________________ Buddhist's Ethics and its Contemporary Relevance : 201 Buddhist ethics calls for a new value schema which cares for all and tends all. Because as the contemporary society of today is not as it was a decades back. They are constantly moving forward with new findings and theses. So Buddhism is engaged in many other new areas like conservation of ecology, environment and other social areas. The scientists are also always impressed with the Buddhist theory of mind. I quote here a scientist saying: 'It was the historical Arnold Toynbee who predicted that one of the most significant events of the twentieth century would be the spreading of the Buddhism to the west. For modern psychology, that may be so in a special sense : as a discipline we are awakening to be fact that there is a more ancient science of mind, and perhaps a wiser one, than our own, and that its fullest articulation is in Buddhism (Buddhist ethical codes). The dialogue is not confined to verbal interaction but it entered into laboratory where Buddhist practitioners are examined. The results have been eye opening for the scientists. Western psychologists and cognitive scientists have never imagined that compassion and other positive mental states, when developed could have so strong implication on nervous system. This fact came into light and opened a new chapter for them when they experimented a practitioner in a laboratory. Laboratory experiments on various other aspects are also still going on. Likewise, His holiness the Dalai Lama preached. Contemporary Indian thinkers like Mahatma Gandhi, Ram Krishna, Nehru, Ambedkar etc. emerged as path finders and they were influenced by Buddha's ethics. Mahatma Gandhi has been recognised as the greatest advocate of the dictum that ends and means are one and the same. As he does believe that the roots of violence are wealth without work, pleasure without conscience, knowledge without character, commerce without morality, science without humanity, worship without sacrifice. His ethics of peace is to be distinguished Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only www.jainelibrary.org
