Moral Discipline

When a desire to act non-virtuously arises, a bodhisattva must exercise

moral discipline by bringing to mind a thought or feeling that prevents
him or her from acting on the non-virtuous desire.
By

Tenzin Norbu, Contributor

Author, radio host and retired professor of philosophy

09/08/2012 11:15am EDT | Updated November 7, 2012

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monk walk in grass fields and...

In my last blog, I explained the use of mindfulness as a mind-training technique. A
bodhisattva needs to be vigilant constantly in walking the path to Budddhahood --
mindful of her or his thoughts and feelings and alert to those that are non-virtuous.
Alertness is a mind-training skill that is employed in concert with mindfulness.
Alertness is awareness of the character of a mental content as either virtuous or non-
virtuous. In order to be alert, you must know what mental contents are non-virtuous
and use this knowledge to assess the contents of your mind. As you progress on the
path, you will attain greater and greater knowledge of non-virtuous states of mind,
but a good starting point is knowledge of the three root delusions and the 10 types of
non-virtuous action. The three root delusions are grasping attachment, anger and
ignorance. I state the 10 types of non-virtuous acts below, when I explain one of the
forms of moral discipline. In this blog, I will explain in detail neither the three root
delusions nor the 10 types of non-virtuous action, but I will explain them in future
blogs. In this blog, I will give a general explanation of the perfection of moral
discipline.
Moral Discipline is the perfection which aims

To renounce every Bodhisattva flaw.

It's a mental decision -- this to do, or a mind which

Blocks a verbal or bodily faux pas.

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As the above passage from Ocean of Compassion says the bodhisattva's perfection of
moral discipline is defined as the mental decision to renounce all non-virtuous
actions or employing a mental strategy that blocks a vicious act. Making the mental
decision to renounce non-virtuous actions is an intention to refrain from doing
something in the future, and, like all intentions to do something in the future, there
are times when one has the urge to ignore it. When a desire to act non-virtuously
arises, a bodhisattva must exercise moral discipline by bringing to mind a thought or
feeling that prevents him or her from acting on the non-virtuous desire. There are
many types of mental act that can block a negative urge. For example, one might
remember the negative consequences of acting on this particular urge, or bring to
mind an emotion that directly counters the emotion creating this urge or repeat a
mantra that replaces thinking about the urge with thinking about the mantra.
"Mantra" is a Sanskrit word that means "mind protection." A mantra can protect
your mind from being overcome by a negative urge because the mesmerizing effect of
the repetition of inspirational words reduces or eliminates the urge. There are many
traditional Buddhist mantras, and each of the following verses from Ocean of
Compassion could be used as a mantra:
"Our mind first puts into motion a vice
By contemplating a foolish aim.
Carefully scrutinize each step you consider:
Is it found on the path without blame?"
"Moral Discipline shields us from
Troubling agitation.
It stops the dangerous invasion
Of the foe contrition."
"Moral Discipline is indispensable;
It's prerequisite for a mind at rest.
This perfection is the foundation for
The Concentration all Buddhas have blest."
We can cultivate the intention to abandon all non-virtuous actions by meditating on
the benefits of having attained this perfection or the negative consequences of acting
non-virtuously. We cultivate the minds that block non-virtuous actions by learning
what counter-measures are most effective for us and putting to use these counter-
measures in our activities outside of meditation. For the following three reasons, it is
absolutely essential for a bodhisattva to cultivate moral discipline. First of all, as one
of the six perfections, it must be brought to full fruition in order to become a Buddha.
It is brought to full fruition only when a bodhisattva flawlessly acts as the virtue
requires every time circumstances calling for the virtue to be expressed in action
occur. Secondly, acting viciously results in negative karmic consequences that ripen
in the form of suffering. Finally, neither the perfection of concentration nor the
perfection of wisdom can be attained unless moral discipline is mastered first, and
we become Buddhas when we employ concentration to attain the perfection of
wisdom. Acting viciously causes mental agitation that blocks the ability to
concentrate on a virtuous mental object perfectly, and only a perfectly concentrated
mind can observe the mental object of the perfection of wisdom, which results in
Buddhahood.
There are three forms of moral discipline: the moral discipline of restraint, the moral
discipline of gathering virtuous dharmas, and the moral discipline of benefiting
others:
 The moral discipline of restraint vows to abandon vice,
keeps in mind the negative consequences of vicious acts, and
maintains fidelity to the vow. Specifically, this form of moral
discipline abandons the 10 non-virtuous acts of killing,
stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, speaking hurtfully,
speaking divisively, idle chatter, malice, covetousness and
believing erroneous spiritual tenets.
 The moral discipline of gathering virtuous dharmas gathers merit by
intentionally choosing to act in accordance with one of the six perfections -- joyful
effort, generosity, patience, moral discipline, concentration and wisdom -- and by
engaging in what are known as "the precious, noteworthy Dharma actions." When
"dharma" with a lower-case "d" is used, it refers to an effect of acting rather than the
spiritual teachings, which are referred to as "Dharma" with a capital "D." When
gathering virtuous dharmas, one is accumulating merit and blocking the possibility
of acting viciously. Accumulating merit helps to purify the mind of negativity and
enables one to make progress on the path. The 10 noteworthy Dharma actions are
actions of writing Dharma, reading Dharma, memorizing Dharma, reciting Dharma,
making offerings to Dharma, giving Dharma books to others, explaining the meaning
of Dharma, listening to Dharma teachings, thinking about the meaning of Dharma,
and meditating on the meaning of Dharma teachings.
 The moral discipline of benefiting others also blocks non-virtue by keeping
one busy in the activity of helping others. There are 11 main ways you can benefit
others: alleviating suffering and assisting others in their work, teaching Dharma
skills and worldly skills that support attaining a standard of living conducive to
spiritual practice, returning kindnesses, protecting others from danger and fear,
consoling those stricken with grief, giving material assistance to the poor, helping
others overcome problems they have because of their delusions of anger and
grasping attachment, tactful assistance to others by showing sensitivity to their
customs and beliefs, supporting those walking correct spiritual paths, tactfully
helping others to abandon incorrect spiritual paths and using any extraordinary
abilities you have in ways that benefit others.
The ultimate purpose of moral discipline is not to avoid vicious actions and their
negative consequences but to help us to eliminate the anger, grasping attachment
and ignorance that prevent us from becoming Buddhas. To the extent that moral
discipline helps you overcome your negative patterns of acting and thinking,
troubling and agitating thoughts will disappear and no longer disturb you in either
your daily life or while meditating. When you are always able to block acting on non-
virtuous desires, effectively gather virtuous dharmas and extensively benefit others,
you will have mastered the perfection of moral discipline and made significant
progress on the path to Buddhahood.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/moral-discipline_b_1862810

