Thoughts of things like abortion, suicide, etc. Traditional Buddhism is more like Christianity than you would think

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Product Description

The latter half of the twentieth century witnessed a growing interest in Buddhism, and it continues to capture the imagination of many in the West who see it as either an alternative or a supplement to their own religious beliefs. Numerous introductory books have appeared in recent years to cater to this growing interest, but almost none devotes attention to the specifically ethical dimensions of the tradition. For various complex cultural and historical reasons, ethics has not received as much attention in traditional Buddhist thought as it has in the West. Written by Damien Keown, one of the few experts worldwide who specializes in the area, Buddhist Ethics illustrates how Buddhism might approach a range of contemporary moral issues, ranging from abortion to euthanasia, sexuality to cloning, and even war and economics.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #166837 in Books
• Published on: 2005-09-08
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 148 pages

About the Author

Damien Keown is Reader in Buddhism at Goldsmiths College, University of London. His books on Buddhism include Dictionary of Buddhism and uddhism, A Very Short Introduction. He is also Editor of The Journal of Buddhist Ethics and Coeditor of The Curzon Critical Studies in Buddhism series.

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Customer Reviews

Introduction to Buddhist Ethics
Like the other volumes in the VSI seties, this is a straightforward, succinct, and helpfui introduction to the ethical teeachings of the Buddha, as they pertain to 21st century life. As such, it is only a beginning, but a superb way into a somewhat erudtie and confusing area. Highly recommended to anyone wanting a jumping-off point into the practice of Buddhism in daily acitvity and concern.

A very enlightening read
This is a very useful introductory book for anyone who is interested in Buddhist ethics, its principles and sources, and the answers it gives to some of the most pressing ethical questions of today. The first couple of chapters are dedicated to the historical origins and basic principles of Buddhist ethics. The bulk of the book, however, is aimed at someone who is already familiar with Western ethical traditions, and tries to show how the Buddhist teachings relate to those. In particular, the questions of animal and environmental rights, sexuality, war and terrorism, suicide and euthanasia, and cloning each get a separate chapter. In these chapters the naive impression of Buddhism as a very laid-back and permissive ethical tradition is challenged, and the author shows that the basic answers to those ethical dilemmas in Buddhism are not that far away from similar answers given in theJudeo-Christian ethics.

Overall, this is a very enlightening and informative reading. I highly recommend it.

Ethics for Everyman
This is the second "A Very Short Introduction" book on Buddhism that I have read. Focusing on "Buddhist Ethics, Keown does a yeoman's job of not merely repackaging the information in his previous short introduction to "Buddhism". Keown Describes the tenants of Buddhism, classifies the "ethics" of Buddhism using the Western canon of ethics and then takes on six applied areas. Each are is looked at from the Western and then Buddhist ethical point of view:1) animal s and the environment, 2) sexuality, 3) war and terrorism, 4) abortion, and 6) cloning. The discussion of cloning alone is a reason for reading this book.


I don't want to make the review longer than the short book. Read this book and you will dramatically increase your self-awareness of the ethics within!