A code of conduct is a constructed lifestyle. If we are to make a constructed code of conduct, we should look at the success & failure of other constructed social artifacts.
Constructed languages
- None are anywhere near as successful as a natural language
- Criticized for lacking a 'culture' to go along with them, which makes the semantic part of a constructed language clunky
Constructed (planned) cities, communities
- The more detailed the plan the worse they work
- Utopias tend not to hold up
- The most successful types of planning tend to just formalize what was going to happen without planning (for example, in both places with and without zoning, you tend
Monday, October 27, 2003
Friday, October 24, 2003
Original Sources
One shorter version of the monastic code
A longer version of the monastic code
Some things I like (and probably have wide appeal)
It establishes a method for discussing rules. Violations must meet certain conditions of : Intention, Effort, Object, Result, Non-offenses.
It covers the issues to be addressed. (What to wear, what to eat, what is suitable ettiquitte)
Parts mirror the eight-fold path
Some things I don't like (and sometimes leave me scratching my head)
- Rules that apply to absurdly rare situations
Traveling by arrangement with a group of thieves from one village to another -- knowing that they are thieves -- is a pacittiya offense. - Rules that are just anti-woman
- Rules that are specific to a particular geographic time or place
eat bean curry only in proper proportion to the rice. - Pedantic rules (nit-picking)
refrain from sitting with his arms around his knees. - Rules that are obsolete (technology has changed)
Making a felt blanket/rug entirely of black wool for one's own use -- or having it made -- is a nissaggiya pacittiya offense.(who makes their own rugs nowadays or even orders custom made ones?) - Rules that make a lot of assumptions about the organization (is it a hermit monk, a self supporting monestary, a travelling band of beggars, a couple of monks running a temple, a commercial enterprise run by monks, like the FWBO)
- Rules that are just plain bizzare in a modern context
e.g.Digging soil or commanding that it be dug is a pacittiya offense
Rules shouldn't just be an expression of, or idealization of some perfectionist ideal.
Sunday, October 12, 2003
Buddhism is a good set of ideas-- however, it is a monastic philosophy and a monastic code, developed not long after the dawn of agriculture and civilization. Since then a few things have changed. For example, the scientific revolution makes it really hard to have put much confidence into the Buddhist cosmological picture. (The Buddhist cosmology holds that we reincarnate and move to-and-fro among the worlds of Gods, Demi-gods, animals, men and hungry ghosts, on account account of the moral quality of the karma we create in our life.) The monostic ideals of being a forest monk and begging for food don't really play very well in countries where such a lifestyle is prohibited by local ordinance. A system based on guru veneration doesn't work very well when there nearest guru is 300 miles away. Devotional Buddhism doesn't have much appeal when Christianity is already established and offers much the same philosophy.
So here are some proposals for the same kind of 'rule based' religion you sometimes find in Theravada Buddhism, but borrows liberally from the ideas of other schools of Buddhism. I think that the Buddhist tent is big enough for everyone, after all some people really like the idea of being a cafeteria Buddhist, which is OK, but they just shouldn't label themselves as traditional buddhist out of respect for those who are trying to follow the classical systems of buddhism. What I'm proposing here definately falls into the category of Buddhist that doesn't follow the classical systems, so don't get irritated because I don't exactly match up with any particular classical school of Buddhism.
Buddhist Creed & Cosmology: (roughly corresponds to 4 noble truths)
1) The world began with a big bang, this may change as physicists discover more. The world will end on earth in billions of years when the oceans boil away and the earth is engulfed by the sun.
2) Life began in the primordial soup and we have evolved from simpler life forms, this may change as biologist discover more
3) There is no evidence of any connection between our life and the life of future living things except for genetics and culture, passed down generation to generation. It is our responsibility as the sole lifeform capable of understanding buddhism to implement it. Celebacy is not an practical universal ideal and promotes extinctionalism. The problems of life can not be solved by ending our own or by preventing life from starting by not having kids. The chain of suffering that brought us to this point is monumental, it would be disrepectful and futile to try to end it by bening celibate.