Cultivating Virtue
 MARCH 16, 2017 BY DANIEL SCHARPENBURG

  1 COMMENT

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In the Buddhist path we are trying to make sure we are examining

and understanding ourselves in all the different areas of our being.
We are training to become more mindful and aware so that we
suffer less.

We are also trying to cultivate virtue. We want to have basic

gentleness. We want to tame our minds and learn how to manage
our suffering and transcend our selfishness.

There is a list of characteristics of a Bodhisattva that we want to

develop, guidelines on how to begin our journey. These are related
to how we behave in interpersonal situations, how we make our
livelihood, and how we try to improve society as a whole.
Cultivating virtue is fundamental to the path.
Here is a list of Bodhisattva characteristics that we can cultivate.
These all connect to each other, so they may seem a little repetitive.
1.Reduced Desire: This is reducing our desire to be comfortable all
the time, cultivating an ability to accept things as they are. We want
to notice our feelings like boredom and frustration, but to avoid
attaching to them.

2.Contentment: This is also called equanimity. This is our sense of

accepting things as they are. We want to be content and appreciate
what we have. Simplicity is something we can be happy about.
3.Good Conduct: This is our willingness to work on ourselves and
try to improve. This is rooted in an awareness of the areas that we
need to work on. We should always strive to be awake and aware of
the world around us and our actions.
4.Conduct Rooted in Wisdom: This our understanding of who we
are and what we’re made of. When we acknowledge our relationship
to the world around us, it helps us behave in more virtuous ways.
Through studying and understanding the Dharma we can
understand our place in the world, our fundamental goodness, our
natural connection to everyone.
In cultivating these things we are striving to be one with the
Dharma. We are making friends with the Buddha and his teachings.
Striving to cultivate virtue is fundamental to the path of the
Bodhisattva.
https://www.patheos.com/blogs/bodhisattvaroad/2017/03/cultivating-virtue/