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Beyond Religion: Ethics for a Whole World

Dalai Lama and Alexander Norman

Last accessed on Sunday April 29, 2018

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The fundamental problem, I believe, is that at every level we are giving too much attention to the external, material aspects of life while neglecting moral ethics and inner values. By inner values I mean the qualities that we all appreciate in others, and toward which we all have a natural instinct, bequeathed by our biological nature as animals that survive and thrive only in an environment of concern, affection, and warmheartedness—or in a single word, compassion. The essence of compassion is a desire to alleviate the suffering of others and to promote their well-being.

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Ultimately, the source of our problems lies at the level of the individual. If people lack moral values and integrity, no system of laws and regulations will be adequate. So long as people give priority to material values, then injustice, corruption, inequity, intolerance, and greed—all the outward manifestations of neglect of inner values—will persist.

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This is not to suggest that blessings and prayer are useless. In fact, I consider prayer to be of immense psychological benefit. But we must accept that its tangible results are often hard to see.

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“secular,” far from implying antagonism toward religion or toward people of faith, actually implies a profound respect for and tolerance toward all religions. It also implies an inclusive and impartial attitude which includes nonbelievers. This understanding of the term

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when negative attitudes toward religion, in the West or elsewhere, are motivated by a concern for justice, they must be respected.

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one could argue that those who point out the hypocrisy of religious people who violate the ethical principles they proclaim, and who stand up against injustices perpetrated by religious figures and institutions, are actually strengthening and benefiting the traditions themselves.

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For those whose religious belief is so closely tied to ethical practice, it is hard to conceive of one without the other. For those who believe that truth requires God, God alone can make ethics binding. Without God as the guarantor, they suggest, there is at best only relative truth, so that what is true for one person may not be true for another. And in this situation there is no basis for distinguishing right from wrong, for evaluating good and bad, or for restraining selfish and destructive impulses and cultivating inner values.

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I do not agree that ethics requires grounding in religious concepts or faith. Instead, I firmly believe that ethics can also emerge simply as a natural and rational response to our very humanity and our common human condition.

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As I see it, spirituality has two dimensions. The first dimension, that of basic spiritual well-being—by which I mean inner mental and emotional strength and balance—does not depend on religion but comes from our innate human nature as beings with a natural disposition toward compassion, kindness, and caring for others. The second dimension is what may be considered religion-based spirituality, which is acquired from our upbringing and culture and is tied to particular beliefs and practices. The difference between the two is something like the difference between water and tea.

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While we can live without tea, we can’t live without water. Likewise we are born free of religion, but we are not born free of the need for compassion.

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there is no consensus about the essential orientation of human nature. Instead, there seem to be many views. To put the matter at its simplest, there are some who believe, at one end of the spectrum, that we are by nature fundamentally violent, aggressive, and competitive; while others, at the other end, take the view that we are predominantly disposed toward gentleness and love. Most perspectives lie between these extremes, accommodating all of our qualities and propensities in varying degrees. Generally speaking, if we view human nature as dominated by destructive tendencies, our ethics will most likely be grounded in something outside ourselves. We will understand ethics as a means for keeping those destructive tendencies in check in the name of some greater good. If, however, we view human nature as predominantly oriented toward kindness and the desire for a peaceful life, then we can consider ethics an entirely natural and rational means for pursuing our innate potential. On this understanding, ethics consists less of rules to be obeyed than of principles for inner self-regulation to promote those aspects of our nature which we recognize as conducive to our own well-being and that of others. This second approach is in tune with my own.

Note:Underyling premise of human nature

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I believe that an inclusive approach to secular ethics, one with the potential to be universally accepted, requires recognition of only two basic principles. Both of these can easily be grasped on the basis of our common experience as humans and our common sense, and both are supported by findings of contemporary research, particularly in fields such as psychology, neuroscience, and the clinical sciences. The first principle is the recognition of our shared humanity and our shared aspiration to happiness and the avoidance of suffering; the second is the understanding of interdependence as a key feature of human reality, including our biological reality as social animals.

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At the most basic level, the ability to respond to one’s surroundings with conscious experience is what we can consider, in the broadest sense, “mind.”

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what distinguishes the human mind from the minds of other beings, a few major features are immediately apparent. We humans have a strong and subtle capacity for remembering, seemingly much greater than those of many other animals, which allows us to project our thoughts into the past. We also have the ability to project our thoughts into the future. In addition, we have very powerful imaginations and a highly developed capacity for communication through symbolic language. And, perhaps most distinctively, we have the capacity for rational thought—the ability to critically evaluate and compare different outcomes in both real and imaginary situations.

