• Buddhist tradition acknowledges that life is complex and throws up many difficulties, and it does not suggest that there is a single course of action that will be right in all circumstances. Indeed, rather than speaking of actions being right or wrong,
• Buddhism speaks of the being skilful (kusala) or unskilful (akusala). In Triratna, our faith in the Three Jewelsof Buddha, Dharma and Sangha finds everyday practical expression in our aspiration to live by ethical precepts, to the best of our ability.

Moral precepts of Buddhism:-The Five Precepts

Not killing or causing harm to other living beings:-
This is the fundamental ethical principle for Buddhism, and all the other precepts are elaborations of this. The precept implies acting non-violently wherever possible, and many Buddhists are vegetarian for this reason. The positive counterpart of this precept is love.

Not taking the not-given:-
Stealing is an obvious way in which one can harm others. One can also take advantage of people, exploit them, or manipulate them. All these can be seen as ways of taking the not given. The positive counterpart of this precept is generosity.

Avoiding sexual misconduct:–

• Over the centuries different Buddhist schools have interpreted this precept in many ways, but essentially it means not causing harm to oneself or others in the area of sexual activity.
• It includes avoiding breaking commitments in the area of sexual relations, and avoiding encouraging others to do the same. The positive counterpart of this precept is contentment.

Avoiding false speech:-

• Speech is the crucial element in our relations with others, and yet language is a slippery medium, and we often deceive ourselves or others without even realising that this is what we are doing.
• Truthfulness, the positive counterpart of this precept, is therefore essential in an ethical life. But truthfulness is not enough, and in another list of precepts (the ten precepts or the ten kusaladharmas) no fewer than four speech precepts are mentioned, the others enjoining that our speech should be kindly, helpful, and harmonious.

Abstaining from drink and drugs that cloud the mind:-
The positive counterpart of this precept is mindfulness, or awareness. Mindfulness is a fundamental quality to be developed the Buddha’s path, and experience shows that taking intoxicating drink or drugs tends to run directly counter to this.

Buddhists hold that moral way of life, which is the Middle Way (majjihima magga), is the gateway to the highest and ultimate goal of all Buddhist aspiration (nibbdna).Emphasis is sometimes laid on the need for a ‘middle way’ in keeping the precepts, avoiding the extremes of laxity and rigid adherence.

Buddhism emphasizes a future-directed morality in which one always seeks to do better in the future, taking the precepts as ideals that one is seeking to live up to in an increasingly complete way. While each precept is expressed in negative wording, as an abstention, one who keeps them increasingly comes to express positive virtues as the roots of unwholesome action are weakened.

Each precept thus has a positive counterpart:-

• The counterpart of the first is kindness and compassion
• That of the second is generosity and renunciation: in Buddhist cultures, greed is
• strongly disapproved of, and generosity much praised.
• The counterpart of the third is ‘joyous satisfaction with one’s own wife’ , contentment and fewness-of-wishes. Contentment is seen as the ‘greatest of wealths’
• The counterpart of the fourth precept is being honest, trustworthy and dependable and attaining precision of thought.
• The counterpart of the fifth precept is mindfulness and awarenes.

Closely related to keeping the precepts is the concept of ‘right livelihood’, a factor of the Eightfold Path .This refers to making one’s living in a way that does not involve one in habitually breaking the precepts by bringing harm to other beings, but that is, it is hoped, helpful to others and an aid to the development of one’s faculties and abilities.