The nature of Buddhist ethics

Description

In this book the author considers data from both early and later schools of Buddhism in an attempt to provide an overall characterisation of the structure of Buddhist ethics. The importance of ethics in the Buddha's teachings is widely acknowledged, but the pursuit of ethical ideals has up to now been widely held to be secondary to the attainment of knowledge. Drawing on the Aristotelian tradition of ethics Dr. Keown argues against this intellectualization of Buddhism. And in favour of a new understanding of the tradition in terms of which ethics plays an absolutely central role. In the course of this reassessment many basic concepts such as karma, nirvana, and the Eightfold Path, are reviewed and presented in a fresh light. The book will be of interest to readers with a background in either Buddhist studies or comparative religious ethics.

First Sentence

In the face of the complexity of Buddhist metaphysics it is easy to lose sight of the fact that Buddhism is a response to what is fundamentally an ethical problem - the perennial problem of the best kind of life for man to lead.

Subjects

Other Editions

• The nature of Buddhist ethicsMacmillan1992-01-01
• The nature of Buddhist ethicsPalgrave1992
• The nature of Buddhist ethicspalgrave2001-01-01
• The Nature of Buddhist EthicsPaperbackPalgrave Macmillan2001-06-02