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We naturally enjoy empathetic experience and often seek it out in our lives. An example is the joy we take in the delight of small children—we love to see their faces light up when we smile at them, give them something, or tell them a story.

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at the genome level, the differences between individuals appear more pronounced than those between different races.

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All pleasures based on sensory stimulation derive at some level from the satisfaction of a craving. And if we become obsessed with satisfying that craving, this will eventually turn into a kind of suffering. Even the pleasure we get from eating turns to suffering if we overindulge.

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LIKE ALL OTHER mammals, we humans are born from our mothers, and for some time after birth we are utterly dependent on attention of our mothers or other caring adults.

Note:Mammals share connection to mother

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a medical scientist suggested that men who make disproportionately frequent use of first-person pronouns such as “I,” “me,” and “mine” are much more likely to suffer heart attacks than those who do not. At the time no explanation was offered, but the implication, I thought, was quite clear. Frequent use of first-person pronouns probably indicates a high level of self-focus. Such people are likely to be more prone to the stress and anxiety that accompany self-centeredness. And stress and anxiety are well known to be bad for the heart.

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This instinct for self-interest becomes negative only when we are excessively self-focused. When this happens, our vision narrows, undermining our ability to see things in their wider context. And within such a narrow perspective, even small problems can create tremendous frustration and seem unbearable. In such a state, should genuinely major challenges arise, the danger is that we will lose all hope, feel desperate and alone, and become consumed with self-pity.

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such affinities—whether based on family, community, nation, language, or religion—are often accompanied by heightened discrimination between “us” and “them.” The problem is that when we see ourselves only in terms of this or that group, we tend to forget about our wider identity as human beings.

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Genuine compassion, therefore, is directed not at people’s behavior but at the people themselves.

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Empathy is characterized by a kind of emotional resonance—feeling with the other person. Compassion, in contrast, is not just sharing experience with others, but also wishing to see them relieved of their suffering.

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The only way to change a person’s mind is with concern, not with anger or hatred. Physical or violent measures can only restrain others’ physical behavior, never their minds.

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From a secular point of view, without such beliefs in punishment and reward in the afterlife, we must ask ourselves what punishment is really about. Is it about retribution and revenge—about making wrongdoers suffer as an end in itself? Or is it more about preventing further wrongdoing? To my mind, the purpose of punishment is not to exact suffering as an end in itself. Rather, the suffering inflicted by punishment should have a higher purpose, namely to discourage the wrongdoer from repeating the offense and to deter others from committing similar acts.

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What are the limits of redress? Here I think it is very important to recognize that all human beings have the capacity for change. Because of this, I find the idea of the death penalty unacceptable.

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In primitive human society, revenge may have been necessary for survival, but as society developed, people came to recognize the negative consequences of revenge and the value of forgiveness. This, I think, is what it really means to be civilized.

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Just as, in theistic terms, God forbids sin while still loving the sinner, so we too should forcefully oppose wrong while maintaining concern for the wrongdoer.

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To summarize, let me say simply: Remember that even a criminal is a human being, like yourself, and capable of change. Punish the actor in proportion to the misdeed, but do not indulge the desire for vengeance. Think rather of the future, and of how to ensure that the crime is not repeated.

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At this point the players are introduced to the notion of altruistic punishment, a mechanism by which they can punish the free riders. By contributing some of their own money to a nonrefundable punishment bin, they are able to force free riders to pay double that amount. So, for example, by spending three dollars on punishment, a player can make the free rider pay six dollars. As it turns out, once this system is introduced into the game, cooperation between players can be sustained more or less indefinitely.

Note:How woukd this work in your systems

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In moments of anger or irritation, we may be rude to loved ones or aggressive toward others. Later we may feel some remorse or regret, but when looking back on our outburst, we do not fail to distinguish between what we did and who we are. We naturally forgive ourselves and perhaps resolve not to do the same thing again. Given that we find it so easy to forgive ourselves, surely we can extend the same courtesy to others!

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While intention is the first and most important factor in guaranteeing that our behavior is ethical, we also need discernment to ensure that the choices we make are realistic and that our good intentions do not go to waste.

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exercise of discernment, which enables us to relate to situations in a manner that is in tune with reality, enables us to translate our good intentions into good outcomes.