4) There is no evidence that gods, demi-gods, or hungry ghosts exists, and if they did they would be subject to the same essential problems of existence (change, death, disease, etc) and their existence or lack of it wouldn't change our essential problems of existence
5) The essential problems of existence is that: The world goes on and on with significant cyclical patterns, desire keeps the wheels of the world turning, but the cycle inevitably leads to death, disease, decline. The solution to this essential problem is to follow the buddhist lifestyle, once of moderation, modesty, restrain, compassion. The ultimate goal of such a lifestyle is enlightenment. Enlightenment is an overloaded word and means the unachievable ideal of the extinction of desire and release from the cycle of death, disease and so on and it also means the happiness & contentment gained by following the buddhist lifestyle.
Lay Code of Conduct: (corresponds to 5 precepts, 8 fold path)
1) No drugs, foods or drinks that cloud the mind.
2) No escapism
3) No meanness and cruelty
4) Be socially engaged
5) Be polite
6) Respect the rule of natural law (no lying, stealing, cheating)
7) Do meditate
8) Don't check your ethical, moral and religious principle at the door when going to work
9) Its okay to have kids & get married.
10) Try to reconnect with the Buddhist community once a week
11) Live modestly- Desire and attachment to our loot is one of the roots of misery & unhappiness. It is the desire that is causing the problems. A lay Buddhist should work & earn money & spend it-- they are just reacting to the social & economic situation they find themselves in. What matters for a lay Buddhist is how much they want and how attached to the loot they own, not if they own loot at all. A religion should not ask its members to do things that make no economic sense.
12) Know somthing about Buddhist philosophy. Learn about no-self, transcience and other buddhist concepts and incorporate them into your world view.
13) Avoid delusion, greed and hate. Seek wisdom, charity and compassion.
A good monastic code of conduct is a superset of the lay code of conduct. It should essentially cover what an enthusiastic Buddhist should do, outside of the context of a institutional monestary. Frankly, I have no idea what a real live indigenous North American monestary would look like, probably something like the FWBO. The rules of running such an organization are going to depend a lot on practical matters of experience, the expectation and desires of the sort of people that would want to be so enthusiastic about Buddhism as to live
Monastic Code of Conduct: (corresponds to the 250 or so rules monks & nuns follow)
1) Live very modestly. Not having loot doesn't mean you don't want it, but its harder to convince yourself and other that your big pile of loot is an accident and not a result of out of control desire.
2) Teach, study, exapand on the dharma. The sangha are the professionals of the Buddhist community and should take their qualification no less seriously than professionals in other braches of society. Admitedly, not everyone has the background required for being a scholar, so this rule should be followed to the best of one's ability.
3) Avoid cruelty to all living things. A monastic should be less willing to resort to excuses. Stepping on bugs, setting mouse traps, running over animals with cars, hunting, fishing, using pesticides are one set of issues at one level of controversy. Murder, self defense and war is anther bundle of controversy. Abortion, assisted sucide, suicide is another set of death related controversies. Leather and diet is yet another and is even more controversial. The Buddhist community should expect the lay follower to answer these decisions according to what is possible in his social context. The professional monastic should make the hard decisions in favor of life and we would expect the more advanced buddhist to be able to prefer decisions that involve less death.
4) Meditate a lot.
5) The sangha is open to all
6) Its okay to have kids & get married
7) Don't make claims about you'r enlightenment
8) Promote the enlightenment of all living things
So here are some proposals for the same kind of 'rule based' religion you sometimes find in Theravada Buddhism, but borrows liberally from the ideas of other schools of Buddhism. I think that the Buddhist tent is big enough for everyone, after all some people really like the idea of being a cafeteria Buddhist, which is OK, but they just shouldn't label themselves as traditional buddhist out of respect for those who are trying to follow the classical systems of buddhism. What I'm proposing here definately falls into the category of Buddhist that doesn't follow the classical systems, so don't get irritated because I don't exactly match up with any particular classical school of Buddhism.
