The Noble 8fold Path: Perfect Action
1. What makes something an ethical issue (as opposed to a matter of personal preference)?
In every moment we might be more open / creative / full of +ve emotions or more tight / reactive / full of -ve emotions, so in a way everything is an ethical issue.
2. “If you do something and it makes you feel good, then that thing is right, at least for you.” What is the problem with this view? Do you fall into this view in particular situations?
Sometimes this is true: sometimes the best thing we can do for ourselves and others is to look after ourselves and do things that make us feel happier / more relaxed etc. But if by giving in to our craving we are harming our mental states, ourselves or others, then that is a problem.
I used to spend so much of my time doing what I thought others needed from me (family / work etc) that there wasn't any room for me. It's been good in the last few years seeking out things to watch or listen to that I enjoy, & spending time in that way.
3. How can you be clear if, instead of Buddhist ethics, you’re simply falling into practising conventional or authoritarian ethics? If you do fall into these, why do you tend to do so?
If any oughts or shoulds come in, then it isn't Buddhist ethics!
4. “Morality, according to Buddhism, is as much a matter of intelligence and insight as one of good intentions and good feelings.” What might be the pitfalls of morality merely being a matter of good intentions and good feelings?
It's about meeting every situation as skillfully as possible, and sometimes good feelings aren't enough / aren't appropriate. Example: my epileptic friend at college and scarpering when I went to visit him and he was in the middle of a fit.
5.* “The moral life becomes a question of acting from what is best within us: acting from our deepest understanding and insight, our widest and most comprehensive love and compassion.” Do we find this vision of ethics inspiring? How does it differ to the form of ethics we learned when growing up?
Yes I do find it inspiring. Inevitably what one learns as a child is rules-based which can be awkward.
6. How might you practice each of the five precepts more intensively in the coming week?
Kindness & generosity: try to appreciate something that someone else has done, and tell them so, each day.
Contentment: counterbalance to craving for food.
Honesty: listen to myself, to see whether I am really being as honest as I assume
Mindfulness: keep it going throughout the week as much as possible.
Bonus question
8. S. talks about perfect action being total action, wholehearted, acting with the whole of ourselves. Can you think of an occasion where you were able to do that, at least somewhat? How did it feel?
Sometimes post retreat there is less internal fighting - it feels really good, much easier!
More bonus questions
· Think of a time when you were able to act out of kindness, generosity, contentment. It could be something very small – smiling to someone you pass in the street, say. Or it could be bigger. How did it make you feel? How did it affect the situation you were in?
· Similarly think of a time where you acted out of a negative emotion, such as anger, fear, hatred, despair, jealousy. Again it might be a tiny thing, perhaps getting annoyed at the traffic. How did it make you feel? How did it affect the situation you were in?
· Think of a time when something unexpected happened that felt difficult. Looking back now, do you think one of the precepts might have helped you come to terms with it a bit more easily? Which one?
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