Buddhist Ethics finals revision

- Busshadasa wanted to die without seeking medical help. - Elaborate on this. - Using Buddhist language, autonomy is not a moral trump card because individuals right to choose life or death, you are under the influence of once karmic influence. - Obligation to choose what is right, something which is objective, following Dharma. Choosing what is right over the right to choose is the Buddhist way to do it.

"For Buddhism, autonomy is not a moral trump card, and it seems that more important than the right to choose is the obligation to choose what is right." 401 (Please refer to Keown's Suicide, Assisted Suicide, and Euthanasia)

- Suicide and homicide are not the same unlike how Keown says it, Keown says they are the same because they have death - Kovan says to by for the self for suicide and the opposite for homicide.

"an analysis of suicide undoes Keown's argument by its own terms: suicide is done to/by/for the self, not to/by/for someone else...." 800 (please refer to Kovan's Buddhist Self-Immolation and Mahayanist Absolutist Altruism)

- No necessarily Buddhist, something which is taking into consideration by people who must deal with the case of euthanasia. - 1) Autonomy - individuals right to choose, this is my life, this is my body and I get to choose. - 2) Compassion - taking care, patients and people who get involved. - 3) Patients quality of life, overall well-being, how does that person view it, what is that quality of life from the perspective of the individual.

3 grounds on which euthanasia is commonly thought justifiabl

- The case of the buddhadasa and the possible solution - Very famous thai meditation master, living well. - He should die naturally without depending on medical machines - One of his disciples took him to the hospital - Other monastic disciples disagreed and wanted to respect his wish to die naturally - They took him back to the temple - Compromise, goes back to the temple but still with medical things, - Solution to euthanasia is hospice care, allow the people to die as naturally as they can.

Buddhadasa's case and hospice care solution at the end of one's life as per Ratanakul's account (please refer to To Save or Let Go: Thai Buddhist Perspectives on Euthanasia)

- How these words could be described as a Buddhist secular ethics. - Or what are some of the Buddhist ideals which are found these 2 works (interdependence & passion & prevalence of suffering & identifying the cause of suffering, right likelihood, compassion, practice of generosity, etc..) - Both do not make reference to Buddhist cosmology, use the language and present it so that it can be used in a more practical manner. All of these things in the context of here and now and not the life after.

Buddhist ideas in the Dalai Lama's and Thich Nhat Hanh's works on secular Buddhism

- Example from Buddhist society, texts which illucidate these to things. - A) Think about villagers supporting the monastics, meritorious - B) All the jataka stories to a degree. Rulers share their wealth with their subjects.

Buddhist view on economic equality as per Harvey's:

- In Buddhist theory gender is not fixed because of rebirth and no self. In theory (multiple choice)

Gender identity due to the concept of rebirth, no-self, and emptiness of inherent entity

- Identify like 2 or 3 of these 4 and then describe what they are. - E.g self emolation, ontological property which is the body itself. Disregarding your own needs (symbolic property). - Mahayanic goal of Buddhahood or boddhicitta - They do that act for the people who are suffering in their point of view.

Kovan argues that in the cases of Tibetan self-immolation, there exist: 1) the cherished body, the real ontological property of the act; 2) the symbolic property of the act that stands for an unconditional commitment that transcends the needs and desires of an egoic self; 3) the religious property of the act, Mahayanic goal of buddhahood or bodhicitta; and 4) the political property of the act for the suffering Tibetans

- Focus on how in Tibetan Buddhism, female practioners do not have access to full ordination but they have access to monastic education, which was not available to these nuns until recently.

Ordination lineage and monastic education in Tibetan Buddhism

- 1) No, regarding Buddhist view on war, classical texts generally do not make any explicit endorsement towards war, norm of not killing correlates to its view on the action against war. No classical texts make any explicit remarks. - 2) In actual life and society there is the disparity between theory and the practice. In life, there is the violation of the norm. Kill people at war but don't eat meat. When this happens, one must seek a tool to repent these negative deeds, compartmentalization of virtues. - 3) Universal ruler, a righteous Buddhist universal ruler, their duty could subdue other forces without using any violence. But still they can be controlled - 4) 5th Dalai lama's case and the case in Sri Lanka, Justify the war by saying, if there is a case against Buddhism, war can be justified. - Explain all 4 concepts

The issue of war in Buddhism as it relates to the four aspects 1) how explicit the classical Buddhist sources are regarding the applicability of the norm of not killing to war; 2) violations of the norm in actual life and methods of atoning or compensating for such violations; 3) attempts to harmonize politics and Buddhist ethics; and 4) explicit attempts to relativize the norm.

