire” comprises the worlds of hells, ghosts, animals, humans and the
six lowest heavens. In all these, beings’ likes and dislikes dominate and distort their
perception of the world.
2. The “realm of (elemental) form” comprises sixteen heavens, paralleling deep states of
meditative calm, which are progressively more subtle and refined, and where various sorts of
brahma deities live. Their perception is not as distorted by sense-desire, but they have faults
such as pride.
3. The “formless realm” consists of four extremely subtle realms which, being devoid of
anything visible, tangible etc., are purely mental.
The movement of beings between rebirths is not seen as a haphazard process, but as
ordered and governed by the law of karma. Karma (kamma) literally means “action”, and the
 principle of the “the law of karma” is that beings are reborn according to the nature and quality of
their actions. Past actions are said to “welcome” one in a future life like a person being welcomed
by kinsmen.
Actions can also lead to karmaic fruits in human life. This might be the present life, or a
future human life, be this one’s next life, or one that comes after one or more other types of
rebirth. Good and bad rebirths are not, therefore, seen as “rewards” and “punishments”, but as
simply the natural results of certain kinds of action.
Karma is often likened to a seed, and the two words for a karmaic result, vipaka and
phala, respectively mean, “ripening” and “fruit”. An action is thus like a seed which will sooner
or later, as part of a natural mutation process, result in certain fruits arising to the doer of the
action.
D. The Four Noble Truths
Buddhism contains Buddha’s basic teaching that liberates us from the truth of reality. It
was these four principles that the Buddha came to understand during his meditation under the
Bodhi tree.
1. The truth of suffering (Dukkha)
Suffering exists.Suffering comes in many forms as seen by Siddhartha Gautama as he
traveled: sickness, old age and death. Suffering is real and almost universal. Suffering has
many causes: loss, sickness, pain, failure, and the impermanence of pleasure.
2. The truth of the origin of suffering (Samudāya)
There is a cause to suffering. Suffering is due to attachment. It is the desire to have and
control things. It can take many forms: craving of sensual pleasures; the desire for fame; the
desire to avoid unpleasant sensations, like fear, anger or jealousy.
3. The truth of the cessation of suffering (Nirodha)
There is an end to suffering. Attachment can be overcome. Suffering ceases with the final
liberation of Nirvana. The mind experiences complete freedom, liberation and non-
attachment. It lets go of any desire or craving.
4. The truth of the path to the cessation of suffering (Magga)
In order to end suffering, you must follow the Eightfold Path. He taught that the Middle Way
was the way to nirvana.
E. Tranings and Practices
1. Sila: Virtue, good conduct, morality. This is based on two fundamental principles: The
principle of equality: that all living entities are equal. The principle of reciprocity: This is
the "Golden Rule" in Christianity - to do unto others as you would wish them to do unto
you. It is found in all major religions.
2. Samadhi: Concentration, meditation, mental development. Developing one's mind is the
path to wisdom which, in turn, leads to personal freedom. Mental development also
strengthens and controls our mind; this helps us maintain good conduct.
3. Prajna: Discernment, insight, wisdom, enlightenment. This is the real heart of Buddhism.
Wisdom will emerge if your mind is pure and calm.
F. The Noble Eightfold Path
Also known as The Middle Way, it is the system following eight divisions of the path set
by Buddha to achieve spiritual enlightenment and end suffering. The fundamental teachings of
Eightfold Path are as follows:
 1. The Division of Wisdom (Panna)
a. Right View or Understanding - The right view or understanding is true wisdom,
knowledge, which penetrates into the nature of reality in flashes of profound insight,
direct seeing of the world as a stream of changing, unsatisfactory, conditioned
processes.
b. Right Thought - It denotes the thoughts of selfless renunciation or detachment,
thoughts of love and thoughts of non-violence, which are extended to all beings. This
clearly shows that true wisdom is endowed with these noble qualities, and that all
thoughts of selfish desire, ill-will, hatred, and violence are the result of a lack of
wisdom in all spheres of life.
2. The Division of Ethical Conduct (Sila)
c. Right Speech - One should not speak carelessly: speech should be at the right time
and place. If one cannot say something useful, one should keep “noble silence.”
d. Right Action - An ethical foundation for life based on the principle of non-
exploitation of oneself and others. Right action is abstaining from wrong bodily
behaviour: onslaught on living beings, taking what is not given, and wrong
conduct with regard to sense to sense-pleasures. It also aims at promoting moral,
honourable, and peaceful conduct.
e. Right Livelihood - It was based on correct action the ethical principal of non-
exploitation. It generally means that one should abstain from making one’s living
through a profession that brings harm to others and should live by a profession which
is honourable.
3. The Division of Mental Discipline (Samadhi)
f. Right Effort - The right effort is to avoid the arising of unwholesome states of mind,
to overcome or undermine unwholesome states which nevertheless arise, to direct the
meditative development of wholesome states of mind and the effort to maintain and
stabilize wholesome qualities of mind.
g. Right Mindfulness- Right mindfulness is to be diligently aware, mindful, and
attentive with regard to the activities of the body, sensations or feelings, the activities
of the mind and ideas, thoughts, conceptions, and things.
h. Right Concentration - Right Concentration is when the mind is fixed on a single
object, the establishment, not just of the mind, but also of the whole being in various
levels or modes of consciousness and awareness.
II. Buddhist Values
A. Five Precepts
The core ethical code of Buddhism is known as the five precepts, and these are the
distillation of its ethical principles. The precepts are not rules or commandments, but
‘principles of training’, which are undertaken freely and need to be put into practice with
intelligence and sensitivity.
1. To refrain from taking life. It refers to the striking and killing of living beings and
the will or expression of the person in bodily action or in speech. This precept
applies to all living beings not just humans. All beings have a right to their lives and
that right should be respected.
 2. To refrain from taking that which is not freely given. It refers to stealing things or
property that belongs to someone else. This precept goes further than mere stealing.
One should avoid taking anything unless one can be sure that is intended that it is for
you.
3. To refrain from sensual misconduct. “Sensuous” means and “misconduct” means
inappropriate behavior that is blameworthy. - It refers to the will of transgression that
one person wants to engage in unlawful physical action whom one should not go into
such as women bought with money, concubines etc. This precept is often
mistranslated or misinterpreted as relating only to sexual misconduct but it covers
any overindulgence in any sensual pleasure such as gluttony as well as misconduct of
a sexual nature.
4. To refrain from unwise/unskillful speech. It refers to a word that is not real with
the intention of deceiving others through words or deeds. Saying things that are not
true are sometimes used in good purposes but to use it to deceive person it has a
consequence to pay for the bad deeds. As well as avoiding lying and deceiving, this
precept covers slander as well as speech which is not beneficial to the welfare of
others.
5. To refrain from intoxication that clouds the mind. This precept is in a special
category as it does not infer any intrinsic evil in, say, alcohol itself but indulgence in
such a substance could be the cause of breaking the other four precepts.

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