乾县铁佛寺移动版

ANSWER: Any thoughts, speech or actions that are rooted in greed, hatred and delusion and thus lead us away from Nirvana are bad and any thoughts, speech or actions that are rooted in giving, love and wisdom and thus help clear the way to Nirvana are good. To know what is right and wrong in god-centered religions, all that is needed is to do as you are told. In a human-centered religion like Buddhism, to know what is right and wrong, you have to develop a deep self-awareness and self- understanding. Ethics based on understanding are always stronger than those that are a response to a command. So to know what is right and wrong, the Buddhist looks at three things: the intention (cetana) behind the act, the effect the act will have upon oneself and the effect it will have upon others. If the intention is good (rooted in generosity, love and wisdom), if it helps myself (helps me to be more giving, more loving and wiser) and help others (helps them to be more giving, more loving and wiser), then my deeds and actions are wholesome, good and moral.

Of course, there  are  many  variations  of  this.  Sometimes,  I  act  with  the  best  of intentions but it may not benefit either myself or others. Sometimes my intentions are far from good, but my action helps others nonetheless. Sometimes I act out of good intentions and my acts help me but perhaps cause some distress to others. In such cases, my actions are what the Buddha called ‘mixed’ (vitimissa) - a mixture of good and not-so-good. When intentions are bad and the action helps neither myself nor others, such an action is bad. And when my intention is good and my action benefits both myself and others, then the deed is wholly good.

QUESTION: So does Buddhism have a code of morality?

ANSWER: Yes, it does. The Five Precepts are the basis of Buddhist morality. The First  Precept  is  to  avoid  killing  or  harming  living  beings,  the  second  is  to  avoid stealing, the third is to avoid sexual misconduct, the fourth is to avoid lying, and the fifth is to avoid alcohol and other intoxicating drugs.

QUESTION: But surely it is good to kill sometimes, to kill disease-spreading insects or someone who is going to kill you?

ANSWER: It might be good for you but what about the insect or the person who is killed? They wish to live just as you do. When you decide to kill a disease-spreading insect, your intention is perhaps a mixture of self-concern (good) and revulsion (bad). The act will benefit yourself (good) but obviously it will not benefit that  being (bad). So at times it may be necessary to kill but it is never wholly skillful.

QUESTION: You Buddhists are too concerned about ants and bugs.

ANSWER: Buddhists try to develop a compassion that is undiscriminating and all- embracing.  We see the world as a unified whole where each thing and creature has its place and function.  We believe that before we destroy or upset nature's delicate

balance, we should be very careful. Where emphasis has been on exploiting nature to  the  full,  squeezing  every   last  drop  out  of  it  without   putting  anything   back, conquering and subduing it, nature has revolted. The air is becoming poisoned, the rivers polluted and dead, so many animals and plants are heading for extinction, the slopes of the mountains are barren and eroded. Even the climate is changing.  If people were a little less anxious to crush, destroy and kill, this terrible situation might not have arisen. We should strive to develop a little more respect for all life. And this is what the First Precept is about.

QUESTION: What does Buddhism say about abortion?

ANSWER: (责任编辑：admin)