HAVING BEEN BOTH A HOUSEHOLDER and monastic Buddhist practitioner, I’ve come to see Buddhist ethics as more than moralistic guidelines. Rather, they serve as tools to cultivate mindful awareness and uncover our deeper awakened nature. After all, the core of the Buddhist path, as I see it, isn’t about becoming a “good Buddhist” or attaining Western-style ideals of virtue. The buddhadharma is primarily concerned with comprehending (and remedying) the root causes of suffering—for ourselves and for others. By working diligently to alleviate and ultimately eliminate these causes, we pave the way for the blossoming of buddhahood, or awakening.
Buddhist ethics encompass more than what might initially meet the eye. Within Tibetan lineages, we organize them into three distinct categories. The first comprises the , or individual liberation vows. These are followed by precepts associated with Mahayana conduct, driven by bodhicitta, the aspiration to awaken for the benefit of all, or tantric precepts, exist for those practicing Vajrayana, or the tantric path of Buddhism.