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encourage the reader to internalize a personal value system, it would be unrealistic to suppose that matters of ethics can be determined purely on the basis of rules and precepts. Matters of ethics are often not black and white. After checking to be sure that we are motivated by concern for the welfare of humanity, we must weigh the pros and the cons of the various paths open to us and then let ourselves be guided by a natural sense of responsibility. This, essentially, is what it means to be wise.

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The danger of this attitude is that by focusing too narrowly on our immediate predicament, we will find ourselves unable to do anything about it. In contrast, using our discernment to look at situations in their broader context and from different perspectives will help us find solutions.

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all but the most exceptional circumstances, violence only begets further violence. To suppose that we can achieve peace through violence is therefore altogether misguided.

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When modern education began, religion was still an influential force in society, so the inculcation of virtues such as restraint, modesty, and service was part of family upbringing and participation in a religious community, and could therefore largely be taken for granted in an educational context.

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Of course, I do not mean to suggest that teachers should be too soft! On the contrary, the best teachers are often quite strict. But for strictness to be effective, it must be grounded in concern for the welfare of the students.

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Abuse?

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As I understand it, mindfulness in this context usually refers to gaining awareness of our own patterns of behavior, including thoughts and feelings, and learning to let go of those habits, thoughts, and emotions which are unhelpful.

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In some religions, conscience is regarded as a precious gift from God which makes human beings uniquely moral creatures. From a secular perspective, we may understand conscience as a product of our biological nature as social animals, or as something we acquire from society through our upbringing and environment. Either way, all sane and responsible people will surely agree that this quality is of great significance with respect to our moral sensibility. Whatever one’s views about religion, the idea of a person devoid of conscience—without any inner voice of restraint or moral responsibility—is truly frightening.

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it is important for readers not to confuse those emotions which are afflictive—that is to say, harmful to our long-term well-being—with those which simply don’t feel good.

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we can define destructive emotions as those states which undermine our well-being by creating inner turmoil, thereby undermining self-control and depriving us of mental freedom.

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One feature that characterizes all destructive emotions is a tendency to distort our perception of reality. They cause us to narrow our perspective so that we fail to see a given situation in its wider context. For

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The overly strong emotion causes us to lose our capacity for discernment. We cannot see the long- and short-term consequences of our actions, and as a result we are unable to distinguish between right and wrong. We

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As part of learning to gain a measure of control over our emotions as a step toward developing a calm mind, it is important that we take a measured and, above all, realistic approach to dealing with the world and the problems we face. Take

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our feelings of irritation and frustration are actually rather unrealistic and often exaggerated beyond what the actual situation merits. We

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over and over, not just because of external factors, but also because they have become something of an emotional habit for us.

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It is only by practicing such awareness—by facing these emotions directly and giving them careful scrutiny—that we can gradually bring them under control.

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As you become more and more familiar with this approach, you will gradually gain greater mastery, to the point at which you may be able to catch yourself before the emotion even arises. By becoming aware of how feelings such as anger, irritation, or annoyance usually arise in you, you can learn to recognize what triggers them and can therefore arm yourself against them by bringing awareness to bear earlier in the process. Eventually, through practice, you can desensitize yourself to the triggers themselves, by not allowing an element of projection to distort your interpretation of events. This

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What follows here is a brief consideration of a few of the other key human values: patience or forbearance, contentment, self-discipline, and generosity.

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the antidote to destructive emotion with the most urgent and immediate relevance for our everyday lives is what is called soe pa in Tibetan. Though usually translated as patience, soe pa also includes the virtues of tolerance, forbearance, and forgiveness. What it really means is the ability to endure suffering.

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If there is a solution, Then what need is there for dejection? If there is no solution, Then what point is there in dejection?

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Given this natural limit, it seems wiser to set one’s own limits through the exercise of contentment. In contrast, when it comes to acquiring mental riches, the potential is limitless. Here, where there is no natural limit, it is appropriate not to be contented with what you have, but to constantly strive for more. Unfortunately, most of us do the exact opposite. We are never quite satisfied with what we have materially, but we tend to be thoroughly complacent about our mental riches.

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This virtue of self-discipline is extolled in all the world’s major religious traditions. In Islam, for example, a strong emphasis is placed on the virtue of sabr—steadfastness, self-control, patience, or fortitude—and those who have this quality, the sabireen, are said to be beloved of God.

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fourth, the giving of love.

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