Hello friends, and welcome.

I hope life is going well for you. We have been battling sickness, and have spent many days in a row at home. While it isn’t fun being sick, it has been nice to slow down and have several lazy days on the couch! Blessings can be found everywhere, to be sure.

During my downtime, I have read. Oh, how I love to read. One of the books on my end table is “Beyond Religion: Ethics for the Whole World” by the Dalai Lama. I found his explanation of three stages of practicing ethics interesting, and I thought I would share it with you!

“Ethics is not simply a matter of knowing. More important, it is about doing. For this reason, even the most sophisticated ethical understanding, if it is not applied in daily life, is somewhat pointless. Living ethically requires not only the conscious adoption of an ethical outlook but also a commitment to developing and applying inner values in our daily lives.

Now, regarding the question of how to put ethics into practice in everyday life, it may be helpful to consider the process as having three aspects or levels – each progressively more advanced and dependent for its success upon the former. As outlined in some classical Buddhist texts, these are as follows: an ethic of restraint – deliberately refraining from doing actual or potential harm to others; an ethic of virtue – actively cultivating and enhancing our positive behavior and inner values; and an ethic of altruism – dedicating our lives, genuinely and selflessly, to the welfare of others.

To be effective, these three stages must be considered in relation to all our behavior. In other words, not just in relation to our outward physical actions, but also in relation to what we say, and ultimately to our very thoughts and intentions.” (p. 103)

I found this explanation to be quite helpful, especially in regards to teaching ethics to my children. Before they can enhance their inner values, they need to work on refraining from doing actual or potential harm to others.

I’m definitely feeling this right now. My four-year-old is in a phase where he hits his siblings if he doesn’t get his way. He will not learn the ethics of virtue and altruism well if he has not yet mastered the ethic of restraint.

We can apply these stages to our own lives as well. If I make a rude remark to someone, I probably should revisit the importance of self-control and thinking before I speak before cultivating a different inner value.

I really have enjoyed this book, especially part two. I definitely recommend it!

Thanks for stopping by today, friends. I hope you have a wonderful day!

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