ethical behavior. Buddha’s approach to ethics was unique in that it was not con-
cerned with what he referred to as“social customs”that could change from location
to location. Buddha counseled his students that“ethical values are intrinsically a part
of nature, and the unchanging law of cause and effect (kamma).”^229 In this sense, the
Buddhist ethical system is both useful and applicable for all time.
As is the case with all the religious traditions, Buddhist ethics are both general and
specific.“If you ask any Buddhist what the heart of the Buddhist moral system is, he
or she, would probably say,‘Show compassion to all beings.’”^230 Van Voorst adds this
simple admonition:“Besides the general command to all Buddhists to be nonviolent,
moderate, and compassionate to all beings, Buddhists are urged to live moral, gener-
ous lives.”^231 In addition to these broad ethical guidelines, Buddha spoke of specific
precepts, such as the killing of living beings, stealing, engaging in sexual misconduct,
lying, and drinking any intoxicants, mainly because their consumption encourages
immoral behavior.^232Buddhist Notions About Death
A large portion of Buddha’s teaching focuses on death. In fact, it was an awareness of
the inevitability of death that prompted Buddha to engage in his quest for the“true
meaning of life.”Buddha believed one could not be happy in this life or create good
Karma without understanding the reality of impermanence. He once told his students,
“Who, unless he be quite mad, would make plans which do not reckon with death,
when he sees the world so unsubstantial and frail, like a water bubble.”^233 One of the
most often quoted sayings in Buddhism states,“Like a fish which is thrown on dry
land, taken from his home in the waters, the mind strives and struggles to get away
from the power of Death.”The reasoning behind Buddha’s teachings regarding death
and dying are explained in the following paragraph:
Contemplation and meditation on death and impermanence are regarded as very important
to Buddhism for two reasons: (1) it is only by recognizing how precious and how short life is
that we are most likely to make it meaningful and try to live it fully and (2) by under-
standing the death process and familiarizing ourself [sic] with it, we can remove fear at the
time of death and ensure a good rebirth.^234
Buddha’s message was clear and simple—death is certain, the time of death is
uncertain, and what can help you at the actual moment of death is your spiritual
development.
As noted earlier, according to Buddhism, death is only an end to a temporary phenome-
non. Buddhists perceive death as ending one chapter and starting another. When the
organic life ends, the forces of Karma take over because they havenot been destroyed—
this is rebirth. As Ottama states,“our past Karma is rebirth itself.”^235 As pointed out during
our examination of Karma, it is believed that the person’s past deeds, both wholesome and
unwholesome, play a role in how many times he or she is reborn. As long as the person is
greedy, manifests hatred, does not control immoral behavior, and continues to engage in
self-delusion, he or she will continue to produce bad Karma. Once there is enough good
Karma, the person will experience nirvana. As we also noted earlier, nirvana in its
unadorned state is complete bliss that releases a person from all unhappiness.
The state of a person’s mind approaching death is also important in the Buddhist
tradition. Most religions hold that even a seriously ill person should“keep fighting”Buddhist Notions About Death 151Copyright 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).