Daily Reflection
When you reflect, if you know: ‘This action that I wish to do with the body would lead to my own affliction, or to the affliction of others, or to the affliction of both; it is an unwholesome bodily action with painful consequences, with painful results,’ then you definitely should not do such an action with the body.
But when you reflect, if you know: ‘This action that I wish to do with the body would not lead to my own affliction, or to the affliction of others, or to the affliction of both; it is a wholesome bodily action with pleasant consequences, with pleasant results,’ then you may do such an action with the body.
—(Ñānamoli and Bodhi trans. 1995, 524–25)1
Today we conclude our week’s discussion on morality.
We began by considering the ethical precepts of Confucianism, then the response made by Daoism, the critique made against Buddhism, and today we consider the larger ethical framework around Buddhist moralism.
To be frank, we could spend a year understanding an…
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