Sambodhi 2014 Vol 37

Author(s): J B Shah
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 61

Vol. XXXVII, 2014
Ethical Aspect of Buddhism
. 53
Conclusion
The world today is in a state of turmoil. Valuable ethics are being upturned. The forces of materialistic skepticism have turned their dissecting blades on the traditional concepts of what are considered human values. Yet, any person who has a concern for culture and civilization will concern himself with practical, ethical issues. For ethics has to do with human conduct, It is concerned with our relationship with ourselves and with our fellow - human beings.
The need for ethics arises from the fact that man is not perfect by nature. He has to train himself to be good. Thus, inorality becomes the most important aspect of living. Buddhist ethics finds its foundation not on the changing social customs but rather on the unchanging laws of nature. Buddhist ethical values are intrinsically a part of nature, and the unchanging law of cause and effect [Karma]. The simple fact that Buddhist ethics are rooted in natural law makes its principles both useful and acceptable to the modern world. The fact that Buddhist ethical code was formulated over 2500 years ago does not detracted from its timeless character.