The Reward Of Living In Alignment With Your Ethics

We often think of ethics as a rigid set of rules designed to earn us a future reward or avoid punishment. However, the Buddha taught that the true reward of Sila (Buddhist ethics/morality) is to be found entirely in the here and now. In this insightful talk, I explore how acting in alignment with your truest principles removes the painful undercurrents of guilt and regret that so easily create inner turbulence. By keeping your intentions clean and true, your mind naturally settles into tranquility and contentment, creating the ideal foundation from which wisdom, insight, and true liberation can flourish.

Transcript

I've been thinking a little bit recently about ethics, What in Buddhism is called shila. Ethics or morality. And the Buddha taught that the reward for practicing an ethical life, A life that's basically in alignment with our core principles. Or truest. Understanding of things. The reward does not come in the future. So I act ethically now and I reap the rewards in some future time. Like for example, Going to heaven, Being judged going to heaven or going to hell. The Buddha taught that the reward to practicing ethically. Right now. A direct here and now consequence is that we don't feel regret or guilt. It's such a massive thing, You know, In our culture. We feel guilty. That we regret our actions and it can cause enormous amount of turbulence on the inside. Like something which we don't necessarily speak about or admit to anyone else but still underneath there's a kind of undercurrent or ripples of this discomfort. It's not quite in alignment with who we really are. And we just sweep it under the carpet but it does fester and sometimes even grow underneath there. So if we can act in alignment with our core principles, With who we really are, If we act ethically, Then we don't feel this regret. Like our actions and our intentions can be, If you like, Clean, You know, The consequences are smooth. Although obviously we don't know what consequences there will be for the actions we take, But our intentions are true. Now when the regret and the guilt isn't there it allows our whole system to settle we find a kind of tranquility or ease, Contentment about our life. And from a place of contentment. Then wisdom and insight comes so much easier. It comes more naturally. Like grounded, You know, Has a firmer foundation underneath it, And it can and establish itself much more easily. So when we practice in alignment, We practice good ethics, We practice with our life or we act or live our life in alignment, Then it allows not just us to feel no regret and No guilt. We feel content. We feel comfortable, We're able to open our eyes that much more and we're able to see the truth of things and we're able to make our way further towards that place of liberation, Of awakening, Living a truly awakened life. So, So important, This ethical foundation.

Reviews

I now know what to do & I will! Thank you 😃

Thanks

👍💖

Thank you for this wonderful talk!
I appreciated hearing it, as it's helping me over a big bump in the road. Namaste 🙏🏻