BUDDHIST ETHICS. Buddhist ethics is a term of convenience that we may use here to describe systems of morality as well as styles of moral reasoning that have emerged in Buddhist traditions. Moral reflection has taken various forms in Buddhist civilizations, beginning with Buddhism's origins in South Asia two and a half millennia ago to its gradual spread across most of Asia through very diverse cultural contexts. While several patterns in moral thinking broadly shared by most or all forms of Buddhism may be suggested at the outset, deeper investigation must attend to particular expressions of Buddhist ethics in their historical and contextual diversity.

Enduring Patterns Across Buddhist Traditions

From one perspective, Buddhist moral theorists are concerned with actions (karma), which are deemed to determine one's future experiences in this and future lives in the round of rebirths (saṃsāra). Actions that are prompted by...