Community Meditation Tomorrow, 3/12 with Alex M: Sila / Morality

Dear friends,

Our next weekly practice meeting is tomorrow, March 12th at 10am. Alex M will continue the exploration of the paramis as supported by Ajahn Succito’s book Parami: Ways to Cross Life’s Floods, which is freely available at the link. Register to join us here.

This week, we will discuss sila (morality). Below is an excerpt of Ajahn Succito’s commentary on sila. As we gather, you might consider times in your life when you have felt supported by ethical intention and convention. Likewise, spend time reflecting on when you have acted in alignment with ethical convention, but your intention was misaligned. Maybe you’ve also experienced the confusion of an ethical intention without a mooring of convention. How do these different experiences affect your relationship to morality? What role does the intentional study of and reflection on morality play in your practice and happiness in life?

"Morality in Buddhism can be seen in two ways: as intention, and as convention. Intention refers to the impulse that arises in the mind in the present, in which the ethical tone—whether of illwill, kindness, deceit or truthfulness—is the basis for the kamma (actions) that we lay down and woof which we reap the results. Convention refers to any socially or personally established rules, principles or laws that restrain or encourage certain actions. Conventions, such as speaking in polite language or refraining from theft, do not by themselves eliminate unwholesome impulses/intentions; it is quite possible for example, to speak politely with a mind of malice. If conventions don’t get referred to intentions they become social or personal functions that merely serve to establish our place in the social domain. In this context they are liable to become sources of views, of righteousness, conceit, and prejudice….However, conventions do create behavioural boundaries that can cause us to check our actions, apply wise attention, witness our intention and abandon it. Keeping in touch with present moment intention is therefore crucial. With that as a basis, we then use conventions wisely in order to develop skillful behavior."

Consider also the Five Precepts below—the most common ethical framework provided in Buddhist study. How do these suggestions resonate in your life? What is supportive, and what is challenging?

- To restrain from the impulse to damage sentient life

- To restrain from the impulse to take what isn’t given

- To restrain from the impulse to use sexuality in abusive ways

- To restrain from the impulse towards harmful speech

- To restrain from the impulse towards intoxicants

We look forward to practicing together.

With metta,

Minneapolis Insight

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