Buddhist Creed & Cosmology: (roughly corresponds to 4 noble truths)
1) The world began with a big bang, this may change as physicists discover more. The world will end on earth in billions of years when the oceans boil away and the earth is engulfed by the sun.
2) Life began in the primordial soup and we have evolved from simpler life forms, this may change as biologist discover more
3) There is no evidence of any connection between our life and the life of future living things except for genetics and culture, passed down generation to generation. It is our responsibility as the sole lifeform capable of understanding buddhism to implement it. Celebacy is not an practical universal ideal and promotes extinctionalism. The problems of life can not be solved by ending our own or by preventing life from starting by not having kids. The chain of suffering that brought us to this point is monumental, it would be disrepectful and futile to try to end it by bening celibate.
4) There is no evidence that gods, demi-gods, or hungry ghosts exists, and if they did they would be subject to the same essential problems of existence (change, death, disease, etc) and their existence or lack of it wouldn't change our essential problems of existence
5) The essential problems of existence is that: The world goes on and on with significant cyclical patterns, desire keeps the wheels of the world turning, but the cycle inevitably leads to death, disease, decline. The solution to this essential problem is to follow the buddhist lifestyle, once of moderation, modesty, restrain, compassion. The ultimate goal of such a lifestyle is enlightenment. Enlightenment is an overloaded word and means the unachievable ideal of the extinction of desire and release from the cycle of death, disease and so on and it also means the happiness & contentment gained by following the buddhist lifestyle.
Lay Code of Conduct: (corresponds to 5 precepts, 8 fold path)
1) No drugs, foods or drinks that cloud the mind.
2) No escapism
3) No meanness and cruelty
4) Be socially engaged
5) Be polite
6) Respect the rule of natural law (no lying, stealing, cheating)
7) Do meditate
8) Don't check your ethical, moral and religious principle at the door when going to work
9) Its okay to have kids & get married.
10) Try to reconnect with the Buddhist community once a week
11) Live modestly- Desire and attachment to our loot is one of the roots of misery & unhappiness. It is the desire that is causing the problems. A lay Buddhist should work & earn money & spend it-- they are just reacting to the social & economic situation they find themselves in. What matters for a lay Buddhist is how much they want and how attached to the loot they own, not if they own loot at all. A religion should not ask its members to do things that make no economic sense.
12) Know somthing about Buddhist philosophy. Learn about no-self, transcience and other buddhist concepts and incorporate them into your world view.
13) Avoid delusion, greed and hate. Seek wisdom, charity and compassion.
A good monastic code of conduct is a superset of the lay code of conduct. It should essentially cover what an enthusiastic Buddhist should do, outside of the context of a institutional monestary. Frankly, I have no idea what a real live indigenous North American monestary would look like, probably something like the FWBO. The rules of running such an organization are going to depend a lot on practical matters of experience, the expectation and desires of the sort of people that would want to be so enthusiastic about Buddhism as to live
Monastic Code of Conduct: (corresponds to the 250 or so rules monks & nuns follow)
1) Live very modestly. Not having loot doesn't mean you don't want it, but its harder to convince yourself and other that your big pile of loot is an accident and not a result of out of control desire.
2) Teach, study, exapand on the dharma. The sangha are the professionals of the Buddhist community and should take their qualification no less seriously than professionals in other braches of society. Admitedly, not everyone has the background required for being a scholar, so this rule should be followed to the best of one's ability.
3) Avoid cruelty to all living things. A monastic should be less willing to resort to excuses. Stepping on bugs, setting mouse traps, running over animals with cars, hunting, fishing, using pesticides are one set of issues at one level of controversy. Murder, self defense and war is anther bundle of controversy. Abortion, assisted sucide, suicide is another set of death related controversies. Leather and diet is yet another and is even more controversial. The Buddhist community should expect the lay follower to answer these decisions according to what is possible in his social context. The professional monastic should make the hard decisions in favor of life and we would expect the more advanced buddhist to be able to prefer decisions that involve less death.
4) Meditate a lot.
5) The sangha is open to all
6) Its okay to have kids & get married
7) Don't make claims about you'r enlightenment
8) Promote the enlightenment of all living things
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