7
votes
Does hosting guests at home with meat and alcohol (because they are fond of it) amount to aiding the guests break their Sila?
"So, when I host a party at my place, it becomes obligatory of me to host them with alcohol and non-vegetarian food (bought from a restaurant). "
I don't see how it is obligatory. You could serve ...
- 4,277
7
votes
What is the Karmic Effect of Harsh Speech?
The mind & body is disturbed, with agitation & stress ('hell').
Friends may be lost or social status (such as a job) may be lost, which results in deficiency & need ('hungry ghost').
...
- 38.5k
6
votes
Does hosting guests at home with meat and alcohol (because they are fond of it) amount to aiding the guests break their Sila?
Party is made fun by people sharing their love and life experiences with each other, not by meat and alcohol.
More importantly, in this case, I think you should uphold your spirit and not bend to ...
- 57.2k
6
votes
What are the benefits of Dhamma in this very life that could be understood by a beginner?
Karma works in this life too. If you are kind to people, you create friends, then friends will take care of you. This is called karma - creating conditions for your future, in this life.
When you are ...
- 57.2k
5
votes
Accepted
Is it unethical in the Buddhist view to attend work ill?
It doesn't square well against the notion of Right Action (or Right Conduct) on the Noble Eightfold Path.
The practitioner should train oneself to be morally upright in one's activities, not acting ...
- 1,099
5
votes
What is the origin of the Five Enobling Virtues?
I found it here for free download:
The Five Precepts :
The Buddhist Golden Rule
By His Royal Highness the late Supreme
Patriarch Prince Vajirananavarorasa
I found it linked from this page: 'The 5 ...
- 479
5
votes
When was *sila* first interpreted/translated as ethics?
From the very little I know of history it was the Pali Text Society who made the earliest surviving translations into English and the earliest dictionary.
A copy of the PTS dictionary is online here --...
- 45.2k
4
votes
What are the benefits of practicing Sila?
To offer a more personal answer -- about 6 and a half years ago I decided to begin keeping the 5 lay precepts scrupulously, as an experiment. Not that I was in the habit of, say, killing, lying or ...
4
votes
Sexual misconduct, what is it
Sexual misconduct is defined in the Pali scriptures as having sex with someone else's partner or fiancee and with those living under the protection of their parents or an institution (in the case ...
- 38.5k
4
votes
Is there a Connection between Sila and Fear?
Fear is considered an unwholesome state, containing as it does aversion (patigha):
paṭighacittuppādavasena hi bhāyanaṃ
Indeed, fear [arises] due to the arising of a mind accompanied by aversion.
-- ...
- 24k
4
votes
Killing and planing to kill
Je Tsongkhapa differentiates between (1) karma that is done (2) and karma that is accumulated. Between the two, there are four possibilities.
1. Done, but not accumulated. Tsongkhapa states:
...
- 5,188
4
votes
Generosity in Buddhism - When does giving become unwholesome?
Unwholesome actions are those which are based on the three poisons: greed, anger and delusion. When giving is wholesome it is an act of renunciation and it reduces the three poisons.
Giving becomes ...
- 1,603
4
votes
Why should I give a bowl full of rice to a monk if there is no rebirth?
Buddhism is not an obligatory religion but a religion of voluntary individual participation. There is no obligation to feed monks for non-Buddhists who have not gained appreciation and thus gratitude ...
- 38.5k
4
votes
Can Buddha be insulted by disrespect?
The answer comes in the Akkosa Sutta below. Even if someone insults him or speaks to him in a hurtful manner, he doesn't accept it i.e. react to it. And so it goes back to the originator.
However in ...
- 36.4k
4
votes
Accepted
Can Buddha be insulted by disrespect?
We have giant Buddha statues in Sri Lanka too. But nobody walks on the head to clean them. There are respectful ways to do it if you are smart enough.
I have heard this ridiculous argument many times ...
- 25.7k
4
votes
Threefold division of noble eightfold path
The forerunner of the path is right view (MN117) and basically this means that you must understand something about Buddhism correctly before starting to practise.
However, the rest of the practice of ...
- 36.4k
4
votes
Does the first precept require me to check the shower for bugs and make sure to remove all of the bugs before using it?
I recently noticed that perhaps fewer than 10 bugs seem to be in my shower.
The reason many bugs show up in one place is usually due to that place having "things" that attract them, whether it's ...
- 9,691
3
votes
Is there any mention of child adoption in any Buddhist writings and what is the view on child adoption with regard to Buddhism?
I view it as adoption can be nothing but good. you are providing a child with a home, food and most importantly love. if it is done with good intention then it cant be bad.
- 31
3
votes
How to get someone to the good path who is not leading a good way of life?
The only way to influence others' behavior is through example. Your question presupposes that your friends have a desire to change. Not everyone wants to change, or wants your help in modifying their ...
- 31
3
votes
Help me with a paradox
I am familiar with the term “pārisuddhi-sīla”, but this only relates to monastic practice (restraint according to Vinaya, restraint of senses, purification of livelihood and restraint in use of the ...
- 1,368
3
votes
Is camsex a sin
The five precepts define ways that do not harm others. Forms of unconventional sex with a permissible (non-prohibited) partner do not fall under the 3rd precept. However, they may be unwholesome & ...
- 38.5k
3
votes
Generosity in Buddhism - When does giving become unwholesome?
The major definition of generosity I believe as Gawtama Buddha said was "Willing to give" ,not "try to give".
It comes from combination of not stacking mind on objects as that you own them and ...
- 29
3
votes
Accepted
Generosity in Buddhism - When does giving become unwholesome?
When does giving become unwholesome?
When donation is helpful it wouldn't be unwholesome but, Buddha teaches true sacrifice.
I really like this material object and I feel I might want it (...
- 2,164
3
votes
Generosity in Buddhism - When does giving become unwholesome?
This question presents two issues that must be decoupled and the hidden (second) question must be addressed first.
"However , I really like this material object and I feel I might want it ( ...
- 229
3
votes
Accepted
Upostha Sila in normal daily life
You might not be able to do this the traditional way.
But Sila is a promise to abstain. The promise can be to the Triple Gem of another person. Best is to make the promise to the Triple Gem.
...
3
votes
How to explain that relationship with someone worthy of respect is more than just a friendship?
This is not how it works. You don't beg for respect, you don't demand it. When you deserve respect, it happens naturally.
- 57.2k
3
votes
Accepted
Sila before samatha, samatha before vipassana according to AN 11.1-3?
As I explained in "Is samatha meditation more suited to lay people than vipassana?", the factors of "being good", "feeling good", "calming down", "understanding", and "liberation" are designed to ...
- 57.2k
3
votes
Is it proper to teach Dhamma to someone wearing a hat?
The following rules are part of the Sekhiya rules of the Patimokkha. The Patimokkha are rules for (Theravada) monks and nuns.
I will not teach Dhamma to a person wearing headgear who is not ill: ...
- 36.4k
3
votes
How does practicing restraint and performing actions of merit purify the mind?
Well, it seems obvious to me now, but it wasn't always, that our immoral impulsive behavior, both of possessive type and of repulsive type, comes from emotional hangups, so giving in to those hangups ...
- 57.2k
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