Written for the AQA syllabus by Upeksacitta (Robert Ellis), member of the Western Buddhist Order and a former Head of RS.
Right Action
Three of the limbs of the Noble Eightfold Path are concerned with Morality: Action, Speech and Livelihood - below shows how they relate to the Five Lay Moral Precepts and the Ten Root Precepts, (with the positive counterparts in brackets). Right Action traditionally focuses on actions of the body rather than of speech or of the mind, but is concerned with what we do generally rather than just in our work (which is the specific concern of Right Livelihood.)
Right Action/ Right Livelihood
- Abstaining from harming/killing living beings (loving-kindness)[1st of 5 precepts; 1st of 10 precepts]
- Abstaining from taking the not-given (generosity) [2nd of 5; 2nd of 10]
- Abstaining from sexual misconduct (stillness, simplicity & contentment) [3rd of 5; 3rd of 10]
Right Speech
- Abstaining from false speech (truthful speech)[4th of 5; 4th of 10]
- Abstaining from harsh speech (kindly speech) [5th of 10]
- Abstaining from useless speech (helpful speech) [6th of 10]
- Abstaining from slanderous speech (harmonious speech) [7th of 10]
Right Mindfulness/ Right Concentration/ Right Effort
- Abstaining from intoxicants (mindfulness) [5th of 5 precepts]
- Abstaining from covetousness (tranquillity) [8th of 10]
- Abstaining from animosity (compassion) [9th of 10]
- Abstaining from false views (wisdom) [10th of 10]
The Ten Root Precepts can be found in...........scriptural ref from 10 pillars
How to judge right and wrong action
The basis of judgement for right action in Buddhism is that of mental state. A wrong action is rooted in a mental state dominated by greed, hatred and ignorance, a right action in enlightened wisdom which has overcome these three tendencies. However, as we can’t overcome all traces of greed, hatred and ignorance all at once, we have to work gradually towards this goal. A good place to start is with our physical actions, because these have a strong effect on our whole situation in life. So the three lay precepts concerned with Right Action, forbidding violence, taking the not-given and sexual misconduct, recommend avoiding some types of behaviour which are generally deeply rooted in greed, hatred and ignorance, and which make that state worse.
Sangharakshita, founder of the FWBO, illustrates the way following a moral precept can help overcome greed like this:
We say that an enlightened person, one who is a Buddha, is free from (let us say) craving or selfish desire. We ourselves are full of craving. We crave, for example, food of various kinds; we have a special liking for this or that. Suppose, as an experiment, we stop eating one of our favourite foodstuffs, whatever it may be. We give it up. We decide not to take it any more. Very regretfully, very sorrowfully, we close the larder door. We resist the temptation, whatever it may be – say plum cake. (I once knew a Buddhist monk who was wonderfully addicted to plum cake. It was said you could get anything out of him if you offered him sufficient plum cake!). What happens is that we may suffer for a while, and may not have an easy time at all. In fact, it may be quite hard going. But if we stick it out, if we banish those visions of plum cake, craving is gradually reduced and eventually we shall reach a happy state where there is no craving at all, and where we never even think of that particular thing. Our abstention from plum-cake is now no longer a disciplinary measure, but has become a genuine expression of the state of non-craving to which we have attained.
Sangharakshita Vision and Transformation p.84, Windhorse
Work out your own example of how following a precept to stop violent behaviour could influence habitual attitudes and mental states.