July 24, 2012   30 notes

“

Consider a situation: you know what the right thing to do is, but it’s going to cost you something. It may cost you some money, it may cost you some embarrassment or some pride. Maybe it costs you a friendship. Maybe it even costs you a job. But you know what the right thing is and you do it. How long do you think about it afterwards?

When I ask people this question, most people look at me, somewhat puzzled, and say, “Well, you don’t think about it afterwards. You know it’s the right thing. That’s it. You don’t think about it much.” And I think that’s true. But what if you know what the right thing to do is in a situation, and you don’t do it? Then people say, “Well, yes, you really think about it afterwards. You regret it, sometimes the rest of your life.”

This, I think, is the basis for Buddhist ethics. It’s not about being good. It’s not about obeying some divine law, or some set of rules that has been handed to us. It’s about acting in the world…in a way which causes no regret or disturbance in ourselves, so that mind and heart are quiet and at peace. No one compels you to act this way. You do so out of your own volition, because it’s how you want to be in the world.

”

Ken McLeod, Buddhist teacher and writer

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