The 10 ethical commitments, according to the Buddhist tradition

Although Buddhists have a very different approach from Westerners, the contrast is less visible in terms of ethical commitments.. In fact, many non-Western cultures have similar precepts. It would seem that there is a tacit agreement in most societies about moral behaviors.

Ethical commitments are those guidelines for conduct desirable for all members of a society. According to Freud, they also tell us about the convenience of repressing some desires that assail all human beings. What no one wants to do is not prohibited.

In Buddhism, unlike what happens in other doctrines, The issue of ethical commitments is above all a matter of intelligence. It is considered clumsy not to comply with these behavioral guidelines, because they ultimately lead to harming ourselves. Let’s see what those precepts are.

1. Don’t take any lives

When Buddhists talk about not taking any life, They actually refer to all forms of life. . They include man and all species. For this reason, the vast majority of Buddhists are vegetarians and even insist on taking only non-essential parts of plants. It has to do with absolute respect for life, but also with a discipline that strengthens the spirit.

2. Do not take what does not belong to you

This is one of the ethical commitments that promotes spiritual evolution in the opinion of Buddhists. The command not to steal does not simply seek to protect other people’s property. What is sought with this is rather to call for detachment and generosity.. Taking from others what is theirs goes against both principles.

3. Do not engage in harmful sexual behavior

Buddhists understand harmful sexual behaviors as those that cause destruction or suffering. in oneself, in others or in both.

There is no specific catalog of what those behaviors are. What is called for is to approach the sexual field as a space for growth and evolution and not as a practice that limits, degrades or enslaves.

4. Refrain from lying

Buddhists give a lot of importance to the word. That is why they also place great value on silence. Words should not be used indiscriminately, but saved for what is important.

The lie distances oneself from reality and can cause harm because it separates oneself or others from the truth. Truth is the goal of everyone who has embarked on a path of spiritual growth.

5. Refrain from speaking rudely

Rudeness or unkindness in speech is a way of violating others. Sincerity does not imply crudeness or brutality.

If there is anger in what we say, what we say loses its value. What prevails there is not the intention to communicate something, but the desire to hurt or destroy the other. Violence because it is verbal is still violence.

6. Don’t talk about banalities

Buddhists think that communication should be useful. If not, silence is preferable.. Talking to yourself is a sign of lack of attention, anxiety or nervousness.

It is much more difficult to achieve balance and inner peace when the true value it has is not given to the word. Banal words only sap energy and cloud communication with others.

7. Do not defame, one of the ethical commitments of Buddhism

Non-defamation is one of the most important ethical commitments of Buddhism. There is defamation in rumors, in referring disparagingly to others when they are not present or in feeding information that harms that person. The goal of communication is to achieve understanding and harmony, rather than breaking them.

8. Abandon greed

Greed is one of the great enemies of spiritual progress. Wanting more and more is contrary to the Buddhist principle of detachment. AND If detachment is promoted it is precisely because this dependence on something external only leads to suffering..

The more you want, the more you suffer. Therefore, those who have a lot also accumulate reasons to suffer, because nothing lasts forever and everything stops being ours at some point.

9. Throw away hate

Another of the great pillars of Buddhism is compassion, which they see as the most evolved form of love.. At the opposite extreme is hatred, which is total denial and total incomprehension of the other.

For Buddhists, Hate not only makes us blind, but also involves a great expenditure of energy. That is why it decompensates us and closes the paths towards serenity and balance.

10. Purify the mind

This is one of the fundamental ethical commitments of Buddhism. In fact, it is the goal toward which those who practice this doctrine aim.

Purifying the mind means transforming ignorance into wisdom. It involves a constant effort to banish all those factors that cloud the intellect and the heart and prevent us from finding the truth. To be wise is to be pure. And to be pure is to see.

As seen, ethical commitments in Buddhism fundamentally seek to promote the growth of each human being.. It is not a restrictive catalog in the strict sense, since it is not aimed at punishing behaviors but rather at showing how inconvenient they can be. The objective is not to maintain the social order as such, but to show a path to achieve harmony and with it happiness.

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