- Discuss Theravadan and Mahayana point of view of the enlightenment states and the gender inequality - Theravadan, both man and woman can achieve arahatship - Mahayana both genders can become arahat - Theravadan only man can become Bodhisattva - Mahayana both genders can become Bodhisattva - Theravadan - only male can become buddha - Mahayana - only Male can become buddha

Traditional Buddhist views on gender inequality in terms of accomplishing religious states such as an arhat, a bodhisattva, and a Buddha

- Negativity of greed and selfishness - Use to protect your family - Give it to the guests - Give it to dead ancestors, offerings - Give it to the worthy ones, monastic/ religious practitioners

What are a few appropriate wats to use one's wealth as per Harvey.

Christopher argues - First issue, Greed and selfish thought, Buddhism has ideals which critique greed and selfishness, is a tool for constructing environmental ethics. - Positive dimension of nature, Dalai Lama talks about. Non - attachment, compassion, ethical constraint, virtues. reconstructing environmental ethics. - Idea of the middle way between androcentric and biocentrism, sentient beings all have the capability to walk along the path of enlightenment, all beings should be given even respect.

What are some important resources for constructing an environmental ethics from buddhist perspective.

- Which of these 5 is something that the Buddhist in principle might agree with. - Might ask like, for Buddhists being a pacifist is ....... (multiple choice or fill in the blank) - Basically, agreed to the 3rd one, being a pacifist is being opposed to all violence. - Violence does not have to be just physical, can be verbal and even mental. 3 doors of negativity.

What are the 5 possible avenues of buddhism to explore the question of what it means to be a pacifist (opposed to war); Opposed to all violence, use of force by private citizens but not by state, opposed to any state of physical force.

The first is the doctrine of vitalism, which holds that life is an absolute value to be preserved at all costs. At the other extreme is the quality of life view, or the belief that life has no intrinsic value and can be disposed of when its quality drops below an acceptable level." - 1) life is so good it must be protected no matter what - 2) life doesn't have to be protected to a degree - Buddhist attitude is somewhat in the middle; life is precious but you don't have to

What are the two opposing positions on life and the Buddhist attitude to life?

- War can be justified when it is to protect Buddhism as a whole and justify that the person who fought for him and fought for Buddhism is an embodiment of a bodhisattva, the person who took part in it, is a highly advanced Buddhist practitioner, Gushri Khan.

What is the 5th Dalai Lama's view on war according to Maher?

- In general, passive euthanasia (not giving a person medicine or food etc.), taking omission, or withdrawal of things. - Acting euthanasia, hastening of death is done by a deliberate act e.g. lethal injection - Act of suicide is not condoned in Buddhism, whereas there are cases of passive euthanasia. - If you are a good highly realized Buddhist practitioner then passive euthanasia is considered, otherwise it is not for ordinary people. It is okay for the focus of religious sustenance.

What is the Buddhist attitude towards suicide and euthanasia (active and passive)?

- Don't eat meat - If something is already dead it is okay for the monks to eat. - Theravada, monks do eat meat, provided the animals are not specifically killed for that purpose - Mahayana, monks abstain from eating meat.

What is the buddhist attitude to eating meat?

To prevent people from cutting down trees, monks perform a ceremony making the tree sacred by putting a saffron colored robe around the tree. Also asking the lay participants to pledge not to cut down the trees. "to protect the forest is to protect life". creative buddhist act to address modern issues where buddhism is becoming somewhat irrelevant.

What is tree ordination in Thailand and what is its purpose?

- 3 factors which are required to the conception to occur, - 1) Entering of the consciousness which belongs to the dead person to the uterus (Buddhist point of view) - 2) Fertility - 3) intercourse

a traditional Buddhist view on when conception occurs, Buddhist attitude to abortion, consequence of abortion according to texts, and the Mizuko kuyo in Japan (please refer to Keown's Buddhist Ethics, ch. 6)

- Abortion if though it is not justified - But it could be justified as a necessary evil - Justified on the first 3 in 16. - Other 3 cannot be used as a justification for a necessary abortion.

various reasons used for abortion throughout the world: 1. a threat to the mother's physical health; 2. a threat to the mother's mental health; 3. problems with the foetus's health; 4. socio-economic factors; 5. a woman's 'right to choose; 6. the needs of society - a Buddhist response to them? (please refer to Harvey's An Introduction to Buddhist Ethics, ch.8)