Morality (Sila)

Religions usually seem to be divided across battlelines between what I'll call legalist and gnostic camps (think Wahhabism v Sufism or Fundamentalist v liberal Christianity or Gnosticism). The less-well-educated are expected and/or encouraged by 'religious authorities' to follow the laws without question but certain other groups will see the law as designed only for that group with alleged limited capacity for real understanding.

In Buddhism, this idea of two forms of the religion is quite formally discussed. Siddhartha taught a number of moral lessons and everybody is really expected to begin the path by attempting to know and follow the precepts derived from them.

In addition, monks and nuns are expected to follow their vinaya as part of the additional work required for gnosis. But basic Buddhist morality comes first. Morality and, as part of that, disciplining one’s desires are believed to aid in the settling of the mind required for effective meditation for gnosis. This settling of the mind is compared to the settlement of muddy water that enables one to see through it to a reality beyond it. The best of morality comes only to a Buddha, though, the ultimate knower, as it comes from true insight rather than slavish adherence to precepts however well-grounded the precepts might be seen to be from the beginning. The religious are also partly intended as the guardians of these initial moral precepts for the rest of the sangha.

The rules for the religious are thus more Spartan from the first as they are meant to promote awareness as well as correct behaviour from the get-go. Short term or long term monastic vows taken by people who then return to the laity are common in various parts of the modern Buddhist world, though. They may even be taken for a single special day.

An interesting feature of the system today is that there is now virtually a complete absence of orthodox full nuns in all but the Taiwanese tradition (there are a few full nuns in Burma and possibly in Sri Lanka). There have been seven major accepted traditions of nuns. Part of the reason women can not now be orthodox full nuns is that if an order is not continuous from the time of Siddhartha it is not considered orthodox so if for any historical reason the final convent in any tradition is lost and the final full nun dies without ordaining any successors (in the presence of four other full nuns of the tradition) there can be no legitimate successors. So here is an example of strict legalism preventing women today who follow the Thai Theravada tradition from becoming full nuns in their tradition. A very knowledgeable monk in the Thai Theravada tradition (when in Bundanoon) issued an opinion, though, that Thai Theravada nuns may be invested by full nuns of the Taiwanese tradition. On the basis of this advice, an investiture occurred recently which is expected to be challenged in Thailand. It remains unlawful in Thailand to describe oneself as a nun. The Thai tradition ended in around the 11^th Century probably in line with a local patriarchal governmental prohibition of the time. Lines of monks have also been in danger of dying out over the centuries especially in times of oppression in some areas.