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śīla
śīla (Skt.; Pāli, sīla).
1. Morality, or a moral precept, for example, as in the Five Precepts (pañca-śīla) and other formulations of normative moral rules. The purpose of śīla is to guide behaviour and cultivate virtue. The precepts are not commandments and are not enforced by any religious authority. Śīla thus differs from the monastic code (Vinaya) which is primarily a set of regulations for the harmonious conduct of the communal religious life and as such embodies externally enforceable penalties and sanctions. The śīlas are derived from the conduct of the Buddha, and are essentially a condensation of the moral behaviour of the enlightened. They list those things an enlightened person will not do, hence their negative form. 2. Name of the first of the three divisions of the Noble Eightfold Path, that which includes steps 3–5, namely (3) Right Speech (samyag-vāc), (4) Right Action (samyak-karmānta), (5) Right Livelihood (samyag-ājīva). In Mahāyāna Buddhism, śīla is the second of the Six Perfections (ṣaḍ-pāramitā). |
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DAMIEN KEOWN. "śīla." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. DAMIEN KEOWN. "śīla." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O108-la.html DAMIEN KEOWN. "śīla." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O108-la.html |
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Śīla
Śīla (Skt.; Pāli, sīla). ‘Precepts’, the basic obligations which Buddhists undertake, ten for bhikṣu/bhikṣunis, five for laypeople (or the first eight on uposatha days): the undertaking, in the rule of training, is to abstain from (i) harming any living being, (ii) taking anything not given, (iii) misconduct involving sense-pleasure, (iv) false speech, (v) losing control of mind through alcohol or drugs, (vi) solid food after midday, (vii) frivolous entertainments, (viii) perfumes and jewellery, (ix) raised, soft beds, (x) involvement with money or other valuables. These are understood, not so much as ‘ten commandments’, as promises that Buddhists make to themselves at the start of each day.
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Cite this article
JOHN BOWKER. "Śīla." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN BOWKER. "Śīla." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-la.html JOHN BOWKER. "Śīla." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-la.html |
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