Dialog · 2009 · 11 citations · 0 references
HumanitiesReligionReligious StudiesBuddhist StudiesEthicsReligious EthicsBuddhismBuddhist EthicsBuddhist PhilosophyMonastic StudiesMonastic TraditionsSexual EthicsIdeal TheoryMonastic Community LifeMonastic EthicsMonastic LifeMonastic SexualityReligious Sexual EthicsSexual Ethics In JudaismSexuality In Religion
Abstract : This essay offers a primer for readers unfamiliar with Buddhist sexual ethics. Sex is a problem for Buddhism because it epitomizes the human predicament and the difficulty of its resolution. The essay begins with religious views of the human predicament and its resolution, and how these views shape religious ethical systems. Next follows a brief section on the Buddha and his teachings about human existence and ethical living, focusing particularly on the ultimate goal of liberation from the unsatisfactoriness of a life driven by desire. Given Buddhism's historic emphasis on a renunciatory ideal modeled by a monastic community, a substantial portion of the essay examines the disciplinary rules and sexual behaviors of Buddhist monks and nuns. Sexual ethics for lay Buddhists and non‐conventional sexual categories round out the essay.