What is the Buddhist perspective of dignity and morality?

Question

I respectfully request that a teacher of Buddhism answer this.

Answer 1

I respectfully submit my answer, even though I am not a teacher, but merely a follower:

The Buddhist perspective of morality is given in a nutshell in the little Pali verse.
"Sabba papassa akaranam - kusalassa upasampada
sachitta pariyodapanam - etam buddhanu sasanam"

"To keep away from all evil, cultivate good, and purify one’s mind is the advice of all Buddhas."


In the Buddhist perspective, the bedrock of human dignity is independent of such factors as gender, ethnicity and physical or mental capacity; socially determined factors such as wealth, education and social standing are entirely irrelevant.

Rooted in this conviction in the inherent, universal dignity of life, Buddhism places central stress on human responsibility and agency. People with disabilities are not simply victims, the deserving recipients of support and protection. They are the protagonists of their own lives, who make unique and needed contributions to society. From this perspective, every human life can be seen as having the same unlimited creative potential, as well as a specific set of personal challenges or circumstances that provide the fertile ground in which we can grow.

A genuinely humane society would be one in which people mutually recognize and acknowledge each other as necessary partners, people without whom our own growth, development and happiness would be unimaginable.

Answer 2

The answers have been great, but I just want to add something. Morality is one of the 3 aspects of Buddhist practices, the others are mental cultivation and wisdom. There are different kinds of morality as well, the lowest kind of morality being a person accords to the law without understanding, just following the law blindly and the highest is when there is no more greed, hatred and delusion in the mind.

Answer 3

"Teach this triple truth to all: A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity"
- Siddhartha Gautama -

Not a teacher, just a follower. We are all followers, some are just further down the path that Buddha blazed, and we follow in their footsteps...

Answer 4

not a teacher, but not giving an answer exactly. I thought I would offer a site of dharma teachings, in audio format. You may find a teaching (talk) there that relates to your question

http://www.audiodharma.org/talks-all.html

Answer 5

SADHU 3X to 'On Holiday' for the answer on the dignity aspects of Buddhism.

I would just like to add on to the morality aspects of Buddhism.

For the most part,the Buddha's teachings are about GIVING,MORALITY and DEVELOPMENT of the mind.A person who lacks morality will have to face disadvantages in his worldly and spiritual life.His bad reputation will spread among good people.When he approaches people,he will suffer from disfavour and timidity.An immoral person will die confused and full of fear.

1.Morality has the characteristic of controlling one's physical and verbal actions and also orientating them towards right direction,it also serves as the basis or foundation of all merittoriousness.

2.Its function is to prevent one from becoming immoral through uncontrolle physical and verbal actions.It helps one to remain spotless in conduct,free from blame by the wise.

3.Morality is manifested as purity in thought,word and deed.When the wise reflect on the nature of morality,they come to realise that it is the purity of mental action.

4.The proximate cause of morality is moral shame(hiri) for doing an immoral act and moral dread(ottappa) for doing an immoral act.

A person of virtuous conduct enjoys many benefits such as a gladdening heart which leads to joy and happiness.This in turn results in delightful satisfaction,arising of calmness of mind and body followed by bliss.The tranquil state of mind and body brings about the DEVELOPMENT OF CONCENTRATION,which enables one to attain Nibbana.Besides what was mentioned above,a virtuous person will acquire great wealth,gain fame and good reputation.He/she will not have any inferiority complex and will live the full span of life and die unconfused.

Observance of morality not through desire for fame nor through desire for reaping beneficial results of one's good deeds,but through understanding that the observance of precepts is a noble practice for the pure life,and through realization that one should indeed cultivate these practises,solely for the nobleness is known as SUPERIOR MORALITY unassociated with any form of greed. This is the type of morality we should seek to observe.

SADHU! SADHU! SADHU!

Answer 6

When the Buddha announced his impending exit from the sphere of mortality, his dear disciple Ananda burst into tears. “Lord, you have been the polestar of our spiritual path so far. Whom should we contact for guidance and higher instructions when you will not be there in the land of the living?” he asked.

The Buddha replied: Atmadeepo bhava - Be light unto yourself.

Your wavering, questioning self must be silenced at the still point of concentrated consciousness. Amidst the darkness of worldly delusion only the emanation of radiance from within - like the full moon - can bring enlightenment. Guru Purnima symbolises emanation of inner illumination, the awakening of the sleeping Buddha within.

In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna advised his dear disciple Arjuna: “Lift yourself up with the help of your self ”. You are your best friend, philosopher and guide, at the same time you can be your worst enemy as well. Arjuna was never advised to seek refuge in a guru. Rather, he was advised to rise above all religious rituals and seek refuge in Him, the embodiment of eternal Being, the pure Consciousness, and real Self behind the apparent ripples of delusion.

The concept of seeking the light within is perfectly in tune with scientific spirituality. Whenever we sincerely seek intuitive guidance from within we create a magnetic pool to attract the requisite energy vibrations of infinite potentiality hidden within us. Each soul is potentially divine and we need to awaken this divinity through concentrated efforts and continuous aspiration. This is spirituality. No one else can make us gain the same; we need to source it from inside.

In the Mahabharata, when Dronacharya refused to accept Eklavya as his disciple, the boy made an image of Dronacharya and started practising archery in front of the image. Consequently, he mastered the art of archery as good as Arjuna who was the best direct disciple of Dronacharya, through assiduous practice and intuitive skills. The secret lies in intense aspiration leading to requisite release of the potential hidden within through the psychology of faith in a guru despite the physical absence of the guru in the learning process.

Aurobindo had an experience in cosmic consciousness due to his intense aspiration and soul searching. He never had a guru. Although he received instructions on yoga from Bhaskar Lele, he never accepted him as his guru and his teachings did not lead him to self-realisation.

A true guru can be instrumental in transformation of our ego into divine self and release of divine consciousness through the mechanism of faith. But the dogmatic claim of the essentiality of a guru in the spiritual path falls apart on closer scrutiny. The life of the Buddha, Christ, Ramakrishna, Aurobindo, Ramana Maharshi and others bear ample testimony to the fact. Guru Purnima, therefore, is an occasion for awakening of our inner illumination in full beam for manifestation of the divinity already within us

Answer 7

is this for homework?